This article is about the secular principality ruled by the bishops of Utrecht in the Middle Ages. For the original spiritual jurisdiction of the bishops of Utrecht, see
Diocese of Utrecht (695?1580)
.
State of the Holy Roman Empire (1024?1528)
The
Bishopric of Utrecht
(
Dutch
:
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 was ruled by the bishops of Utrecht.
The Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht is not to be confused with the
Diocese of Utrecht
, which covered a larger area. Over the areas outside the Prince-Bishopric, the bishop exercised only spiritual, not temporal, authority.
In 1528,
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
secularized the Prince-Bishopric, depriving the bishop of its secular authority.
History
[
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]
Background
[
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]
The Diocese of Utrecht was established in 695 when
Saint Willibrord
was consecrated bishop of the
Frisians
at
Rome
by
Pope Sergius I
. With the consent of the
Frankish
ruler,
Pippin of Herstal
, he settled in an old
Roman fort
in
Utrecht
. After Willibrord's death the diocese suffered greatly from the incursions of the Frisians,
[
citation needed
]
and later on of the
Vikings
. 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
is referred to in his
hagiographies
as the successor of Willibrord (and, in turn,
Gregory of Utrecht
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.
[1]
Foundation
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]
Better times appeared during the reign of the
Saxon emperors
, who frequently summoned the Bishops of Utrecht to attend the imperial councils and
diets
. In 1024 the bishops were made Princes of the
Holy Roman Empire
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
Utrecht
) and
Oversticht
(Upper Sticht, encompassing the present-day provinces of
Overijssel
,
Drenthe
, and part of
Groningen
).
In 1122, with the
Concordat of Worms
, 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
and
Guelders
, 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
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
, until 1548 when it joined the
Burgundian Circle
as part of the
Habsburg Netherlands
.
In 1527, the Bishop sold his territories, and thus his secular authority, to Holy Roman
Emperor Charles V
and the principality became an integral part of the
Habsburg
dominions. The chapters transferred their right of electing the bishop to Charles V and his government, a measure to which
Pope Clement VII
gave his consent, under political pressure after the
Sack of Rome
.
Dissolution
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]
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
, whilst the southern part of the Oversticht was transformed into the
Lordship of Overijssel
. The northern parts were annexed in 1536 as the
County of Drenthe
.
Prince-bishops
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]
Notes
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]
- ^
Adalbold II of Utrecht was bishop of the Diocese of Utrecht from 1010.
- ^
Henry of the Palatinate remained bishop of the Diocese of Utrecht until 1529.
References
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]
Further reading
[
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]
- Ring, Trudy; Watson, Noelle; Schellinger, Paul, eds. (1995).
"Utrecht"
.
International dictionary of historic places
. Vol. 2. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn. p. 761.
ISBN
188496401X
.
External links
[
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]