Principality of Samland

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The Principality of Samland was the secular territory of the Bishops of Samland in the Teutonic Order . It was mostly in the Samland countryside , spread over several exclaves that were enclosed by the territory of the Teutonic Order State. In addition, there were possessions and proportional rights in the city of Königsberg , in particular (from 1322) the immediate vicinity of the Königsberg Cathedral . The Principality of Samland was founded in 1257 and dissolved in 1525.

history

The Principality of Samland is colored orange.

After the conquest of Samland by King Ottokar of Bohemia and the establishment of the city of Königsberg, the division of the Samland diocese between the Teutonic Order and the Bishop of Samland was decided in 1257 . First they agreed on a delimitation of the respective rights in the area of ​​the city of Königsberg. The later area of ​​the old town of Königsberg came to the Teutonic Order. In the following year, the division of the country was also tackled. By arbitration by Landmeister Gerhard von Herzberg on March 3, 1258, the already conquered and populated area was divided into several parts, of which the bishop was entitled to a third of the total mass. In 1352 there was a second major division between religious and bishop, now the landscape nadruvians concerned. The third that was awarded to the Bishop of Samland lay west of the future city of Insterburg and north of the Pregel .

Bishop Georg von Polenz ceded sovereignty over the Duchy of Samland to the Duchy of Prussia on the day of homage on May 30, 1525 .

Breakdown

The bishop exercised his sovereignty over a bailiff who had his seat in Powunden . The cathedral chapter also had a bailiff.

The following chamber offices were subordinate to the bishop, the center of which was a castle in the style of a German order castle :

The Samland cathedral chapter was entitled to a third of the prince-bishopric. It therefore had the chamber offices

See also

literature

  • Max Toeppen : Historically-comparative geography of Prussia . Perthes, Gotha 1858. Therein the chapters The Division of the Diocese of Samland (pp. 130–148) and The Diocese of Samland (pp . 217–219) ( digitized version of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek).
  • Heinz Schlegelberger: Studies on the administrative organization of the Samland diocese in the Middle Ages . In: Radosław Biskup, Mario Glauert (ed.): The cathedral chapters of the Teutonic Order in Prussia and Livonia . Aschendorff, Münster 2004, ISBN 3-402-00541-7 , pp. 85-146.

Individual evidence

  1. A detailed description with many details from the corresponding documents can be found in Toeppen, pages 130 to 148.
  2. ^ Toeppen, pages 217 to 219.