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The Bishopric of Merseburg was an episcopal see on the eastern border of the medieval Duchy of Saxony with its centre in Merseburg, where
Merseburg Cathedral Merseburg Cathedral (german: Merseburger Dom) is the proto-cathedral of the former Bishopric of Merseburg in Merseburg, Germany. The mostly Gothic church is considered an artistic and historical highlight in southern Saxony-Anhalt. History Ba ...
was constructed. The see was founded in 967 by Emperor
Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...
at the same time in the same manner as those of Meissen and
Zeitz Zeitz ( hsb, Žič) is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river White Elster, in the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony. History Zeitz was first recorded un ...
(from 1029:
Naumburg Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018 ...
), all suffragan dioceses of the
Archbishopric of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese (969–1552) and Prince-Archbishopric (1180–1680) of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River. Planned since 955 and established in 968, the Ro ...
as part of a plan to bind the adjacent Slavic (" Wendish") lands in the Saxon Eastern March beyond the
Saale The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saal ...
River more closely to the Holy Roman Empire. The prince-bishopric was re-established by King
Henry II of Germany Henry II (german: Heinrich II; it, Enrico II; 6 May 973 – 13 July 1024), also known as Saint Henry the Exuberant, Obl. S. B., was Holy Roman Emperor ("Romanorum Imperator") from 1014. He died without an heir in 1024, and was the last ruler o ...
in 1004. It then covered a considerable small territory stretching from the Saale up to the
Mulde The Mulde () is a river in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Elbe and is long. The river is formed by the confluence, near Colditz, of the Zwickauer Mulde (running through Zwickau) and the Freiberger Mulde (wit ...
River and the Margraviate of Meissen in the east.


History

About 919 Otto's father King Henry the Fowler had a ''
Kaiserpfalz The term ''Kaiserpfalz'' (, "imperial palace") or ''Königspfalz'' (, "royal palace", from Middle High German ''phal ne'' to Old High German ''phalanza'' from Middle Latin ''palatia'' luralto Latin ''palatium'' "palace") refers to a num ...
'' erected in Merseburg in the
Eastphalia Eastphalia (german: Ostfalen; Eastphalian: ''Oostfalen'') is a historical region in northern Germany, encompassing the eastern '' Gaue'' (shires) of the historic stem duchy of Saxony, roughly confined by the River Leine in the west and the Elbe ...
n ''
Hassegau The Hassegau was a medieval shire ('' Gau'') in the Eastphalia region of the Duchy of Saxony. It was located in the duchy's southeastern corner; confined by the Saale river to the east and its Unstrut and Wipper tributaries to the south and north ...
'', hometown of his first wife,
Hatheburg of Merseburg Hatheburg (also Hatheburch) (* 876 in Merseburg; † on 21 June after 909) was a Frankish queen, the first wife of Henry the Fowler, later king of East Francia (Germany). After their marriage was dissolved, Hatheburg became abbess of a convent. ...
. The establishment of the diocese traced back to a vow Otto took before his victory against the Hungarians at the
Battle of Lechfeld The Battle of Lechfeld was a series of military engagements over the course of three days from 10–12 August 955 in which the Kingdom of Germany, led by King Otto I the Great, annihilated the Hungarian army led by '' Harka ''Bulcsú and the ch ...
on
Saint Laurence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Rom ...
day, 10 August 955. Confirmed by
Pope John XIII Pope John XIII ( la, Ioannes XIII; died 6 September 972) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 October 965 to his death. His pontificate was caught up in the continuing conflict between the Holy Roman emperor, Otto I, and t ...
at the 968 synod in Ravenna, the first Merseburg bishop was Boso, a Bavarian monk descending from
St. Emmeram's Abbey Saint Emmeram's Abbey (german: Kloster Sankt Emmeram or ''Reichsabtei Sankt Emmeram''), now known as Schloss Thurn und Taxis, Schloss St. Emmeram or St. Emmeram's Basilica, was a Benedictine monastery founded in about 739 at Regensburg in Bavar ...
in Regensburg (Ratisbon), already distinguished by his missionary labours among the pagan
Sorbs Sorbs ( hsb, Serbja, dsb, Serby, german: Sorben; also known as Lusatians, Lusatian Serbs and Wends) are a indigenous West Slavic ethnic group predominantly inhabiting the parts of Lusatia located in the German states of Saxony and Brandenb ...
. Boso's successor Gisilher, a confidant of the new Emperor
Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy ...
, from 971 procured the suppression of the see in favour of his aims to become Archbishop of Magdeburg, finally reached through the Emperor's power over
Pope Benedict VII Pope Benedict VII ( la, Benedictus VII; died October 983) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from October 974 to his death. Family and early career Benedict was born in Rome, the son of David or Deodatus and nephew of Alberic ...
in 981. However this step was clearly against the interests of the Church and the position of Magdeburg archbishopric was decisively enfeebled after the
Great Slav Rising In the Slavic revolt of 983, Polabian Slavs, Wends, Lutici and Obotrite tribes, that lived east of the Elbe River in modern north-east Germany overthrew an assumed Ottonian rule over the Slavic lands and rejected Christianization under Emperor Ot ...
of 983, therefore the dissolution was revoked by the papacy in 998 or early in 999 at a
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council * Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
n synod. Upon Archbishop Gisilher's death in 1004, King Henry II re-established the prince-bishopric; the diocese did not, however, recover all its former territory, and was now almost exclusively a missionary jurisdiction among the Sorbs, who were not fully converted to Christianity until the middle of the 12th century. Under Bishop Thietmar (1009-1018) the erection of Merseburg Cathedral began, it was consecrated in 1021 in presence of Emperor Henry II. During the Investiture Controversy the Merseburg bishops sided with Pope Gregory VII and also joined the
Great Saxon Revolt The Great Saxon Revolt was a civil war fought between 1077 and 1088, early in the history of the Holy Roman Empire. The revolt was led by a group of opportunistic German princes who elected as their figurehead the duke of Swabia, Rudolf of R ...
, which, however, could not stop the dwindling importance of the small diocese. From the 13th century onwards, the bishops had to deal with rising power of the Meissen margraves of the Wettin dynasty, from 1423
Electors of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony (German: or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356–1806. It was centered around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. In the Golden Bull of 1356, Emperor Charles ...
, who by denying Merseburg's
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 prin ...
attempted to acquire the overlordship. By the 1485 Treaty of Leipzig the Wettins allocated the protectorate over Merseburg to Duke Albert III of Saxony. The bishopric's fate was sealed with the Protestant Reformation, which was enforced here during the episcopate of Prince Adolph II of Anhalt, who was driven out of office by his uprising subjects during the German Peasants' War in 1525. In 1544 Elector
Augustus of Saxony Augustus (31 July 152611 February 1586) was Elector of Saxony from 1553 to 1586. First years Augustus was born in Freiberg, the youngest child and third (but second surviving) son of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, and Catherine of Mecklenburg. He c ...
finally assumed the rule as Protestant administrator, with Prince George III of Anhalt as
Coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co- ...
. In 1561 the Saxon elector installed his minor son Alexander as administrator, who nevertheless died four years later, whereafter the Bishopric of Merseburg was finally incorporated by the Saxon electorate. From 1652 to 1738 the descendants of the Wettin duke
Christian I Christian I (February 1426 – 21 May 1481) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Denmark (1448–1481), Norway (1450–1481) and Sweden (1457–1464). From 1460 to 1481, he was also duke of Schleswig (within Den ...
held the title of a "Duke of Saxe-Merseburg". At the 1815
Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
, three-fourths of the former diocesan territory was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia, the rest remaining Saxon; the religious attitude of the people was by that time almost entirely Lutheran.


