Diocese of Brandenburg

Diocese of Brandenburg (diocesan borders)

The Brandenburg diocese coat of arms

The Diocese of Brandenburg ( Latin Episcopatus Brandenburgensis or Dioecesis Brandenburgensis ) was created in the year 948 according to the founding document. It initially belonged to the ecclesiastical province of Mainz , from 968 to the ecclesiastical province of Magdeburg . The namesake was the apostle Peter , and from the beginning of the 13th century the apostle Paul . The diocese actually ceased to exist in 1560 and formally in 1598.

location

Around 1500 the diocese of Brandenburg extended over most of the Mittelmark ( Mark Brandenburg between Elbe and Oder ), parts of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg , of Anhalt and of Saxony-Wittenberg and (almost) the entire Hochstift Brandenburg .

history

The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in Brandenburg

Foundation of a diocese

In the winter of 928 troops of the Saxon-Christian ruler Heinrich I conquered one of the East Elbe Slavic main castles, the Brandenburg . The diocese was then established by King Otto . This also equipped the diocese with the necessary secular possessions that formed the bishopric of Brandenburg , the episcopal principality . The founding document of the diocese , the original of which has been preserved, was dated October 1, 948. However, there is a historical dispute as to when the diocese was actually founded, with the dates between 938 (based on a chronicle note by Thietmar von Merseburg ) and 965. One goal of the foundation of the diocese was the integration of the East Elbe areas into the East Franconian Empire .

Expulsion of the bishops

A central task was the missionary work and conversion of the Wendish population. On the other hand, resistance from the local population formed, which culminated in the Slav uprising of 983. The episcopal seats of Havelberg and Brandenburg were conquered. Bishop Folkmar von Brandenburg was able to flee, the other clergy were taken prisoner. Among other acts of violence, the conquerors also attacked the grave of Bishop Dodilo . On the other side of the Elbe, the church organization almost completely collapsed.

Even if their dioceses were practically lost, the bishops of Havelberg and Brandenburg were still elected. They either lived near the archbishops of Magdeburg or officiated as auxiliary bishops in western parts of the empire.

Rebuilding the diocese organization

Wigger , Bishop of Brandenburg (1138-1160) left and Otto I , Bishop of Bamberg right flank Albrecht the Bear , postcard, 1898

It was not until the beginning of the 12th century that there were developments that led to a revival of missionary activity and the return of the bishops to their dioceses. The formation of rule by Margrave Albrecht the Bear , the beginning of the German East Settlement and the appearance of new reform orders, especially the Premonstratensians, should be mentioned . Various Brandenburg bishops came from their ranks, who primarily focused on peaceful missionary activity. Bishop Wigger of Brandenburg played an important role in this regard . This established a Premonstratensian convent in Leitzkau , which became the provisional cathedral chapter of the diocese. Possibly at the request of the Christian Heveller prince Pribislaw , he was able to found the Premonstratensian convent Pardwin in St. Gotthardt in the settlement of Parduin , which later became the old town of Brandenburg .

His successor Wilmar von Brandenburg made this monastery a cathedral chapter in 1161 and initiated its move to the cathedral island of Brandenburg in 1165, where the foundation stone for the new St. Peter and Paul Cathedral was laid. After the rights of the cathedral chapter and provost were fixed in 1186, Pope Clement III incorporated. the cathedral chapter in 1188 finally to the Premonstratensian order. In the north of the cathedral there is a monastery complex, which is provided with refectories , dormitories , cloister and ancillary rooms. In the north-west a larger, multi-storey building protrudes from the rectangular floor plan of the monastery complex, which is called "Spiegelburg" in old scripts; it probably served as an episcopal residence. The monastery itself was the center of life for the resident canons in the early days .

In addition to the cathedral island of Brandenburg, the bishops had the secondary residences of Burg Pritzerbe and Burg Ziesar , which they lived alternately. From 1216 to 1275 Pritzerbe and from 1327 Ziesar was the preferred bishop's residence and administrative center for the diocese. The administration of the cathedral was taken over by the provosts on site. When the bishops were back in Brandenburg an der Havel, for example on the occasion of selected religious ceremonies, they moved into the bishop's court at the St. Gotthardt Church , which in the early days of the diocese itself held the function of the cathedral for a decade during the construction of the cathedral. The enclosure of the bishop's court (see Saldria (Gotthardtkirchplatz 9 and 10) ) also formed the northern end of the old town of Brandenburg.

