Ecclesiastic States: Part 2
Bishoprics: A - G

Here is a record of some of the many ecclesiastic states which become autonomous within the Holy Roman Empire. It is by no means complete, and even within particular states only a portion of the various authorities are given, usually those who execised some significant secular rulership in addition to their spiritual functions. As these are not monarchic governments in the usual sense of that term, I have tried to give the names in the local language, rather than adhere to an English standard.

This page covers Bishops of Augsburg to Gurk. For the Archbishops go to Part 1. For the Bishops of Halberstadt to Posen go to Part 3. For the Bishops of Ratzeburg to Zeitz-Naumburg go to Part 4. For Abbacies and Convents go to Part 5.

Contains: Augsburg, Bamberg, Basel, Brandenburg, Brixen, Cambrai, Chur, Constanz, Eichstadt, Freising, Gurk.

Other German Files:
Go to: Germany (overall survey)
Go to: German Indices - specific states and territories
Go to: German Kreise Table
Go to: German Free Cities
Go to: German States A-E
Go to: German States F-H
Go to: German States I-M
Go to: German States N-R
Go to: German States S
Go to: German States T-Z
Go to: Teutonic Tribes
AUGSBURG In Swabia, near the Bavaria/Wurttemberg frontier, founded 304, abandoned about 50 or 60 years later, and re-established in 582.


BAMBERG An important bishopric in northern Bavaria


BASEL Established from the 6th century in northwestern Switzerland, with temporal territories (a Principality) in what is now modern Switzerland, France, and Germany. It is the site of Switzerlands first university (est. 1460), and the location of an important church council 1431-1449. Owing to the Protestant sentiments of the populace of the city of Basel, the ecclesiastic seat was relocated to Porrentruy 1525-1792. See also the Canton of Basel.


BRANDENBURG A town in northeastern Germany, some 35 miles west of Berlin.


BRIXEN (Bressanone) A town in southern Tyrol, which is now northern Italy. Located in the Isarco (Eisack) Valley, it is roughly 20 miles (32 km.) northeast of Bolzano.


CAMBRAI A town in northern France, on the Escaut (Schelde) River - it was normally within Imperial territory from 925 until the 17th century. The city (Cambrai) and surrounding territory (Cambrésis) were ruled by a hereditary count from the last quarter of the 9th century. HRE Otto I granted the bishop temporal authority over the city in 948. The bishops ruled Cambrésis as a secular county from 1007. Cambrai came under the influence of the dukes of Burgundy in the 15th century. The Countship was raised to a Dukedom in 1510. In 1543 HRE Charles V incorporated it into the Burgundian  Netherlands. The archbishop lost its secular power in 1595. It was annexed by France in 1678.


CHUR A town in eastern Switzerland dating from Roman times (Curia Raetorum), and now the capital and chief city of Graubunden Canton. During the Middle Ages the Bishops here had wide temporal authority, and had been Princes of the Empire from 1170.


CONSTANZ Beside the shores of Lake Constanz, on the German-Swiss frontier.


EICHSTÄDTA town in west-central Bavaria, about 30 miles (50 km.) south of Nürnburg.


FREISINGA town in south-central Bavaria, about 15 miles (25 km.) north of Munich.


GURK A village in southern Austria, 135 miles (217 km.) southwest of Vienna, 80 miles (128 km.) southeast of Salzburg, about 33 miles north of the Slovenian frontier. In 1787 the Bishop's residence was transferred to Klagenfurt, 18 miles (29 km.) south.
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