The Diocese of Zealand (Danish: ''Sjællands Stift'') was a

protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

that existed from 1537 to 1922. The diocese had been formed in 1537 following the Reformation of Denmark, and was dissolved in 1922 when it was divided into the

Diocese of Copenhagen The Diocese of Copenhagen (Danish: ''Københavns Stift'') is a diocese within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark. The Bishop of Copenhagen is currently Peter Skov-Jakobsen, who replaced Erik Normann Svendsen in 2009. The main cathedral of ...

and the

Diocese of Roskilde The Diocese of Roskilde ( da, Roskildes Stift) is a diocese within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark. The seat of the Bishop is Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde. History The Diocese of Roskilde was formed in 1922 when the Diocese of Zealan ...

. While it existed, the diocese functioned as the head of the

Church of Denmark The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church, sometimes called the Church of Denmark ( da, Folkekirken, literally: "The People's Church" or unofficially da, Den danske folkekirke, literally: "The Danish People's Church"; kl, ...

, beneath the crown, and its bishop was regarded as

Primus inter pares ''Primus inter pares'' is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their sen ...

History

The Diocese of Zealand was established in 1537 following the Reformation. During the Reformation, the former Catholic

bishops A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in Denmark—who had led the country's dioceses—were removed from their positions and their property was confiscated by the Crown. From that point onward the monarch of Denmark functioned as the head of the newly formed

. At the onset of the church, bishops were officially styled as superintendents, to reflect their diminished authority beneath the crown, though this proved temporary. The title of

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

was also abolished with the reformation, though the Bishop of Zealand was considered ''primus inter pares'', and regarded as the head of the church beneath the authority of the crown. The diocese of Zealand replaced the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, though it maintained much of its infrastructure. The

Roskilde Cathedral Roskilde Cathedral ( da, Roskilde Domkirke), in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church of Denmark. The cathedral is the most importan ...

remained the diocese's central cathedral and the official residence of the bishop remained in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, as had been the case for his Catholic predecessors, although it moved to the former city hall, now known as Bispegården, which translates literally to ''the Bishop's House''. Apart from the island of

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

, from which the diocese took its name, the diocese covered

Møn Møn () is an island in south-eastern Denmark. Until 1 January 2007, it was a municipality in its own right but it is now part of the municipality of Vordingborg, after merging with the former municipalities of Langebæk, Præstø, and Vordingbo ...

Amager Amager ( or, especially among older speakers, ) in the Øresund is Denmark's most densely populated island, with more than 212,000 inhabitants (January 2021) a small appendage to Zealand. The protected natural area of ''Naturpark Amager'' (includi ...

and various smaller islands in the area. Various dependencies and distant islands also fell under the diocese's jurisdiction, including the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

, the Danish colonies in

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

, and other overseas territories. The island of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...

was included in 1662,Aage Kure, Biskopper i Lund, Slotsherrer på Hammershus, Landsdommere på Bornholm, 2001
/ref> following the 1660 Treaty of Copenhagen which ceded the rest of the

Diocese of Lund The Diocese of Lund ( sv, Lunds stift) is a diocese within the Church of Sweden which corresponds to the provinces of Blekinge and Skåne. There are 217 parishes within the diocese, the most significant number in any of the dioceses of the Chur ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. In 1922, the diocese was divided into the

and the

Harald Ostenfeld Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold. It may refer to: Medieval Kings of Denmark * Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986) Kings of Norway * Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933) * Harald Greycloak (died 970) * Harald Hardrad ...

, the last Bishop of Zealand, continued as the Bishop of Copenhagen while

Henry Fonnesbech-Wulff Henry may refer to: People * Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

became the Bishop of Roskilde.

Bishops of Zealand

*1537–1560

Peder Palladius Peder Palladius (1503–1560) was a Danish theologian, Protestant reformer, and bishop of Zealand. As the first protestant bishop in Denmark, he oversaw the conversion of ecclesiastic affairs. He helped create the church ordinance which founded the ...

*1560–1569

Hans Albertsen Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...

*1569–1590

Poul Madsen Poul is a Danish masculine given name. It is the Danish cognate of the name Paul. Poul may refer to: People * Poul Andersen (1922–2006), Danish printer *Poul Anderson (1926–2001), American writer *Poul Erik Andreasen (born 1949), Danish foot ...

*1590–1614 Peder Jensen Vinstrup, not to be confused with his son Peder Pedersen Winstrup (1605–1679) *1614–1638 Hans Poulsen Resen *1638–1652

Jesper Rasmussen Brochmand Jesper Rasmussen Brochmand (5 August 1585 - 19 April 1652) was a Danish Lutheran clergyman, theologian and professor who served as Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand from 1638 until his death. Brochmand was a key founder of the dogmatic system tha ...

*1652–1653 Hans Hansen Resen *1653–1655 Laurids Mortensen Scavenius *1655–1668

Hans Svane Hans Svane (Svaning) (27 March 1606 – 26 July 1668) was a Danish statesman and clergy member of the Church of Denmark. He was a professor at the University of Copenhagen from 1635 and Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand from 1655 until his death. ...

