The Bishopric of Utrecht ( nl, Sticht Utrecht) was an

ecclesiastical principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...

of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...

in the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

, in the present-day

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. From 1024 to 1528, as one of the prince-bishoprics of the Holy Roman Empire, it was ruled by the bishops of Utrecht. The Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht must not be confused with the Diocese of Utrecht, which extended beyond the Prince-Bishopric and over which the bishop exercised spiritual authority. In 1528,

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

, secularized the Prince-Bishopric, depriving the bishop of its secular authority.

History

Foundation

The Diocese of Utrecht was established in 695 when

Saint Willibrord Willibrord (; 658 – 7 November AD 739) was an Anglo-Saxon missionary and saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands. He became the first bishop of Utrecht and died at Echternach, Luxembourg. Early life His father ...

was consecrated bishop of the

Frisians The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal regions of the Netherlands and northwestern Germany. They inhabit an area known as Frisia and are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Pope Sergius I Pope Sergius I (8 September 701) was the bishop of Rome from 15 December 687 to his death, and is revered as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. He was elected at a time when two rivals, Paschal and Theodore, were locked in dispute about wh ...

. With the consent of the Frankish ruler,

Pippin of Herstal Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Frankish statesman and military leader who de facto ruled Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke and Prince of the ...

, he settled in an old

Roman fort In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term. In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...

. After Willibrord's death the diocese suffered greatly from the incursions of the Frisians, and later on of the

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

. Whether Willibrord could be called the first bishop of Utrecht is doubtful; as James Palmer points out, "there was no real concept of a well-defined bishopric until at least the days of Alberic (775–84)". And while

Saint Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations o ...

is referred to in his

hagiographies A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...

as the successor of Willibrord (and, in turn,

Gregory of Utrecht Gregory of Utrecht ( 700/705 – August 25, 776) was born of a noble family at Trier.

is referred to as the successor to Willibrord and Boniface), this does not necessarily mean "successor as bishop", but rather that they succeeded each other as missionaries to the Frisians.

Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht

Better times appeared during the reign of the Saxon emperors, who frequently summoned the Bishops of Utrecht to attend the imperial councils and

diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

s. In 1024 the bishops were made Princes of the

and the new Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht was formed. The secular territory over which it ruled was known as Sticht Utrecht or Het Sticht (a sticht was any piece of land governed by a bishop or abbot). This territory was divided into the ''Nedersticht'' (Lower Sticht, roughly corresponding to the present day province of

) and ''

Oversticht Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the Episcopal principality of ...

'' (Upper Sticht, encompassing the present-day provinces of

Overijssel Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the Episcopal principality of U ...

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nove ...

, and part of

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of t ...

). In 1122, with the

Concordat of Worms The Concordat of Worms(; ) was an agreement between the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire which regulated the procedure for the appointment of bishops and abbots in the Empire. Signed on 23 September 1122 in the German city of Worms by ...

, the Emperor's right of investiture was annulled, and the cathedral chapter received the right to elect the bishop. It was, however, soon obligated to share this right with the four other collegiate chapters in the city. The Counts of

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former Provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

and

Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in p ...

, between whose territories the lands of the Bishops of Utrecht lay, also sought to acquire influence over the filling of the episcopal see. This often led to disputes and consequently 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 R ...

frequently interfered in the election. After the middle of the 14th century the popes repeatedly appointed the bishop directly without regard to the five chapters. It was part of the

Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle The Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle (german: Niederrheinisch-Westfälischer Reichskreis, nl, Nederrijns-Westfaalse Kreits) was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. It comprised territories of the former Duchy of Lower Lorraine, Fri ...

In 1527, the Bishop sold his territories, and thus his secular authority, to Holy Roman

Emperor Charles V Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fr ...

and the principality became an integral part of the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

dominions. The chapters transferred their right of electing the bishop to Charles V and his government, a measure to which

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...

gave his consent, under political pressure after the Sack of Rome.

End

The Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht was conquered by Habsburg troops in 1528. The southwestern Nedersticht core territory around the city of Utrecht became the

Lordship of Utrecht The Lordship of Utrecht was formed in 1528 when Charles V of Habsburg conquered the Bishopric of Utrecht, during the Guelders Wars. In 1528, at the demand of Henry of the Palatinate, Prince-Bishop of Utrecht, Habsburg forces under Georg Schenck ...