Reformation and the end

In the 15th century, the Diocese of Brandenburg had 18 Sedes with over 285 parish churches. Increasingly Protestant since 1527 by Bishop Matthias von Jagow , it received the new Protestant church order in 1540. Since 1560, Brandenburg was led in personal union with Havelberg and Lebus , which was soon converted into a real union . In 1560, most of the church's property (including Ziesar Castle ) passed to the elector. The cathedral chapter of Brandenburg has existed as a Protestant cathedral chapter to this day.

Organization and administration

bishop

→ Main article : List of the bishops of Brandenburg

Little is known about the origins of the bishops before and during the exile. At that time the king played an important role in the appointment of a new bishop. The cathedral chapter , which was influenced by the premonstratensian character , was given greater weight from the middle of the 12th century. The rule was that the new bishops should come from the ranks of the cathedral capitulars themselves, or at least be premonstratensians.

Of the 30 regular bishops and 9 opposing bishops up to the Reformation, at least 21 were Premonstratensians. The rest were mostly clerics from other cathedral chapters or held other high positions in the secular clergy . Most of them had a noble background. At least 11 came from the Brandenburg nobility. With Siegfried I , a member of the Ascan dynasty was also represented. Stephan Bodecker and Hieronymus Schulz were verifiably of bourgeois origin .

Cathedral chapter

Nave and choir of the Brandenburg Cathedral

→ Main article : Brandenburg Cathedral Chapter

The cathedral chapter, which was fundamentally self-complementing, with provost and prior at its head, had around 30 members in good times, with the nobility making up 35% in the 14th century and 45% in the 15th century. Mostly without a university education, the chapter provided for about 14 of its 30 churches itself. After the margravial attempt to convert it into a secular canon monastery to the bishop and chapter in 1447 failed, the transmutation succeeded in 1506/07, whereby it was reduced to 16 members. At its head were provost and dean. Pope Leo X granted the elector of Brandenburg , who already had the right to nominate 4 cathedral canonicals, the right to nominate the cathedral provost in 1514.

Archdeaconates

The Diocese of Brandenburg was divided into the Archdiakonate Leitzkau and Brandenburg in the 12th century . The following priests existed, developed in the 13th century:

• Propstei Leitzkau, administered by the Leitzkau Abbey since 1139 , comprised the area between the Elbe and Ihle
• Propstei Brandenburg, administered by the Brandenburg Cathedral Foundation since 1144/48 , comprised the area west of the Havel
• Propstei Jüterbog, only briefly in the 13th century
• Propstei Nauen, only briefly in the 13th century
• Propstei Mittenwalde, only briefly in the 13th century, then to Propstei Brandenburg
• Propstei Liebenwalde, later as Propstei Templin
• Propstei Berlin , mentioned for the first time in 1244, administered by the Collegiate Foundation Cölln since 1467
• Propstei Stolpe, later Propstei Angermünde
• Propstei Bernau , first mentioned in 1292.

The archdeaconates survived the Reformation .

Sedes

The diocese was divided into episcopal and archdeacon ale Sedes as the administrative seat of archpriests . The naming took place after the respective main town. At the first level there were 18 of them. The latter only handed down the script sources in the Archdeaconate Brandenburg . There were 12. For Leitzkau , Fritz Curschmann nevertheless assumed a subdivision due to its size. A direct comparison of the two administrative structures resulted in the following picture: Only the two Sedes Rathenow of the same name were identical in size , for Nauen they were largely the same. Often the episcopal area faced two archidiaconal sides. So disintegrated Jüterbog in Luckenwalde (included the northern tip) and Jüterbog (for the majority).

