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Prince-Bishopric of Brixen | |||||||||||
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| 1027–1803 | |||||||||||
 Coat of arms | |||||||||||
 Ecclesiastical states of the Holy Roman Empire, 1648, with Brixen territories highlighted | |||||||||||
| Status | Prince-Bishopric | ||||||||||
| Capital | Brixen | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Southern Bavarian,Ladin | ||||||||||
| Government | Ecclesiastical principality | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages Early modern period | ||||||||||
• Ingenuinus Bishop of Sabiona | 579 | ||||||||||
• GainedReichsfreiheit | 1027 | ||||||||||
| 1179 | |||||||||||
• JoinedAustrian Circle | 1512 | ||||||||||
• Mediatised toTyrol | 1803 | ||||||||||
• ToAustrian Empire | 1814 | ||||||||||
| Currency | Brixen Thaler | ||||||||||
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ThePrince-Bishopric of Brixen (German:Hochstift Brixen, Fürstbistum Brixen, Bistum Brixen) was anecclesiastical principality of theHoly Roman Empire in the present-daynorthern Italian province ofSouth Tyrol. It should not be confused with the larger Catholicdiocese, over which theprince-bishops exercised only the ecclesiastical authority of an ordinarybishop. The bishopric in theEisack/Isarco valley was established in the 6th century and gradually received more secular powers. It gainedimperial immediacy in 1027 and remained anImperial Estate until 1803, when itwas secularised toTyrol. The diocese, however, existed until 1964, and is now part of theDiocese of Bolzano-Brixen.
The Diocese of Brixen is the continuation of that ofSäben Abbey nearKlausen, which, according to legend, was founded about 350 asSabiona by SaintCassian of Imola. As early as the 3rd century, Christianity had penetrated Sabiona, at that time aRoman custom station of considerable commercial importance. It may have been a retreat of the bishops ofAugusta Vindelicorum, the later see ofAugsburg, during theMigration Period.
The first Bishop of Sabiona vouched for by history isIngenuinus, mentioned about 580, who appears as suffragan of thePatriarchs of Aquileia. The tribes who pushed into the territory of the present Diocese of Brixen, during the great migratory movements, especially theBavarians andLombards, accepted Christianity at an early date; only theSlavs of thePuster Valley persisted in paganism until the 8th century. By the late 6th century the region became part of theAgilolfing stem duchy ofBavaria, which in 788 finally fell underFrankish overlordship. Urged by KingCharlemagne, PopeLeo III assigned Säben as a suffragan diocese to theArchbishopric of Salzburg in 798. After KingLouis the Child in 901 granted Säben the demesne ofPrichsna, part of the estates held by his motherOta, Bishop Rihpert (appointed 967) orBishop Albuin I (967-1005) had the seat of the diocese transferred toBrixen.
Bishop Hartwig (1020–39) raised Brixen to the rank of a city, and surrounded it with fortifications. The diocese received many grants from theHoly Roman Emperors: thus fromConrad II in 1027 thesuzerainty in the Norital, fromHenry IV in 1091 thePuster Valley. In 1179Frederick I Barbarossa conferred on the bishop the title and dignity of aprince of theHoly Roman Empire. This accounts for the fact that during the difficulties between thePapacy and the Empire, the Bishops of Brixen like the neighbouringTrent bishops generally took the part of the emperors. Particularly notorious is the case ofAltwin, during whose episcopate (1049-1091) the ill-famedsynod of 1080 was held in Brixen, at which thirty bishops, partisans of the emperor, declaredPope Gregory VII deposed, and set up as antipope the Bishop ofRavenna, with the name ofClement III.
