Archbishopric of Riga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Archiepiscopatus Rigensis (la)
Erzbisdom Riga (nds)
Archbishopric of Riga
State of the Holy Roman Empire
←
1255 – 1561 →
Flag Coat of arms
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Riga
Archbishopric of Riga (in yellow), shown within the Livonian Confederation
Capital Riga
Language(s) Latin
Low German
Livonian
Curonian
Latgalian
Government Monarchy
Archbishop of Riga
 - 1245–73 Albert Suerbeer (first)
 - 1539–63 Wilhelm von Brandenburg (last)
Historical era Middle Ages
 - Established 1255
 - Disestablished 1561
Currency Livonian Penny
Livonian Schilling

The Archbishopric of Riga (Latin: Archiepiscopatus Rigensis, Low German: Erzbisdom Riga) was an independent archbishopric established in 1255.

Contents

[edit] Archbishops of Riga

The Archbishops of Riga (1202) 1255-1561 were the secular rulers of Riga, the capital of Livonia (now the capital of Latvia). It was abolished in 1561 due to the conversion of the territory of the Livonian Order from Catholicism to Lutheranism. The see was restored as a bishopric of the Catholic Church in 1918 and raised into an archbishopric in 1923.

See also: Livonian Confederation, Livonian Order, Conquest of Estonia, and Northern Crusades

[edit] Bishops and Archbishops of Riga

[edit] The Bishopric of Livonia (at Uexküll then Riga), 1186-1255

  • Meinhard, 1186 - 1196
  • Berthold, 1196 - 1198
  • Albert of Buxhoeveden, 1199-1229
  • Nikolaus von Nauen 1229 - 1253

[edit] The Archbishopric of Riga, 1255-1561

  • Albert Suerbeer 1245 - 1273
  • Johannes I von Lune, 1273 - 1284
  • Johannes II von Vechten, 1285 - 1294
  • Johannes III von Schwerin, 1294 -1300
  • Isarnus Takkon, 1300 - 1302
  • Jens Grand, 1303 – 1310 (titular, never came to Riga)
  • Friedrich von Pernstein, 1304 - 1341
  • Engelbert von Dolen, 1341 - 1347
  • Bromhold von Vyffhusen, 1348 - 1369
  • Siegfried Blomberg 1370 - 1374
  • Johannes IV von Sinten, 1374 - 1393. 24.IX)
  • Johannes V von Wallenrodt, 1393 - 1418
  • Johannes VI Ambundi, 1418-1424
  • Henning Scharpenberg, 1424-1448
  • Silvester Stodewescher, 1448-1479
  • Sede Vacante (empty seat), 1479-1484
  • Michael Hildebrand, 1484-1509
  • Jasper Linde, 1509-1524 (due to deflation, no coins were minted during the reign of Jasper Linde; biographical data exists in alternate formats)
  • Johannes VII Blankenfeld, 1524-1527 (due to deflation, no coins were minted during the reign of Johannes VII Blankenfeld; biographical data exists in alternate formats)
  • Thomas Schoning, 1528-1539
  • Wilhelm von Brandenburg, 1539-1563

See secularized 1563, restored 1918.

[edit] Restored Bishopric of Riga, 1918-1923

  • Eduard Graf O'Rourke, 1918-1920

[edit] Archbishopric of Riga, 1923-present

  • Antonijs Spingovics, 1920-1958

vacant

[edit] The coinage

The Archbishops of Riga were innovators in the field of minting currency, reviving techniques abandoned since the collapse of Rome. The names of individual archbishops after 1418, as well as the years of their respective reigns, are stamped on Livonian pennies excavated at archaeological sites; in many cases, this is the only biographical data available. No Livonian pennies before 1418 have been found.

More information about the role of the Archbishopric of Riga in the history of coinage is available at Medieval Livonian Numismatics by William Urban

[edit] See also

[edit] External links