Episcopal Sedes

Main town Number of places Altfriedland 14th Angermünde 44 Belzig 42 Berlin 24 Bernau 65 Brandenburg on the Havel 79

Main town Number of places Jueterbog 63 Leitzkau 52 Nauen 41 Rathenow 32 Spandau 82 Strausberg 39

Main town Number of places Templin 33 Treuenbrietzen 33 Wittenberg 57 Zehdenick 20th Zerbst 39 Ziesar 39

Hochstift

→ Main article : Hochstift Brandenburg

Compared to other monasteries , the spiritual territory of the Bishop of Brandenburg was small. In addition to the sub-area around Ziesar , there were others around Pritzerbe , Malerke , Teltow and Blumberg . The briefly owned country Königsberg in Neumark was exchanged for the country Löwenberg in 1270 . The area was divided into the offices of Ziesar, Brandenburg, Ketzin and Teltow.

The bishops of Brandenburg were repeatedly in dispute with the archbishops of Magdeburg regarding their sovereign rights . Always fought over by the surrounding rulers, the bishops never succeeded in acquiring a larger territory. Despite their weakness, they were at least not entirely land-based . Within the bishopric, the bishops ruled over the regalia , commanded the feudal men , were the masters of the cities . The establishment of a residence by Ziesar Castle also spoke in favor of the beginnings of sovereignty .

The Brandenburg bishops, as imperial princes , had the same rank as the margraves of Brandenburg . Yet their position in power politics was too weak to pursue an independent policy in the long term. Their small territory did not offer sufficient cover. Therefore they went under the protection of the margraves and lost their equality.

Culture and sights

Brandenburg Cathedral

→ Main article : Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in Brandenburg

The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in Brandenburg was the cathedral of the diocese .

Episcopal residences

The Ziesar Bishop's Castle

→ Main article : Pritzerbe  and Ziesar castles

When the first cathedral and the seat of the Margraves of Brandenburg shared the site of the old Slavic capital Brandenburg, the bishops liked to reside on their nearby Pritzerbe table estate; They owned a no longer preserved permanent house or castle guard there .

Under Ludwig Schenk von Neindorf or under Bishop Friedrich von Plötzke at the beginning of the 14th century, the Brandenburg bishops moved to the approximately 30 km southwest of Ziesar Castle , where the culturally and historically remarkable castle chapel of St. Peter and Paul was built under Bishop Dietrich IV . This separation, which was not unusual for the time, brought the Brandenburg bishops several advantages: First, the economically strengthened bourgeoisie of the two cities of Brandenburg, following a trend at the end of the Middle Ages, began to restrict the freedom of action, legal and movement of the neighboring clergy more and more. A move to Ziesar's own property, about a day's journey from his cathedral church, secured the bishop's rights, which had been lost in Brandenburg an der Havel, and the possibility of an appropriate court. The relative insignificance of the small town of Ziesar, which was called "stedeken" until the middle of the 16th century, guaranteed that the bishops of Brandenburg did not have to fear the same development at their Ziesar castle as they did on the cathedral island of Brandenburg. While the cathedral chapter, which is often in opposition to its spiritual chief shepherd, was left at the focus of the constant dispute with the municipalities of the neighboring two powerful cities of Altstadt and Neustadt and thus their strengths were tied up, the bishops at the same time ruled a crucial checkpoint on the Brandenburg military road from Ziesar Castle –Magdeburg , an old long-distance trade route between Magdeburg , Ziesar and Brandenburg , which continued to Spandau and, for example, via Posen to Kiev . With the exception of Dietrich von Stechows , they then chose their Brandenburg Cathedral as their burial place . Stechow, however, was buried in his chapel at Ziesar Castle.

See also

• Archdiocese of Berlin
• List of former Catholic dioceses

literature

Overall representations

• Gustav Abb , Gottfried Wentz : The Diocese of Brandenburg. First part (= Germania sacra. I. Department: The Dioceses of the Church Province of Magdeburg . 3. Volume). Berlin / Leipzig 1929, ( PDF ).
• Fritz Bünger , Gottfried Wentz: The Diocese of Brandenburg. Second part (= Germania sacra. I. Department: The Dioceses of the Church Province of Magdeburg . 3. Volume). Berlin / Leipzig 1941.
• Gerd Heinrich (Ed.): Thousand Years of Church in Berlin-Brandenburg . Wichern-Verlag, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-88981-045-4 .
• Fritz Curschmann : The Diocese of Brandenburg. Studies on the historical geography and constitutional history of an East German colonial diocese (= publications by the Association for the History of the Mark Brandenburg ). Publisher von Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1906, DNB 1128431025 .
• Dietrich Kurz : Diocese of Brandenburg . In: Erwin Gatz with the participation of Clemens Brodkorb and Helmut Flachenecker (eds.): The Dioceses of the Holy Roman Empire. From its beginnings to secularization . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2003. ISBN 3-451-28075-2 . Pp. 102-112.
• Clemens Bergstedt, Heinz-Dieter Heimann (ed.): Paths to the city of heaven. Bishop - Faith - Dominion. 800–1550 (= publications by the Museum for Brandenburg Church and Cultural History of the Middle Ages . Volume 2). 1st edition, Lukas Verlag für Kunst- und Geistesgeschichte, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-936872-40-6 .