The temporal power of the diocese soon suffered a marked diminution through the action of the bishops themselves, who bestowed large sections of their territory in fief on temporal lords: as for example, in the 11th century courtships in theInntal and theEisack valley (granted to the Counts ofTyrol, and in 1165 territory in the Inntal and the Puster Valley to the Counts of Andechs-Meran. The Counts of Tyrol, in particular, who had fallen heir in large part to the territories of the Duke of Merania, constantly grew in power. Bishop Bruno (1249-1288) had difficulty in asserting his authority over a section of his territory against the claims of CountMeinhard of Gorizia-Tyrol. Likewise DukeFrederick IV of Habsburg, ruler of Tyrol andFurther Austria, called "of the Empty Pockets", compelled the Bishops of Brixen to acknowledge his authority. The dissensions between CardinalNicholas of Cusa (1450-1464), appointed by PopeNicholas V as Bishop of Brixen, and the Austrian ArchdukeSigismund of Habsburg were also unfortunate; the cardinal was made a prisoner, and although the pope placed the diocese under an interdict, Sigismund came out victor in the struggle.
The Reformation was proclaimed in the Diocese of Brixen during the episcopate of Christoph I von Schrofenstein (1509-1521) by German emissaries, like Strauss, Urban Regius, and others. In 1525, under BishopGeorg III of Austria (1525-1539), a peasants' uprising broke out in the vicinity of Brixen, and several monasteries and strongholds were destroyed. The promise of German kingFerdinand I of Habsburg, civil ruler of Tyrol, to redress the grievances of the peasants restored tranquility, and at a diet held at Innsbruck, the most important demands of the peasants were acceded to. Although in 1532 these promises were withdrawn, peace remained undisturbed.
Ferdinand I of Habsburg and his son ArchdukeFerdinand II of Austria, in particular, as civil rulers took active measures against the adherents of the new teachings, chiefly theAnabaptists, who had been secretly propagating their sect; thus they preserved religious unity in the district of Tyrol and the Diocese of Brixen. At this time important services were rendered in safeguarding the Catholic Faith by theJesuits,Capuchins,Franciscans, and Servites. Bishops of the period include: CardinalAndrew of Austria (1591-1600), and Christoph IV von Spaur (1601-1613), who in 1607 founded a seminary for theological students; enlarged the cathedral school, and distinguished himself as a great benefactor of the poor and sick.
In the 17th and 18th centuries many monasteries were founded, new missions for thecure of souls were established, and the religious instruction of the people was greatly promoted; in 1677 theUniversity of Innsbruck was founded. The most prominent prince-bishops of this period were: Kaspar Ignaz, Count von Kunigl (1702–47), who founded many benefices for the care of souls, made diocesan visitations, kept a strict watch over the discipline and moral purity of his clergy, introduced missions under Jesuit Fathers, etc.; Leopold, Count von Spaur (1747-1778), who rebuilt the seminary, completed and consecrated the cathedral, and enjoyed the high esteem of EmpressMaria Theresa; Joseph Philipp, Count von Spaur (1780-1791), a friend of learning, who, however, in his ecclesiastical policy, leaned towardsJosephinism. The Government of EmperorJoseph II dealt roughly with church interests; about twenty monasteries of the diocese were suppressed, a general seminary was opened at Innsbruck, and pilgrimages and processions were forbidden. The Prince-Bishopric of Brixen as such was not affected.
Under Prince-Bishop Franz Karl, Count von Lodron (1791-1828), the temporal power of the prince-bishopric collapsed. In 1803 the principality was secularized, and annexed to Austria, and the cathedral chapter dissolved. During the brief rule ofBavaria after the 1805Peace of Pressburg, the greatest despotism was exercised towards the Church; the restoration ofAustrian supremacy in 1814 improved conditions for the former bishopric territory.
Diocese of Brixen, catholic.com. Accessed 23 February 2024.
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Circles est. 1500:Bavarian,Swabian,Upper Rhenish,Lower Rhenish–Westphalian,Franconian,(Lower) Saxon Circles est. 1512:Austrian,Burgundian,Upper Saxon,Electoral Rhenish · Unencircled territories | ||
