Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg

The Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg () was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire located in Lower Franconia, west of the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg. Würzburg had been a diocese since 743. As established by the Concordat of 1448, bishops in Germany were chosen by the canons of the cathedral chapter and their election was later confirmed by the pope. Following a common practice in Germany, the prince-bishops of Würzburg were frequently elected to other ecclesiastical principalities as well. The last few prince-bishops resided at the Würzburg Residence, which is one of the grandest Baroque palaces in Europe.

As a consequence of the 1801 Treaty of Lunéville, Würzburg, along with the other ecclesiastical states of Germany, was secularized in 1803 and absorbed into the Electorate of Bavaria. In the same year Ferdinand III, former Grand Duke of Tuscany, was compensated with the Electorate of Salzburg. In the 1805 Peace of Pressburg, Ferdinand lost Salzburg to the Austrian Empire, but was compensated with the new Grand Duchy of Würzburg, Bavaria having relinquished the territory in return for the Tyrol. This new state lasted until 1814, when it was once again annexed by Bavaria (then Kingdom of Bavaria).

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Würzburg remained as an ecclesiastical institution and was "reformed" in 1818 after the Concordat of 24 October 1817 with Bavaria as part of new ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of Bamberg but anyway without temporal power.

Duke of Franconia In 1115, Henry V awarded the territory of Eastern Franconia (Ostfranken) to his nephew Conrad of Hohenstaufen, who used the title "Duke of Franconia". Franconia remained a Hohenstaufen power base until 1168, when the Bishop of Würzburg was formally ceded the ducal rights in Eastern Franconia. The name "Franconia" fell out of usage, but the bishop revived it in his own favour in 1442 and held it until the reforms of Napoleon Bonaparte abolished it.

Coat of arms

The charge of the original coat of arms showed the "Rennfähnlein" banner, quarterly argent and gules, on a lance or, in bend, on a blue shield. In the 14th century another coat of arms was created, the "Rechen" or rake. The coat of arms represents the holism of heaven and earth. The three white pikes represent the Trinity of God and the four red pikes, directed to earth, stand for the four points of the compass, representing the whole spread of earth. The red colour represents the blood of Christ.

The prince-bishops used both within their personal coat of arms. The Rechen and the Rennfähnlein represented the diocese, while the other (usually two) fields showed the personal coat of arms of the bishop's family. The coat of arms showed the Rechen in the first and third field, the Rennfähnlein in the second and fourth field.

Prince-Bishops of Würzburg, 1168–1803

Herold von Hochheim 1165–1170 Reginhard von Abenberg 1171–1186 Gottfried I von Spitzenberg-Helfenstein 1186–1190 Philip of Swabia 1190–1191 Heinrich III of Berg 1191–1197 Gottfried II von Hohenlohe 1197 Konrad von Querfurt 1198–1202 Heinrich IV von Katzburg 1202–1207 1207–1223 Dietrich von Homburg 1223–1225 Hermann I von Lobdeburg 1225–1254 Iring von Reinstein-Homburg 1254–1266 Heinrich V von Leiningen 1254–1255 Poppo III von Trimberg 1267–1271 Berthold I von Henneberg 1271–1274 Berthold II von Sternberg 1274–1287 Mangold von Neuenburg 1287–1303 (Bishop of Bamberg 1285) Andreas von Gundelfingen 1303–1313 Gottfried III von Hohenlohe 1313–1322 Friedrich von Stolberg 1313–1317 Wolfram Wolfskeel von Grumbach 1322–1332 Hermann II Hummel von Lichtenberg 1333–1335 Otto II von Wolfskeel 1335–1345 Albrecht I von Hohenberg 1345–1349 Albrecht II von Hohenlohe 1350–1372 Gerhard von Schwarzburg 1372–1400 Albrecht III von Katzburg 1372–1376 Johann I von Egloffstein 1400–1411 Johann II von Brunn 1411–1440 Sigmund of Saxony 1440–1443 Gottfried I von Limpurg 1443–1455 Johann III von Grumbach 1455–1466 Rudolf II von Scherenberg 1466–1495 Lorenz von Bibra 1495–1519 Konrad von Thüngen 1519–1540 Conrad von Bibra 1540–1544 Melchior Zobel von Giebelstadt 1544–1558 Friedrich von Wirsberg 1558–1573 Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn 1573–1617 Johann Gottfried von Aschhausen 1617–1622 (Bishop of Bamberg 1609–1622) Philipp Adolf von Ehrenberg 1622–1631 Franz von Hatzfeld 1631–1642 (Bishop of Bamberg 1633–1642) Johann Philipp von Schönborn 1642–1673 Johann Hartmann von Rosenbach 1673–1675 Peter Philipp von Dernbach 1675–1683 Konrad Wilhelm von Wernau 1683–1684 Johann Gottfried II von Gutenberg 1684–1698 Johann Philipp von Greifenclau zu Vollraths 1699–1719 Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn 1719–1725 Christoph Franz von Hutten 1724–1729 Friedrich Karl von Schönborn 1729–1746 (also Bishop of Bamberg) Anselm Franz von Ingelheim 1746–1749 Karl Philipp von Greifenclau zu Vollraths 1749–1754 Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim 1755–1779 (Bishop of Bamberg 1757–1779) Franz Ludwig von Erthal 1779–1795 (also Bishop of Bamberg) Georg Karl Ignaz von Fechenbach zu Laudenbach 1795–1808

Secular power lost in 1803. Territory ceded to Bavaria until 1805.

See also Würzburg Cathedral – for burial locations of most Würzburg bishops Ebrach Abbey – beginning with the 13th century, the bishops of Würzburg had their hearts brought to Ebrach Abbey (entrails to the Marienkirche, bodies to Würzburg cathedral). About 30 hearts of bishops, some of which had been desecrated during the German Peasants' War, are said to have found their final resting place at Ebrach. Prince-Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn broke with this tradition and had his heart buried in the Neubaukirche at Würzburg.

Gallery

Notes

References

Further reading Peter Kolb und Ernst-Günther Krenig (Hrsg.): Unterfränkische Geschichte. Würzburg 1989. Alfred Wendehorst: Das Bistum Würzburg Teil 1: Die Bischofsreihe bis 1254. Germania Sacra, NF 1: Die Bistümer der Kirchenprovinz Mainz, Berlin 1962. Alfred Wendehorst: Das Bistum Würzburg Teil 2 - Die Bischofsreihe von 1254 bis 1455. In: Max-Planck-Institut für Geschichte (Hg.): Germania Sacra - Neue Folge 4 - Die Bistümer der Kirchenprovinz Mainz. Berlin 1969. . Alfred Wendehorst: Das Bistum Würzburg Teil 3: Die Bischofsreihe von 1455 bis 1617. Germania Sacra, NF 13: Die Bistümer der Kirchenprovinz Mainz, Berlin/New York 1978. Alfred Wendehorst: Das Bistum Würzburg 1803-1957. Würzburg 1965. Wissenschaftliche Vereinigung für den Deutschen Orden e.V. und Historische Deutschorden-Compaigne zu Mergentheim 1760 e.V. (Hrsg.): 1300 Jahre Würzburg - Zeichen der Geschichte, Bilder und Siegel der Bischöfe von Würzburg. Heft 23. Lauda-Königshofen 2004.

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