(titular Archbishop) *1668–1675 Hans Wandal *1675–1693 Hans Bagger *1693–1710 Henrik Bornemann *1710–1737

Christen Worm Christen Willumsen Worm (10 June 1672 – 9 October 1737) was a Danish theologian and Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand from 1711 until his death. Worm began his career as a scholar and a priest. Over the course of his tenure as bishop, his auth ...

*1737–1757

Peder Hersleb Peder Hersleb (25 March 1689 – 4 April 1757) was a Norwegian-Danish clergyman and Bishop. Biography Hersleb was born in Steinkjer in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway, the son of Christopher Hersleb and Sophie Borch. He became a student at Trondhei ...

*1757–1783

Ludvig Harboe Ludvig Harboe (16 August 1709 – 15 June 1783) was a Danish theologian and bishop of the Diocese of Zealand from 1757 until his death. Harboe was born at Broager Peninsula in Sønderborg, Denmark. He was mostly educated in Germany. He att ...

(Hersleb's son-in-law) *1783–1808

Nicolai Edinger Balle Nicolai may refer to: *Nicolai (given name) people with the forename ''Nicolai'' *Nicolai (surname) people with the surname ''Nicolai'' *Nicolai (crater), a crater on the Moon See also * Niccolai, a surname * Nicolae (disambiguation) * Nicolao * ...

(Harboe's son-in-law) *1808–1830

Friedrich Christian Carl Hinrich Münter Friedrich may refer to: Names *Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich'' *Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich'' Other *Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Years' ...

*1830–1834

Peter Erasmus Müller Peter Erasmus Müller (29 May 1776 – 4 September 1834), was a Danish historian, linguist, theologian, and bishop of the Diocese of Zealand from 1830 until his death. Career Müller studied at the University of Copenhagen, where he passed his th ...

*1834–1854

Jacob Peter Mynster Jacob Peter Mynster (8 November 1775 – 30 January 1854) was a Danish theologian and clergy member of the Church of Denmark. He served as Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand from 1834 until his death. Mynster was notably used as an exemplar of con ...

*1854–1884

Hans Lassen Martensen Hans Lassen Martensen (19 August 1808 – 3 February 1884) was a Danish bishop and academic. He was a professor at the University of Copenhagen and Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand. Early life Martensen was born in a middle-class Lutheran f ...

*1884–1895 Bruun Juul Fog *1895–1909 Thomas Skat Rørdam *1909–1911 Peder Madsen *1911–1922

List of prefects (Stiftamtmænd)

*1660–1661 Ove Skade *1662–1682 Johan Christopher Körbitz *1682–1717 Otto Krabbe *1717–1721 Frederik Christian von Adeler *1721–1729 Rudolph von Gersdorff *1729–1730

Christian Frederik Holstein Count Christian Frederik Holstein (1735-1799), was a Danish court official. He was secretary of the royal Chancery from 1752, count of Ledreborg from 1763, director of the royal post office in 1762-66, chamberlain of the court of the queen, Carol ...

*1730–1735

Johan Ludvig Holstein Johan Ludvig Holstein, Lensgreve til Ledreborg (7 September 1694 – 29 January 1763) was a Danish Minister of state from 1735 to 1751. The Danish colony Holsteinsborg on Greenland (now Sisimiut), was named after him. He was the ancestor of the H ...

*1735–1748 Niels Gersdorff *1749–1750 Conrad Ditlev Reventlow *1750–1750 Adolph Andreas von der Lühe *1750–1764 Holger Skeel *1764–1776 Eggert Christoffer Knuth *1776–1787

Henrik Adam Brockenhuus Henrik Adam Brockenhuus (30 May 1720 - 11 June 1803) was a Danish courtier, local administrator in Zealand. He owned the estates of Jungshoved, Oremandsgaard and Nysø and serv as prefect (amtmand(amtmand/stiftsamtmand) of Vordingborg Municipal ...

*1787–1790

Gregers Christian Haxthausen Gregers is a given name. Notable people with the given name include: *Gregers Algreen-Ussing (born 1938), Danish architect and academic *Gregers Arndal-Lauritzen (born 1998), Danish footballer *Gregers Birgersson (died 1276), Swedish knight and maj ...

*1790–1802 Johan Heinrich Knuth *1802–1810 Frederik Hauch *1810–1816

Werner Jasper Andreas Moltke Werner may refer to: People * Werner (name), origin of the name and people with this name as surname and given name Fictional characters * Werner (comics), a German comic book character * Werner Von Croy, a fictional character in the ''Tomb Raid ...

*1816–1821

Christopher Schøller Bülow Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει� ...

*1821–1831 Frederik von Lowzow *1831–1850 Julius Knuth *1850–1859 Peter Tetens *1859–1872 Carl Simony *1873–1889

Johan Christian Bille-Brahe Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a manu ...

*1889–1909 Christian Bache *1909–1911 Frederik de Jonquières *1911–1915 Anders Dybdal *1915–1922 Emil Ammentorp (Continued in the Dioceses of Copenhagen and Roskilde)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zealand, Diocese Of Church of Denmark dioceses

Diocese of Zealand The Diocese of Zealand (Danish: ''Sjællands Stift'') was a protestant diocese in Denmark that existed from 1537 to 1922. The diocese had been formed in 1537 following the Reformation of Denmark, and was dissolved in 1922 when it was divided into ...

1537 establishments in Denmark 1922 disestablishments in Denmark