Prince-Bishopric of Minden

Principality of Holy Roman Empire

Prince-Bishopric of Minden

Hochstift Minden (German)

1180–1648

Coat of arms

Map of part of the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle in
1560, Prince-Bishopric of Minden highlighted in red

Status| Prince-Bishopric
Capital| Minden
Common languages| Northern Low Saxon
Government| Prince-Bishopric
Historical era| Middle Ages

• Founded by Charlemagne

| 803

• Gained Reichsfreiheit

| 1180

• Possessed Hamelin

| 1259–77

• Peace of Westphalia:
Secularised to
Brandenburg-Prussia

| 1648

• Ceded to Westphalia

| 1807–14

Preceded by | Succeeded by

|

|  | Duchy of Saxony

|

| Margraviate of Brandenburg |

|

Historic view of Minden around 1647

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 it came under the rule of Protestant rulers, and by the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 given to Brandenburg as the Principality of Minden. It must not be confused with the Roman Catholic diocese of Minden, which was larger, and over which the prince-bishop exercised spiritual authority.

## History

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The diocese was founded by Charlemagne in 803, after he had conquered the Saxons. It was subordinate to the Archbishopric-Electorate of Cologne.

It became the Prince-Bishopric of Minden (German: Fürstbistum Minden) in 1180, when the Duchy of Saxony was dissolved.

As to the diocese of Minden, it ceased to exist following the Swedish takeover of 1648.

Prior to its dissolution, the diocesan area comprised, in addition to the temporal prince-bishopric, parts of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and all of Schaumburg-Lippe. The defunct diocese came under the care of by the Apostolic Vicariate of the Nordic Missions in 1667. Between 1709 and 1780 it formed part of the Vicariate Apostolic of Upper and Lower Saxony, before it was reincorporated into the Nordic Missions. In 1821 the former Minden diocesan area within the former prince-bishopric boundary became part of the Diocese of Paderborn, whereas the Brunswickian part became part of the Apostolic Vicariate of Anhalt and Brunswick in 1825, only to join the Diocese of Hildesheim in 1834. The Schaumburg-Lippe area stayed with the Nordic Missions until their dissolution in 1930, becoming first part of the Diocese of Osnabrück and then of Hildesheim as of 1965.

### Transition to a secular principality

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In the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation was starting to take hold in the state, under the influence of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Minden was occupied by Sweden in the Thirty Years' War, and secularized. The Peace of Westphalia of 1648 gave it to the Margraviate of Brandenburg as the Principality of Minden (German: Fürstentum Minden).

After 1719 Minden was administered by Brandenburg-Prussia together with the adjacent County of Ravensberg as Minden-Ravensberg. In 1807, it became part of the Kingdom of Westphalia. In 1814, it returned to Prussia and became part of the Province of Westphalia.

As of 1789, the principality had an area of 1,100 km2 (420 sq mi). It was bordered by (clockwise from the north): an exclave of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel), the Electorate of Hanover, the County of Schaumburg-Lippe, another exclave of Hesse-Kassel, the Principality of Lippe, the County of Ravensberg, and the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück. Cities included Minden and Lübbecke.

## Famous bishops

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Main article: List of bishops, prince-bishops, and administrators of Minden

* Saint Erkanbert (803–813)
* Saint Hardward (813–853)
* Saint Theoderich (853–880)
* Saint Thietmar (1185–1206)
* Francis of Waldeck (1530–53)
* Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1553–54)
* Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1582–85, Protestant)
* Christian the Elder, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1599–1625, Protestant)
* Francis of Wartenberg (1631–48)

## Auxiliary bishops

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* Johann Christiani von Schleppegrell, O.S.A. (1428–1468)[1]
* Johannes Tideln, O.P. (1477–1501)[2]
* Johannes Gropengeter, O.S.A. (1499–1508)[3]
* Ludwig von Siegen, O.F.M. (1502–1508)[4]
* Heinrich von Hattingen, O. Carm. (1515–1519)[5]

## See also

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* Ostwestfalen-Lippe

## References

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1. ^ "Bishop Johann Christiani von Schleppegrell, O.S.A." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016
2. ^ "Bishop Johannes Tideln, O.P. Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016
3. ^ "Bishop Johannes Gropengeter, O.S.A. Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved July 28, 2016
4. ^ "Bishop Ludwig von Siegen, O.F.M." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016
5. ^ "Bishop Heinrich von Hattingen, O. Carm. Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved July 28, 2016

