Roman Catholic Diocese of Halberstadt facts for kids

Halberstadt Cathedral

The Diocese of Halberstadt was a special area led by a Catholic bishop. It existed from the year 804 until 1648. From 1180, the bishops (or leaders) of Halberstadt also ruled a small state. This state was part of the Holy Roman Empire and was called the prince-bishopric of Halberstadt. The main city for both the church area and the state was Halberstadt, which is now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.

History of Halberstadt

How the Diocese Started

After some big wars called the Saxon Wars, a powerful ruler named Emperor Charlemagne created a church area in 804. This was at a place called Osterwieck. His goal was to help spread Christianity to the Saxons and Polabian Slavs who lived there.

The first bishop, Hildegrim of Châlons, moved the main office to Halberstadt. This move was confirmed by Charlemagne's son, Louis the Pious, in 814. At first, the diocese reached all the way to the Elbe and Saale rivers in the east. However, when Emperor Otto I started the Archbishopric of Magdeburg in 968, Halberstadt lost its eastern half. The Halberstadt diocese was then under the Archdiocese of Mainz.

Bishops and Emperors

The bishops of Halberstadt often competed with Magdeburg for power. This happened during the time of the Ottonian and Salian dynasty emperors. Under Emperor Henry III, the bishops gained more land rights. In 1062, Bishop Burchard II was even sent to Rome to help solve a problem between Pope Alexander II and Antipope Honorius II.

However, Bishop Burchard II later joined forces with Pope Gregory VII against Emperor Henry IV. This was part of a big fight over who had more power, the Pope or the Emperor, known as the Investiture Controversy. Burchard II became a key leader in the Great Saxon Revolt.

You can read more about the history of the diocese up to 1208 in a book called the Gesta episcoporum Halberstadensium.

The Prince-Bishopric

Quick facts for kids Prince-Bishopric of Halberstadt Hochstift Halberstadt
1180–1648
Coat of arms
Prince-Bishoprics of Hildesheim, Halberstadt and Magdeburg (violet), about 1250
Status	Prince-Bishopric
Capital	Halberstadt
Common languages	Eastphalian
Government	elective theocratic monarchy, bishops elected by the chapter, confirmed by the pope and invested as prince by the emperor
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Diocese founded	804
• Prince-Bishopric	1180
• Joined     Lower Saxon Circle	1500
• Albert of Brandenburg	1513
• Secularised to     Principality of Halberstadt	1648
• To Province of Saxony	1816
Preceded by Succeeded by Duchy of Saxony Principality of Halberstadt

After a powerful duke named Henry the Lion lost his position, the church lands of Halberstadt became an independent state within the Holy Roman Empire. This state was called the prince-bishopric. It's important to remember that the political state (the prince-bishopric) was only part of the larger church area (the diocese).

When Emperor Henry VI died in 1197, the prince-bishopric supported Philip of Swabia to become the next Holy Roman Emperor. But Pope Innocent III disagreed. Because of this, Prince-Bishop Conrad of Halberstadt was kicked out of the church. To avoid punishment, Conrad joined the Fourth Crusade. This crusade ended up attacking and looting Constantinople, the capital of the Roman Empire. Conrad brought back many valuable items and treasures from the churches there to Halberstadt. In 1315, the prince-bishopric also gained control of the former Principality of Aschersleben.

Changes in Leadership

In 1479, Ernest of Wettin, a powerful prince, arranged for his 13-year-old son, Ernest II, to become the leader (administrator) of Halberstadt. Ernest II was already the Archbishop of Magdeburg. Later, in 1513, Albert of Hohenzollern took over. The leaders of Halberstadt continued to be from the House of Hohenzollern family.

Around 1540, during the Reformation, the lands of Halberstadt became Lutheran. In 1566, a two-year-old boy named Henry Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel became the first Protestant administrator. After him, sons from the Welf family (dukes of Brunswick and Lunenburg) led Halberstadt.

During the Thirty Years' War, in 1623, Henry Julius's son, Christian, also known as the "Mad Halberstadter," stepped down. He was followed by Christian William of Brandenburg.

In 1648, the prince-bishopric was officially changed from a church state to a regular state by the Peace of Westphalia. It became the Principality of Halberstadt and was given to the Hohenzollern rulers of Brandenburg-Prussia. After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, this area became part of the Prussian Province of Saxony.

From a church point of view, the diocese had been without a full bishop since 1480, only having administrators (some of whom were Protestant). It officially ended in 1648. The few remaining Catholics in the area were then looked after by new church groups. Eventually, in 1821, the area of the old Halberstadt diocese became part of the Diocese of Paderborn. Since 1994, it has been part of the modern Diocese of Magdeburg.

Geography of the Diocese

After the Archbishopric of Magdeburg was founded, the Diocese of Halberstadt covered several Saxon areas. These included Balsamgau, Derlingau, the western part of Nordthüringgau, Harzgau, Schwabengau, and Hassegau.

This means the diocese stretched from the Oker river near Hornburg in the west, where it met the Bishopric of Hildesheim, all the way to the Saale river in the east. The city of Brunswick, which sits on both sides of the Oker, was originally split between Halberstadt and Hildesheim. However, in 1142, it became part of Duke Henry the Lion's lands, and he made it his home city.

Bishops of Halberstadt

Auxiliary Bishops

• Johann Schedemeker, O.S.A. (1438–1452)
• Johannes Sartoris, O.F.M. (1459–1466)
• Hermann Molitoris, O.P. (1471–1483)
• Levinus Brunstorp, O.P. (1478–1487)
• Matthias Kanuti, O.S.B. (1492–1506)
• Heinrich Lenchker, O.P. (1514–1538)
• Michael Vehe, O.P. (1539)
• Johannes Mensing, O.P. (1539–1547)
• Johannes Alberti (bishop), O.P. (1550)