Archdiocese of Trier

The Archbishopric of Trier (German: Erzbistum Trier) was a Roman Catholic diocese in Germany, that existed from Carolingian times until the end of the Holy Roman Empire. Its suffragans were the dioceses of Metz, Toul and Verdun. Since the 9th century the Archbishops of Trier were simultaneously princes and since the 11th century prince electors of the empire. Their temporal territories were known as the Electorate of Trier (German: Kurfürstentum Trier or Kurtrier).

1 History
2 Bishops of Trier
3 See also
4 References

History

Trier, as the important Roman provincial capital of Augusta Treverorum, had been the seat of a bishop since Roman times. It was raised to archiepiscopal status during the reign of Charlemagne.

The bishops of Trier were already virtually independent territorial magnates in Merovingian times. In 772 Charlemagne granted Bishop Wiomad complete immunity from the jurisdiction of the ruling count for all the churches and monasteries, as well as villages and castles that belonged to the Church of St. Peter at Trier. In 816 Louis the Pious confirmed to Archbishop Hetto the privileges of protection and immunity granted by his father.

At the partition of the Carolingian empire at Verdun in 843, Trier fell to Lothair; at the partition of Lotharingia at Meersen in 870, it fell to the East Frankish kingdom, which developed into Germany. Archbishop Radbod received in 898 complete immunity from all taxes for the entire episcopal territory, granted by Zwentibold, the natural son of Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia, who reigned briefly as King of Lotharingia and, under great pressure from his independent nobles, desperately needed a powerful ally. The gift cemented the position of the archbishops as territorial lords in their own right. Following Zwentibold's assassination in 900, the handlers of the child-king Louis courted Radbold in their turn, granting him the district and city of Trier outright, and the right to have a mint — as much a symbol of independent authority as an economic tool — and to impose customs-duties. From the court of Charles the Simple he obtained the final right, that of election of the Bishop of Trier by the chapter, free of Imperial interference.

The last archbishop-elector removed to Koblenz in 1786. From 1795, the territories of the Archbishopric on the left bank of the Rhine — which is to say almost all of them — were under French occupation, and were annexed in 1801 and a separate bishopric established (later assuming control of the whole diocese in 1803). In 1803, what was left of the Archbishopric was secularized and annexed by the Princes of Nassau.

In 1821 the new Diocese of Trier was created as a suffragan of the archbishopric of Cologne.

Bishops of Trier

To 1000

Auspicius of Trier c. 130, uncertain
Eucharius c. 250^[2]
Valerius c. 250
Maternus c. 300
Agricius (Agrippinus) 327-335
Maximinus II 335–352
Paulinus 353–358
Bonosus 359–365
Veteranius 365–384
Felix II 384–398
Mauritius II 398–407
Leontius 407–409
Auctor II 409–427
Severus 428–455
Cyrillus 455–457
Iamblichus 457–458
Evemerus 458–461
Marcus II 461–465
Volusianus 465–469
Miletius 469–476
Modestus 476–479
Maximianus 479–499
Fibicius 500–526
Aprunculus (Aprunentius) 526–527
Nicetius 527–566
Rusticus II 566–573
Magneric 573–596
Gundwich 596–600
Sibald 600–626
Modoald 626–645
Numerianus 645–665
Hildulf 665–671, d. 707
Basinus 671–697 d. 706 ?
Leudwinus 697–718
Milo 718–758
Wermad 758–791
Richbod 791–804 , first archbishop
Waso 804–809
Amalhar 809–814
Hetto 814–847
Dietgold 847–868
Bartholf von Wetterau 869–883
Radbod 883–915
Rudgar 915–930
Rudbrecht 930–956
Heinrich I 956–964
Dietrich I 965–977
Egbert 977–993
Ludolf 994–1008

1000 to 1200

Megingod 1008–1015
Poppo von Babenberg 1016–1047
Eberhard 1047–1066
Kuno I von Wetterau (Conrad) 1066–1066
Udo of Nellenburg 1066–1078
Egilbert of Rothenburg, 1079–1101
Bruno 1101–1124
Gottfrid 1124–1127
Meginher 1127–1130
Adalberon von Munsterol 1131–1152
Hillin von Fallemanien 1152–1169
Arnold I 1169–1183
Fulmar 1183–1189

Archbishop-Electors of Trier

1200 to 1500

John I 1189–1212
Theodoric II (Dietrich von Wied) 1212–42
Arnold II von Isenburg 1242–59
Heinrich I von Finstingen 1260–86
Bohemond I von Warnesberg 1286–99
Diether von Nassau 1300–07
Heinrich II von Virneburg 1300–06 (in opposition)
Baldwin von Luxemburg 1307–54
Bohemond II von Saarbrücken 1354–61
Kuno II von Falkenstein 1362–88
Werner von Falkenstein 1388–1418
Otto von Ziegenhain 1418–30
Rhaban von Helmstadt 1430–38
Jakob von Sierk 1439–56
Johann II of Baden 1456–1503

From 1500

Jakob II of Baden 1503–11
Richard Greiffenklau zu Vollraths 1511–31
Johann III von Metzenhausen 1531–40
Johann Ludwig von Hagen 1540–47
Johann IV von Isenburg 1547–56
Johann V von der Leyen 1556–67
Jakob III von Eltz 1567–81
Johann VI von Schonenberg 1581–99
Lothar von Metternich 1599–1623
Philipp Christoph von Sotern 1623–52
Karl Kaspar von der Leyen 1652–76
Johann Hugo von Orsbeck 1676–1711
Charles Joseph of Lorraine 1711–15
Franz Ludwig of Palatinate-Neuburg 1716–29
Franz Georg von Schönborn-Buchheim 1729–56
Johann Philipp von Walderdorf 1756–68
Clemens Wenzel of Saxony 1768–1803^[3]

References

^ Siebmacher, Johann (1703). Erneuertes und vermehrtes Wappenbuch.... Nürnberg: Adolph Johann Helmers. pp. Part I Table 2.
^ Bistum Trier - Bistum - Geschichte/Bischöfe
^ From 1801, after the French conquest of the Imperial territories on the left-bank of the Rhine, Clemens Wenzel of Saxony was archbishop with effect on the right bank only.

Die Bischöfe von Trier (German)
Diocese of Trier in the 1908 Catholic Encyclopaedia