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Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht | |||||||||||
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| 1024–1528 | |||||||||||
 Coat of arms | |||||||||||
.svg) | |||||||||||
| Status | State of theHoly Roman Empire | ||||||||||
| Capital | Utrecht | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Middle Dutch, Medieval Latin, Middle Low German | ||||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism (State religion) | ||||||||||
| Government | Ecclesiastical principality | ||||||||||
| Prince-bishop | |||||||||||
• (1024–1026)[a] | Adalbold II of Utrecht | ||||||||||
• (1524–1528)[b] | Henry of the Palatinate | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||||
• Lower Lotharingia divided fromLotharingia | 959 | ||||||||||
• Established | 1024 | ||||||||||
| 1075–1122 | |||||||||||
| 1122 | |||||||||||
• Joined theBurgundian Circle | 1512 | ||||||||||
| 1502–1543 | |||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1528 | ||||||||||
• Union of Utrecht signed | 1579 | ||||||||||
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| Today part of | Netherlands | ||||||||||
TheBishopric of Utrecht (Dutch:Sticht Utrecht;Latin:Episcopatus Ultraiectensis) was anecclesiastical principality of theHoly Roman Empire in theLow Countries, in the present-dayNetherlands. From 1024 to 1528, as one of theprince-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 theDiocese 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.
The Diocese of Utrecht was established in 695 whenSaint Willibrord was consecrated bishop of theFrisians atRome byPope Sergius I. With the consent of theFrankish ruler,Pippin of Herstal, he settled in an oldRoman fort inUtrecht. After Willibrord's death the diocese suffered greatly from the incursions of the Frisians,[citation needed] and later on of theVikings. 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 ofAlberic (775–84)". And whileSaint Boniface is referred to in hishagiographies 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]
Better times appeared during the reign of theSaxon emperors, who frequently summoned the Bishops of Utrecht to attend the imperial councils anddiets. In 1024 the bishops were made Princes of theHoly Roman Empire and the newPrince-Bishopric of Utrecht was formed. The secular territory over which it ruled was known asSticht Utrecht orHet Sticht (a sticht was any piece of land governed by a bishop or abbot). This territory was divided into theNedersticht (Lower Sticht, roughly corresponding to the present day province ofUtrecht) andOversticht (Upper Sticht, encompassing the present-day provinces ofOverijssel,Drenthe, and part ofGroningen).
In 1122, with theConcordat 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 ofHolland andGuelders, 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 theHoly 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 theLower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle, until 1548 when it joined theBurgundian Circle as part of theHabsburg Netherlands.
In 1527, the Bishop sold his territories, and thus his secular authority, to Holy RomanEmperor Charles V and the principality became an integral part of theHabsburg dominions. The chapters transferred their right of electing the bishop to Charles V and his government, a measure to whichPope Clement VII gave his consent, under political pressure after theSack of Rome.
The Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht was conquered by Habsburg troops in 1528. The southwestern Nedersticht core territory around the city of Utrecht became theLordship of Utrecht, whilst the southern part of the Oversticht was transformed into theLordship of Overijssel. The northern parts were annexed in 1536 as theCounty of Drenthe.
 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated from the corresponding articles inDutch andGerman. (January 2014)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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| Prince-bishops |  | ||||||
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1 from 1648 2 until 1648 3 without seat inImperial Diet ? status uncertain Circles est. 1500:Bavarian,Swabian,Upper Rhenish,Lower Rhenish–Westphalian,Franconian,(Lower) Saxon
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