Monasteries and monasteries

• Heinz-Dieter Heimann, Klaus Neitmann , Winfried Schich and others (eds.): Brandenburg monastery book. Handbook of the monasteries, pens and commander by the mid-16th century. Volumes I and II (= Klaus Neitmann on behalf of the Brandenburg Historical Commission and in connection with the Brandenburg State Main Archive [Hrsg.]: Brandenburgische Historische Studien . Volume 14). Be.Bra Wissenschaft Verlag, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-937233-26-0 .

Partial aspects

• Dietrich Kurz : Berlin-Brandenburg Church History in the Middle Ages. Nine selected articles . Ed .: Marie-Luise Heckmann, Stuart Jenks , Susanne Jenks (= Klaus Neitmann , Wolfgang Ribbe on behalf of Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv and Historical Commission of Berlin (ed.): Library of Brandenburg and Prussian History . Volume 9). 1st edition, Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag, Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-8305-0343-1 .
• Peter Riedel: With miter and statutes. Episcopal action in the late medieval diocese of Brandenburg . Revised dissertation University of Potsdam (= Heinz-Dieter Heimann , Klaus Neitmann on behalf of the Brandenburg Historical Commission and Brandenburg State Main Archive [ed.]: Studies on Brandenburg and Comparative State History . Volume 19). 1st edition, Lukas Verlag für Kunst- und Geistesgeschichte, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-86732-264-5 .
• Jan Winkelmann: The Mark Brandenburg of the 14th century. Margravial rule between spatial “distance” and political “crisis” . Dissertation University of Potsdam 2010 (= Heinz-Dieter Heimann, Klaus Neitmann on behalf of the Brandenburg Historical Commission and Brandenburg State Main Archives [ed.]: Studies on Brandenburg and Comparative State History . Volume 5). 1st edition, Lukas Verlag für Kunst- und Geistesgeschichte, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-86732-112-9 .

Web links

Commons : Diocese of Brandenburg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Brandenburg Cathedral Monastery