Incumbents of the see of Merseburg


Bishops of Merseburg

*967–970: Boso *971–981: Gisilher *981–1004: diocese dissolved


Prince-Bishops of Merseburg

*1004–1009: Wigbert *1009–1018: Thietmar of Walbeck *1019–1036: Bruno of Merseburg *1036–1050: Hunold *1050–1053: Alberich *1053: Winther *1053–1057: Ezzelin I *1057–1062: Offo (also Uffo, Onuphrius, or Woffo) *1062–1063: Günther (also Winithar) *1063–1093: Werner of Wolkenburg *1075: Eberhard (anti-bishop) *1093–1097: sede vacante *1097–1112: Albuin *1112–1120: Gerard (Gerhard) *1120–1126: Arnold *1126–1140: Megingoz (also Meingod) *1140–1140: Henry I *1140–1143: Ezzelin II (also Eckhelm) *1143–1151: Raynard (Reinhard) of Querfurt *1151–1170: John I (Johann) *1171–1201: Count Eberhard of Seeburg *1201–1215: Derek of Meissen (Dietrich von Meißen) *1215–1240: Ekkehard Rabil (also Engelhard) *1240–1244: Rudolph of Webau *1244–1265: Henry II of Waren *1265: Albert I of Borna (Albrecht) *1265–1283: Frederick I of Torgau *1283–1300: Henry III von Ammendorf *1300–1319: Henry IV *1320–1340: Gebhard of Schrapelau (or Schraplau) *1341–1357:
Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
, Count of Stolberg *1357–1382: Frederick II of Hoym *1382–1384: Burkhard of Querfurt *1382–1385: Andreas Dauba (anti-bishop) *1384–1393: Henry VI, Count of Stolberg *1393–1403: Henry VII, treasurer from Orlamünde *1403–1406: Otto of Honstein *1406: Bishop Elect Henry (VIII), Count of Stolberg *1407–1411: Walter von Köckeritz *1411–1431: Nicholas Lubich *1431–1463: John II of Bose (Johannes; 23 May 1431 - 3 October 1463) *1464–1466: John III of Bose (Johannes; January 1464 - 11 July 1466) *1466–1514: Thilo of Trotha (21 Jul 1466 - 5 Mar 1514) *1514–1526: Adolph of Anhalt (5 March 1514 - 23 March 1526) *1526–1535: Vincent of Schleinitz (Vinzenz; 9 April 1526 - 21 March 1535) *1535–1544: Sigismund of Lindenau (3 April 1535 - 4 January 1544)


Lutheran Administrator and coadjutor

*1544–1548:
Augustus of Saxony Augustus (31 July 152611 February 1586) was Elector of Saxony from 1553 to 1586. First years Augustus was born in Freiberg, the youngest child and third (but second surviving) son of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, and Catherine of Mecklenburg. He c ...
, as
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 ...
**1544–1549: George of Anhalt, as Lutheran coadjutor


Prince-Bishop

*1549–1561:
Michael Helding Michael Helding (1506 – 30 September 1561) was a Roman Catholic bishop, scholar, writer and humanist.
'' ...
(28 May 1549 - 30 September 1561)


Lutheran Administrator

*1561–1565: Alexander of Saxony **In 1565 the prince-bishopric was annexed to the Electorate of Saxony


References

* {{Coord missing, Germany Merseburg Merseburg Merseburg Merseburg Merseburg Merseburg