, whilst the southern part of the Oversticht was transformed into the

Lordship of Overijssel The Lordship of Overijssel or Overissel (Latin: ''Transisalania''Christyn, Jean Baptiste. Histoire Generale Des Pais-Bas: Contenant la Description Des XVII Provinces : Divisée en IV. volumes, augmentée de plusieurs remarques curieuses, de nouve ...

. The northern parts were annexed in 1536 as the County of Drenthe.

Prince-bishops

* Adalbold II (1010–1026) * Bernold (1026/7–1054) *

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

(1054–1076) * Conrad (1076–1099) * Burchard (1100–1112) * Godbald (1114–1127) * Andreas van Cuijk (1127/8–1139) * Hartbert (1139–1150) * Herman van Horne (1151–1156) * Godfrey van Rhenen (1156–1178) * Baldwin II van Holland (1178–1196) *

Arnold I van Isenburg Arnold (or Arnoud) van Isenburg (died in April or June 1197) was Bishop of Utrecht from 1196 to 1197. Arnold descended from the German House of Isenburg and had been provost in Deventer since 1176. After Bishop Baldwin II van Holland died Arnold ...

(1196–1197) * Dirk I van Holland (1197) * Dirk II van Are (van Ahr) (1197/8–1212) * Otto I van Gelre (1212–1215) *

Otto II van Lippe Otto of Lippe was a son of Bernhard II, Lord of Lippe. He was bishop of Utrecht as Otto II from 1216 to 1227. Several of his brothers also held high ecclesiastical offices in the Rhineland. During the Fifth Crusade, Otto visited Palestine. In ...

(1216–1227) *

Wilbrand van Oldenburg Wilbrand of Oldenburg (before 1180 - Zwolle, 26 July 1233) was a bishop of Paderborn and of Utrecht. Family Wilbrand was the son of Henry II, Count of Oldenburg-Wildeshausen, and Beatrix of Hallermund, daughter of Wilbrand I, Count of Loccum-Ha ...

(1227–1233) *

Otto III van Holland Otto van Holland (died 27 March 1249) was a bishop of Utrecht from 1233 to 1249. Otto was the second son of William I, Count of Holland and his first wife Adelaide of Guelders. He was elected as bishop in 1233, but because of resistance from ...

(1233–1249) *

Gozewijn van Amstel (van Randerath) Gozewijn van Randerath was a Dutch Roman Catholic clergyman. He was locally elected to be bishop of Utrecht in 1249, but Pope Innocent IV appointed Henry I van Vianden instead, and so Gozewijn withdrew from the post in 1250. Due to an error by t ...

(1249–1250) *

Henry I van Vianden Henry (or Hendrik) van Vianden (died 4 June 1267) was a bishop of Utrecht from 1249 to 1267. He was the son of Henry I, Count of Vianden and Margaret, Marchioness of Namur. He was provost at Cologne before he was pushed forward as candidate for ...

(1250/2–1267) * John I of Nassau (1267–1290) * John II van Sierck (1290–1296) *

Willem II Berthout William II Berthout of Mechelen (died near De Meern, 4 February 1301) was bishop of Utrecht from 1296 to 1301, succeeding Jan II van Sierck. He was a leader of the Berthout family, which ruled over the Heerlijkheid of Mechelen. William was a ...

(1296–1301) *

Guy van Avennes Guy van Avennes (also spelt as Guy van Avesnes; Dutch Gwijde van Avesnes) (c. 1253 – 23 May 1317, Utrecht) was Bishop of Utrecht from 1301 to 1317. Family He was descended from an important Hainaut family, the House of Avesnes. He was the bro ...

(1301–1317) * Frederik II van Sierck (1317–1322) *

Jacob van Oudshoorn Jacob van Oudshoorn (died ca. 18 September 1322) was bishop of Utrecht in 1322. Van Oudshoorn descended from a noble Hollandic house; he was the son of Willem and brother of Dirk van Oudshoorn (1301–1327), lords of Oudshoorn and Aarlanderveen.D ...