annotation

1. ↑ The word Propst ( Latin prepositus ) used the Brandenburg script sources at the same time for such a cathedral chapter , hospital , monastery , provost church and monastery as well as an archdeacon . The latter word meaning was created by the first archdeacons of the diocese . They were actually at the same time collegiate ( Leitzkau , meanwhile the cathedral chapter) or cathedral provost ( Brandenburg ). The others came to the same title via broadcast.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Dietrich Kurz: Diocese of Brandenburg . In: The Dioceses of the Holy Roman Empire . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2003, ISBN 3-451-28075-2 , 1. Beginnings in Ottonian times, p. 102.
2. ^ Christian Gahlbeck, Wolfgang Schößler: Brandenburg monastery book. Volume I . Be.Bra Wissenschaft Verlag, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-937233-26-0 , Brandenburg / Havel. Premonstratensian Cathedral Chapter of St. Peter and Paul. 1. General. 1.3 Identification of the institutions. 1.3.4 Patronage, p. 229.
3. ^ Felix Escher : The Electorate of Brandenburg in the age of denominationalism . In: Ingo Materna , Wolfgang Ribbe (Ed.): Brandenburg history . Akademie Verlag, Berlin 1995, ISBN 3-05-002508-5 , The expansion of the early modern territorial state: sovereign and estates since the Reformation, pp. 275–281, here pp. 277–278.
4. ^ Dietrich Kurz: Legends and references to the maps . In: The Dioceses of the Holy Roman Empire . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2003, ISBN 3-451-28075-2 , Diocese of Brandenburg around 1500, pp. 847-848.
5. ↑ Rosemarie Baudisch: Geographical basics and historical-political structure Brandenburg . In: Ingo Materna , Wolfgang Ribbe (Ed.): Brandenburg history . Akademie Verlag, Berlin 1995, ISBN 3-05-002508-5 , landscapes. Mittelmark, pp. 22-30.
6. ^ Dietrich Kurz : The secular power of the Brandenburg bishops. Your relationship to the empire and the sovereignty of the Brandenburg margraves . In: Paths to the City of Heaven . 1st edition, Lukas Verlag, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-936872-40-6 , map of the diocese and bishopric of Brandenburg in the 15th century, p. 149
7. ↑ Jörg Rogge: Holy Halls. For the training of the church organization in the Diocese of Brandenburg from the 10th to the middle of the 13th century . In: Paths to the City of Heaven . 1st edition, Lukas Verlag, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-936872-40-6 , pp. 102-104.
8. ↑ LTHK ³ , Volume 2, 631.
9. ↑ Gustav Abb, Gottfried Wentz: The Diocese of Brandenburg. First part . Berlin / Leipzig 1929, pp. 12-13.
10. ↑ Gustav Abb, Gottfried Wentz: The Diocese of Brandenburg. First part . Berlin / Leipzig 1929, p. 14.
11. ^ Karl Friedrich Klöden : Diplomatic history of the Margrave Waldemar of Brandenburg. First part. Berlin 1944. pp. 76-78.
12. ^ Fritz Curschmann: The Diocese of Brandenburg . Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1906, Chapter 5. The internal division of the diocese. The Sedes division of the diocese, pp. 256–257.
13. ↑ Gerd Heinrich (Ed.): Handbook of historical sites. Berlin and Brandenburg. With Neumark and Grenzmark Posen-West Prussia (= manual of the historical sites of Germany . 10th volume). 3rd, revised and supplemented edition, Alfred Kröner Verlag, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-520-31103-8 , explanations of constitutional, social and economic-historical technical terms. Sedeskirche, p. 570.
14. ^ ^{A b} Fritz Curschmann: The Diocese of Brandenburg . Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1906, Chapter 5. The internal division of the diocese. The 18 episcopal sedes of the diocese, p. 257.
15. ^ Fritz Curschmann: The Diocese of Brandenburg . Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1906, Chapter 5. The internal division of the diocese. The Sedes division of the Archdeaconate Administration, pp. 265–266.
16. ^ Fritz Curschmann: The Diocese of Brandenburg . Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1906, Chapter 5. The internal division of the diocese. Relationship of the episcopal and archidiaconal sedes of the Archdiaconate Brandenburg with the corresponding sedes of the episcopal administration, pp. 267–269.
17. ↑ ^{a b c} Jan Winkelmann: The Mark Brandenburg of the 14th century . 1st edition, Lukas Verlag, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-86732-112-9 , Herrschaft in Brandenburg. The outside of the margravial rule - estates in the Mark Brandenburg. The dioceses. Partners and competitors of the Margraves, pp. 152–167, Territory: p. 155; Sovereign rights etc .: pp. 156–158; weak position, margravial protection, imperial immediacy: pp. 166–167.
18. ^ Dietrich Kurz: Diocese of Brandenburg . In: The Dioceses of the Holy Roman Empire . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2003, ISBN = 3-451-28075-2, 2nd rebuilding in the 12th and 13th centuries, pp. 102–106, territorial areas: p. 105.
19. ^ Gerhard Köbler : Historical Lexicon of the German Lands. The German territories from the Middle Ages to the present . 4th, completely revised edition. C. H. Beck, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-406-35865-9 , here p. 75.
20. ↑ Klaus Neitmann : The episcopal residence Ziesar - or: How the bishop separated from his cathedral city Brandenburg . In: Paths to the City of Heaven . 1st edition, Lukas Verlag, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-936872-40-6 , pp. 128–144, preference for Ziesar: p. 135.
21. ↑ Lecture by the head of the Brandenburg State Main Archives, Dr. Klaus Neitmann , in front of the Historic Association of the City of Brandenburg an der Havel, on May 14, 2009.