This list records the bishops of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Minden The Prince-Bishopric of Minden (german: Fürstbistum Minden; Bistum Minden; Hochstift Minden; Stift Minden) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It was progressively secularized following the Protestant Reformation when ...

(german: Bistum Minden), a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

of the

Archdiocese of Cologne The Archdiocese of Cologne ( la, Archidioecesis Coloniensis; german: Erzbistum Köln) is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and northern Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. History The Electorate of Cologn ...

, who were simultaneously rulers of princely rank (prince-bishop) in the

Prince-Bishopric of Minden The Prince-Bishopric of Minden (german: Fürstbistum Minden; Bistum Minden; Hochstift Minden; Stift Minden) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It was progressively secularized following the Protestant Reformation when ...

(german: Hochstift Minden; est. 1180 and secularised in 1648), a state of

imperial immediacy Imperial immediacy (german: Reichsfreiheit or ') was a privileged constitutional and political status rooted in German feudal law under which the Imperial estates of the Holy Roman Empire such as Imperial cities, prince-bishoprics and secular pri ...

within the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detm ...

was the seat of the chapter, the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

and residence of the bishops until 1305,

Petershagen Petershagen is a town in the Minden-Lübbecke district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It lies on the Westphalian Mill Route. The core is formed by the districts of Petershagen and Lahde, located opposite each other on the Weser. Geography ...

became the prince-episcopal residence since. Wappen Bistum Minden

Titles of the incumbents of the Minden See

In 1180 part of the Minden diocesan territory were disentangled from the

Duchy of Saxony The Duchy of Saxony ( nds, Hartogdom Sassen, german: Herzogtum Sachsen) was originally the area settled by the Saxons in the late Early Middle Ages, when they were subdued by Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 772 and incorporated into the C ...

and became an own territory of imperial immediacy called ''Prince-Bishopric of Minden'', a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. The prince-bishopric was an

elective monarchy An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by an elected monarch, in contrast to a hereditary monarchy in which the office is automatically passed down as a family inheritance. The manner of election, the nature of candidate qualifications, and the ...

, with the monarch being the respective bishop usually elected by the

Minden Cathedral Minden Cathedral, dedicated to Saints Gorgonius and Peter, is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Minden, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From the year 803 AD, when the area was conquered by Charlemagne, it was the center of a diocese and subs ...

chapter, and confirmed by the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

, or exceptionally only appointed by the Holy See. Papally confirmed bishops were then invested by the emperor with the princely

regalia Regalia is a Latin plurale tantum word that has different definitions. In one rare definition, it refers to the exclusive privileges of a sovereign. The word originally referred to the elaborate formal dress and dress accessories of a sovereign ...

, thus the title prince-bishop. However, sometimes the respective incumbent of the see never gained a papal confirmation, but was still invested the princely regalia. Also the opposite occurred with a papally confirmed bishop, never invested as prince. A number of incumbents, elected by the chapter, neither achieved papal confirmation nor imperial

investiture Investiture (from the Latin preposition ''in'' and verb ''vestire'', "dress" from ''vestis'' "robe") is a formal installation or ceremony that a person undergoes, often related to membership in Christian religious institutes as well as Christian k ...

, but as a matter of fact nevertheless

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

held the princely power. Between about 1555 to 1631 all incumbents were Lutherans. The respective incumbents of the see bore the following titles: *

Bishop 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 ...

of Minden until 1180 * Prince-Bishop of Minden from 1180 to 1554 and again 1631 to 1648 *

Administrator Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...

of the Prince-Bishopric of Minden 1566 to 1630 and again 1631 to 1645. Either simply de facto replacing the Prince-Bishop or lacking canon-law prerequisites the incumbent of the see would officially only hold the title administrator (but nevertheless colloquially referred to as Prince-Bishop).

Catholic Bishops of Minden till 1180

Catholic Prince-Bishops (1180–1554)

Lutheran Prince-Bishop and Administrators of the Prince-Bishopric

Catholic Prince-Bishop (1631–1648)

Auxiliary bishops

* Johann Christiani von Schleppegrell, O.S.A. (7 Jun 1428 to 8 Oct 1468)"Bishop Johann Christiani von Schleppegrell, O.S.A."
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 *

Johannes Tideln Johannes Tideln, O.P. (died 28 Jul 1501) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Auxiliary Bishop of Hildesheim (1477–1501) and Auxiliary Bishop of Minden (1477–1501).O.P. (7 Feb 1477 to 28 Jul 1501)"Bishop Johannes Tideln, O.P.
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 *

Ludwig von Siegen (bishop) Ludwig von Siegen, O.F.M. (died 13 February 1508) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Auxiliary Bishop of Hildesheim (1502–1508) and Auxiliary Bishop of Minden (1502–1508).O.F.M. (20 May 1502 to 13 Feb 1508)"Bishop Ludwig von Siegen, O.F.M."
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 * Johannes Gropengeter, O.S.A. (9 Jan 1499 to 25 Jan 1508) *

Heinrich von Hattingen Heinrich von Hattingen, O. Carm. (died 1519) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Auxiliary Bishop of Minden (1515–1519).O. Carm. , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

(10 Dec 1515 to 1519)

Sources

Website ''Chronik Alt-Minden''
(retrieved on 29 April 2010)

on ''

Lexikon des Mittelalters The ''Lexikon des Mittelalters'' ("Lexicon of the Middle Ages", LMA, LexMA) is a German encyclopedia on the history and culture of the Middle Ages. Written by authors from all over the world, it comprises more than 36,000 articles in 9 volumes. H ...

'' {{in lang, de

Notes

Bishops of Minden Minden, Prince-Bishopric of