Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg Fürstbistum Würzburg (German) | |||||||||
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| 1168–1803 | |||||||||
 Coat of arms | |||||||||
 The Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg in the 18th century | |||||||||
| Status | State of theHoly Roman Empire | ||||||||
| Capital | Würzburg | ||||||||
| Common languages | East Franconian German | ||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||||||
| Government | Prince-Bishopric | ||||||||
| Prince-Bishop | |||||||||
• First bishop (743–55) | St Burchard I | ||||||||
• First Prince-Bishop (1165–70) | Herold von Hochheim | ||||||||
• Last (1795–1808; Prince-Bishop to 1803) | Georg Karl von Fechenbach | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Bishopric founded | 743 | ||||||||
• Raised toprince-bishopric | 1168 | ||||||||
• Prince-Bishops styled Dukes inFranconia | 1441 | ||||||||
• Ecclesiastical Prince ofFranconian Circle | 1500 | ||||||||
| 25 February 1803 | |||||||||
| 30 September 1806 | |||||||||
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ThePrince-Bishopric of Würzburg (German:Fürstbistum Würzburg; Hochstift Würzburg) was anecclesiastical principality of theHoly Roman Empire located inLower Franconia, west of thePrince-Bishopric of Bamberg.Würzburg had been a diocese since 743. As established by theConcordat 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.[a] The last few prince-bishops resided at theWürzburg Residence, which is one of the grandestBaroque palaces in Europe.
As a consequence of the 1801Treaty of Lunéville, Würzburg, along with the other ecclesiastical states of Germany, wassecularized in 1803 and absorbed into theElectorate of Bavaria. In the same yearFerdinand III, formerGrand Duke of Tuscany, was compensated with theElectorate of Salzburg. In the 1805Peace of Pressburg, Ferdinand lost Salzburg to theAustrian Empire, but was compensated with the newGrand Duchy of Würzburg, Bavaria having relinquished the territory in return for theTyrol. This new state lasted until 1814, when it was once again annexed by Bavaria.
TheRoman Catholic Diocese of Würzburg was reestablished in 1821 without temporal power.
In 1115,Henry V awarded the territory of Eastern Franconia (Ostfranken) to his nephewConrad 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 ofNapoleon Bonaparte abolished it.
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.[1]
Secular power lost in 1803. Territory ceded to Bavaria until 1805.
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