* At Meyers Konversationslexikon, 1888 (in German)
* At NRW-Geschichte.de (with map) (in German)
* Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Minden" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

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Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle (1500–1806) of the Holy Roman Empire

Prince-bishops|

* Cambrai (until 1678)
* Corvey1
* Liège
* Minden2
* Münster
* Osnabrück
* Paderborn
* Utrecht (until 1548)
* Verden (until 1648)

The Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle (red) within the Holy Roman Empire (white) after 1548

Prince-abbots|

* Corvey2
* Essen
* Herford
* Kornelimünster
* Stavelot–Malmedy
* Thorn
* Werden

Secular|

* Arenberg
* Cleves with Mark
* East Frisia1
* Jülich–Berg
* Guelders (until 1548)
* Luxemburg (until 1548)
* Minden1
* Moers1
* Nassau-Dillenburg1
* Verden1

Counts / Lords|

| From 1500|

* Bentheim
* Bronkhorst (until 1719)
* Diepholz
* Drenthe (until 1548)
* East Frisia (until 1667)
* Groningen (until 1548)
* Guelders (until 1548)
* Horne3 (until 1614)
* Hoya
* Lingen3
* Lippe
* Manderscheid (until 1546)
* Moers (until 1541)
* Nassau
* Diez
* Hadamar
* Dillenburg (until 1664)
* Oldenburg
* Overijssel (until 1548)
* Pyrmont
* Ravensberg3
* Reichenstein
* Rietberg
* Salm-Reifferscheid
* Sayn
* Schaumburg
* Tecklenburg
* Virneburg
* Wied
* Winneburg and Beilstein
* Zutphen (until 1548)

|

From 1792|

* Anholt
* Blankenheim and Gerolstein
* Gemen
* Gimborn
* Gronsfeld
* Hallermund
* Holzappel
* Kerpen-Lommersum
* Myllendonk
* Reckheim
* Schleiden
* Wickrath
* Wittem
* Utrecht (until 1548)

Status
uncertain|

* Delmenhorst
* Fagnolle
* Schaumburg
* Hesse
* Lippe
* Spiegelberg
* Steinfurt

Cities|

* Aachen
* Cologne
* Dortmund
* Duisburg?
* Herford?
* Verden (until 1648)
* Warburg?

1 from 1648  2 until 1648  3 without seat in Imperial Diet ? status uncertain

Circles est. 1500: Bavarian, Swabian, Upper Rhenish, Lower Rhenish–Westphalian, Franconian, (Lower) Saxon

* Circles est. 1512: Austrian, Burgundian, Upper Saxon, Electoral Rhenish
* Unencircled territories

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* e

Territories and provinces of Prussia (1525–1947)

Before 1701|

* Duchy of Prussia
* Margraviate of Brandenburg
* Cleves / Mark / Ravensberg (1614)
* Farther Pomerania / Minden / Halberstadt (1648)
* Lauenburg–Bütow / Draheim (1657)
* Magdeburg (1680)
* Colonies
* Gold Coast
* Arguin
* St. Thomas

After 1701|

* Neuchâtel (1707)
* Guelders (1713)
* Minden-Ravensberg (1719)
* Western Pomerania (1720 / 1815)
* Silesia / Glatz (1742)
* East Frisia (1744)
* East / West Prussia (1772–73)
* South Prussia (1793)
* New East Prussia / New Silesia (1795)

Post-Congress of
Vienna (1814–15)

* Brandenburg
* Principality of Neuchâtel (1814-1848)
* Pomerania
* Grand Duchy of Posen1
* Saxony
* Silesia
* Westphalia
* Rhine Province2 (1822)
* Province of Prussia (1824–1878)
* Hohenzollern (1850)
* Schleswig-Holstein / Hanover / Hesse-Nassau (1866–68)

Territorial reforms
after 1918

* Lower / Upper Silesia (1919)
* Greater Berlin (1920)
* Posen-West Prussia (1922)
* Halle-Merseburg / Magdeburg / Kurhessen / Nassau (1944)

1 Became Province of Posen in 1848. 2 From the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg.

Authority control databases |

* VIAF
* WorldCat

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