(1322) *

Jan III van Diest John or Jan van Diest (died 1 June 1340) was bishop of Utrecht from 1322 to 1340. Jan descended from a noble family from Brabant, and was initially provost of Cambrai. In 1322 Jan was proposed as candidate for the Bishopric of Utrecht by William ...

(1322–1340) * Jan IV van Arkel (1342–1364) *

Jan V van Virneburg Jan (or John) van Virneburg (died 23 June 1371) was a bishop of Münster from 1363 to 1364, and bishop of Utrecht from 1364 to 1371. Jan van Virneburg was transferred from Münster to Utrecht by pope Urban V after the transfer of bishop Jan va ...

(1364–1371) *

Arnold II of Horne Arnold (or Arnoud) II of Horne (1339–1389) was the son of Willem IV of Horne and Elisabeth of Cleves. He was canon, provost, Bishop of Utrecht from 1371 to 1378, and Bishop of Liège from 1378 to 1389. After the death of bishop Jan van Virneb ...

(1371–1379) *

Floris van Wevelinkhoven Floris van Wevelinkhoven (ca. 1330 – Castle Hardenberg, 4 April 1393) was Bishop of Münster from 1364 to 1379 and Bishop of Utrecht from 1379 to 1393. Floris van Wevelinkhoven descended from high nobility, and started his career in the B ...

(1379–1393) *

Frederik III van Blankenheim Frederick of Blankenheim (c. 1355 – Castle Ter Horst ( Loenen), 9 October 1423) was bishop of Strasbourg from 1375 to 1393 as Friedrich II, and bishop of Utrecht from 1393 to 1423 as Frederik III. Strasbourg and Utrecht Frederik van Blanken ...

(1393–1423) *

Rudolf van Diepholt Rudolf van Diepholt ( – Vollenhove, 24 March 1455) or Rudolf of Diepholz was a bishop of Utrecht from 1423 to 1455 and bishop of Osnabrück from 1454 to 1455. Biography Rudolf van Diepholt was one of the most influential Prince-Bishops of ...

(1423–1455) *

Zweder van Culemborg Zweder van Culemborg (or Kuilenburg) (died 21 September 1433) was bishop of Utrecht during the Utrecht Schism. After the death of bishop Frederik III van Blankenheim in 1423, a succession-conflict had emerged between the two candidates for the bis ...

(1425–1433) *

Walraven van Meurs Walraven is a Dutch given name and patronymic surname. The given name is first attested in 1294 and has the Germanic roots *wald- ("ruler") and *χraban- ("raven"). The German equivalent of the name is ''Walram''.Gijsbrecht van Brederode Gijsbrecht van Brederode (1416 – Breda, 15 August 1475) was bishop-elect of Utrecht from 1455 to 1456. Gijsbrecht van Brederode was a son of Walraven I van Brederode and the brother of Reinoud II van Brederode. He was provost in Utrecht an ...

(1455–1456) *

David of Burgundy David of Burgundy (c. February 142616 April 1494) was Bishop of Utrecht. The illegitimate son of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, David was made bishop of Utrecht by his father in 1456 in an attempt to enforce more centralised Burgundian contr ...

(1456–1496) * Frederick IV of Baden (1496–1517) * Philip of Burgundy (1517–1524) *

Henry of the Palatinate Henry of the Palatinate (German: ''Heinrich von der Pfalz'') (Heidelberg, 15 February 1487 – Ladenburg, 3 January 1552) was Bishop of Utrecht from 1524 to 1529, Bishop of Worms from 1523 to 1552 and Bishop of Freising from 1541 to 1552. He ...

(1524–1529)

Notes

References

External links

Apostolisch vicarissen van de Hollandse Zending
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Utrecht, Bishopric (1024-1528) Utrecht (city) Medieval Netherlands

Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht The Bishopric of Utrecht ( nl, Sticht Utrecht) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries, in the present-day Netherlands. From 1024 to 1528, as one of the prince-bishoprics of the Holy Roman Empire, it ...

History of Utrecht (city) States and territories established in 1024 States and territories disestablished in 1528 Former polities in the Netherlands * Prince-bishoprics of the Holy Roman Empire in the Netherlands Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle

2nd millennium in the Netherlands