Hereditary Principality of Münster

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The Hereditary Principality of Münster , also Principality of Münster , was the name of a territory that consisted of the part of the secularized Hochstift Münster , which fell to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1803 through the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss . It was occupied by the French in 1806 as part of the Fourth Coalition War and became part of the Grand Duchy of Berg in 1808 .

prehistory

A large part of the eastern bishopric of Munster fell through the Paris Treaty of May 23, 1802 as a result of Prussian-French agreements on the compensation of property on the left bank of the Rhine to Prussia. General Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher marched into Münster on August 3, 1802 . The Hereditary Principality of Münster was formed on the basis of a royal patent. In addition to the city of Münster, these included the offices of Sassenberg , Stromberg , Werne and Lüdinghausen as well as parts of the offices of Wolbeck , Dülmen , Horstmar , Rheine and Bevergern . The king was also the hereditary prince. A special organization commission under Freiherr vom Stein took over the administration. The Reichsdeputationshauptschluss confirmed the transfer to Prussia in 1803. In the new hereditary principality of Münster there were considerable reservations about the new sovereign.

Change to a secular principality

Ludwig von Vincke

Anton Viktor of Austria was elected bishop in Arnsberg in 1801 , but was unable to exercise this office due to French and Prussian pressure. Therefore there was a vacancy until 1820. The cathedral chapter of Münster had lost its former political function. The estates hardly played a role either. Some monasteries were closed in the course of secularization .

The administrative structure has been redesigned. A Prussian War and Domain Chamber was set up in Münster , the forerunner of today's Münster district government . It was initially headed by Freiherr von Stein and from 1804 by Ludwig von Vincke . On January 1, 1804, the principality was divided into the four districts of Münster , Warendorf , Beckum and Lüdinghausen . At their head were district administrators . The two cities of Münster and Warendorf remained independent. However, there was a high level of staff continuity. In the countryside, the municipal constitutions hardly changed, but in the cities the right of civil participation was restricted. The municipal jurisdiction was also replaced by a state jurisdiction. However, the reorganization of the administration dragged on for over a year.

On June 1, 1806, the district division, which was viewed as unfavorable, was changed. The Lüdinghausen district was dissolved and for the most part incorporated into the Münster district. The new Bevergern district was formed from the northern part of the Münster district .

The End

In the course of the Fourth Coalition War , the Prussian possessions in Westphalia were occupied by the French in November 1806. The Principality of Münster was combined with the County of Mark , the County of Lingen-Tecklenburg and the Principality of Osnabrück to form a military government district based in Münster. The War and Domain Chamber was renamed the Administration College and dismissed by Vincke in 1807.

With the Peace of Tilsit in 1807, Prussia renounced its ownership rights to the Principality of Münster. In January 1808 it fell to the Grand Duchy of Berg, which incorporated it into its two departments, Ems and Ruhr , and created administrative structures based on the French model. In 1810, the part of the former Principality of Münster, located northwest of a line from Haltern via Telgte to Warendorf , was annexed by France.

In 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, most of the former principality was finally added to Prussia and became part of the Münster administrative district of the new Westphalia province . The northern tip of the principality, consisting of the communities Bexten-Listrup , Gleesen and Holsten , fell to the Kingdom of Hanover .

literature

  • Gerhard Köbler : Historical lexicon of the German countries. The German territories from the Middle Ages to the present. 4th, completely revised edition. CH Beck, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-406-35865-9 , p. 397.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Johann Josef Scotti a. a .: Collection of laws and ordinances, which in the Royal Prussian Hereditary Duchy of Münster and in the territorial territories of Horstmar, Rheina-Wolbeck, Dülmen and Ahaus-Bocholt-Werth on matters of state sovereignty, constitution, administration and administration of justice Vol. 3, Second Division: Hereditary Principality of Münster / A. Territorial evidence for the 2nd division of the Münster Provincial Law Collection , pp. 6–8 ( digital copy ; PDF file; 136 kB).
  2. ↑ Ordinance on the subdivision of the Hereditary Principality of Münster . In: Johann Josef Scotti (Hrsg.): Collection of laws and ordinances for the hereditary principality of Münster . Münster December 23, 1803 ( digitized version ).
  3. ^ Map of the hereditary principality of Münster. (with the circle division from 1804). In: HIS-Data. Retrieved October 10, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Ordinance on the new district division of the Hereditary Principality of Münster . In: Johann Josef Scotti (Hrsg.): Collection of laws and ordinances for the hereditary principality of Münster . Münster April 11, 1806 ( digitized version ).