Strasbourg Monastery

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Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) .svg
Territory in the Holy Roman Empire
Strasbourg Monastery
coat of arms
coat of arms
map
Strasbourg bishopric around 1547
Alternative names Principality of Strasbourg
Ruler / government Prince-Bishop
Today's region / s Bas-Rhin ; DE-BW
Parliament 1 virile vote on the ecclesiastical bench in the Reichsfürstenrat
Reichskreis Upper Rhine Empire Circle
District council 1 virile vote on the spiritual bench
Capitals / residences Strasbourg ; Gibberish ; Ettenheim since 1791
Dynasties Rohan 1704-1803
Denomination / Religions Roman Catholic
Language / n German and French


Incorporated into Secularization 1803;

Right bank of the Rhine: Margraviate Baden ; Left of the Rhine: France

See also Diocese of Strasbourg

The bishopric of Strasbourg was the secular domain of the Bishop of Strasbourg . Building on older developments as a territory, it developed particularly in the 13th century. The city of Strasbourg , however, became imperial. In the early modern period , the bishopric was part of the Upper Rhine Empire . Since the 17th century, the bishopric came under increasing French influence. In the course of the French Revolution , the parts to the left of the Rhine were occupied by the French. The parts on the right bank of the Rhine came to the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1803 .

Early history

The diocese of Strasbourg probably dates back to Roman times and was re-established after the migration of the peoples . It belonged to the ecclesiastical province of Mainz from the Franconian period until 1801 .

Since the Merovingian times, possessions in the immediate vicinity of Strasbourg were a prerequisite for the later formation of territories . Dagobert I in particular excelled with donations to the Strasbourg church. The main task of the diocese was proselytizing in parts of the Black Forest . The early possessions were in the Breuschtal , near Rufach and in the Ettenheimer Mark.

After the fall of the Franconian Empire , the bishops, like Ratold von Strasbourg, oriented themselves towards the East Franconian Empire . In Ottonian times , various monasteries and their property were added to the left of the Rhine and Hönau . In addition, the bishops received the power of counts, in 974 the right to mint and in 982 the jurisdiction in the city of Strasbourg. So they had the regalia . With a few exceptions, such as Bishop Richwin , who was installed by Charles the Simple , the bishops were loyal to the rich. This also applies to the time of the investiture controversy . Important bishops were Erchenbald , Wilderod and Werner . The latter left the Romanesque cathedral built in 1024 and played a role in the enthronement of Conrad II. The 1082 Bishop raised Staufer Otto received as his successor by the emperor their investiture. This was in contrast to the cathedral chapter, which was attached to the Gregorian popes. Finally the chapter succeeded in gaining the right to elect a bishop. As a result, the diocese stood on the papal side and against the Hohenstaufen. In 1199, the city of Strasbourg was conquered by Philip of Swabia .

Territory formation

Old Zabern Castle

The property in Breisgau increased again around 1200 through a crusade donation from Count Bertold von Nimburg. However, no territorial formation was successful there later. During the Staufer period, several imperial cities emerged on previously episcopal property. Essentially between 1223 and 1260, the bishops Berthold I von Teck and Heinrich III succeeded. von Stahleck to build up a larger secular territory. The latter stood on the side of the opponents of the Hohenstaufen and was able to conquer some of the royal cities in the Ortenau.

This fragmented area was roughly between Landau in the Palatinate and Lake Biel . Ettenheim developed into the center of the upper rule on the right of the Rhine. When Heinrich von Stahleck wanted to restrict the rights of the city of Strasbourg in 1256, a conflict arose between the city and the bishop ("Bellum Walterianum"). Control of the city of Strasbourg was permanently lost in 1262 after the defeat of Bishop Walter von Geroldseck in the Battle of Hausbergen . Heinrich IV von Geroldseck finally recognized the situation. As an ally of the Strasbourgers, Rudolf von Habsburg conquered a number of important, formerly imperial cities. Strasbourg became imperial in 1352. In 1303 Friedrich I von Lichtenberg acquired the dominion of Oberkirch on the right bank of the Rhine . Around 1351, the imperial pledge was also taken over the Ortenau. Since 1359 the bishops held the title of Landgrave of Alsace. In the middle of the 14th century, the area covered about 1400 square kilometers. This included about 300 localities; important episcopal castles were Bernstein , Girbaden and Hohbarr . Most of the bishops resided in Zabern since 1444 .

Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Times

Between 1360 and 1480 the financial situation of the monastery was also problematic because of the numerous feuds of the bishops. By 1400 almost the entire property was mortgaged. Half of the Landvogtei Ortenau was triggered by the Electoral Palatinate . The rest of this area was lost in 1551. Since the end of the 15th century, some bishops managed to improve the material situation. The residence, the burial place of the bishops in Zabern and the Hohbarr Castle were expanded. The bishops, even if they were personally pious, lived a princely life. Many were passionate about hunters, but they also emerged as promoters of art and culture.

The Reformation quickly found its way into the region at the time of Wilhelm von Hohnstein . The imperial city of Strasbourg in particular became a center of the Reformation. The peasant war of 1525 was brutally suppressed in the bishopric ("Peasant battles near Lupstein"). It was not until Bishop Johann IV of Manderscheid-Blankenheim took action against Protestantism in the cathedral chapter. This led to the so-called war of thieves . After his death, a Catholic and a Protestant candidate claimed power for themselves. This gave rise to the Strasbourg chapter dispute . The dispute only ended in 1604 after the Protestant candidate resigned. The war costs forced the monastery to pledge the Renchtal to Württemberg .

In the early modern period, property was divided between the cathedral chapter and the bishop in connection with the chapter dispute. The cathedral chapter was entitled to the income from the area around the Frankenburg with the associated nine villages. In addition there were the offices of Börsch and Erstein . The bishop owned the offices of Benfeld , Dachstein , Kochersberg , Markolsheim , Schirmeck , Wengenau and Zabern in Lower Alsace, the fiefs of Freundstein and Herrlisheim in Upper Alsace and the offices of Ettenheim and Oberkirch on the right bank of the Rhine , as well as rulership in Oppenau .

The bishops Leopold and Leopold Wilhelm from the House of Habsburg tried in vain to get the Strasbourg cathedral back for the Catholics. The Protestant city of Strasbourg then had the remaining Catholic churches demolished. At times the bishops were driven out during the Thirty Years' War .

Growing French influence

Palais Rohan in Strasbourg on the site of the medieval bishop's residence

After all, after the end of the Thirty Years' War, the bishops had to recognize the feudal sovereignty of the French crown over the areas on the left bank of the Rhine. In particular at the time of Prince-Bishops Franz Egon and Wilhelm von Fürstenberg and their successors from the House of Rohan , the French influence continued to increase. In the course of Louis XIV's reunion policy , in 1680 the sovereignty of France for the part of the monastery on the left bank of the Rhine had to be recognized. However, after the conquest of Strasbourg, the bishops got back the cathedral and the residence in the city. On the right bank of the Rhine, the bailiwick came to the monastery in 1634 via the Ettenheimmünster monastery. However, the monastery did not recognize the rule until 1740. In 1757 the Allerheiligen monastery in the Black Forest was added.

In 1789 the areas on the left bank of the Rhine were occupied by France. The bishops resided in Ettenheim ever since. In 1803 the remaining area was slammed as the Principality of Ettenheim Baden.

Imperial legal position

The bishopric of Strasbourg had a seat and vote in the Imperial Council of Dukes . It had a virile voice there and took a seat on the prince's clerical bench. As a Catholic imperial estate, the bishopric also belonged to the Corpus Catholicorum .

In the district council of the Upper Rhine Reichskreis the Hochstift also had a virile vote on the ecclesiastical prince bank.

However, the Hochstift was excluded from the Reichstag from 1674 to 1724, as the Kingdom of France had assumed sovereignty over the areas on the left bank of the Rhine. From 1724 the prince-bishops from the French house of Rohan could again exercise their right to vote in the Reichstag for their possessions on the right bank of the Rhine.

The prince-bishops

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. s. Johann Jakob Moser : Of the German imperial estates, the imperial knighthood, also the direct and indirect members of the empire , Frankfurt am Main 1767, p. 557