List of bishops of Hildesheim

This list records the incumbents of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim (German: Bistum Hildesheim). Between 1235 and 1803 the bishops simultaneously officiating as rulers of princely rank (prince-bishop) in the Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim (German: Hochstift Hildesheim), a state of imperial immediacy within the Holy Roman Empire. Hildesheim is the seat of the bishops and the cathedral chapter.

Coat-of-arms of the Diocese and Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim

Titles of the incumbents of the Hildesheim See

edit

Between 1235 and 1803 the elected and papally confirmed bishops of the Hildesheim See were additionally imperially invested princely power as prince-bishops. In 1235 part of the Hildesheim diocesan territory, the episcopal and capitular temporalities (Stift) were disentangled from the Duchy of Brunswick and Lunenburg and became an own territory of imperial immediacy called Prince-Bishopric of Brunswick and Lunenburg (German: Hochstift Hildesheim), a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. The prince-bishopric was an elective monarchy, with the monarch being the respective bishop usually elected by the Hildesheim Cathedral chapter and confirmed by the Holy See, or exceptionally only appointed by the Holy See. Papally confirmed bishops were then invested by the emperor with the princely regalia, thus the title prince-bishop. However, sometimes the respective incumbent of the see never gained a papal confirmation as bishop (lacking canonical qualification; e.g. Ferdinand of Bavaria and Frederick of Denmark), but was still invested the princely regalia. The respective incumbents of the see bore the following titles:

The respective incumbents of the see bore the following titles:

  • Bishop of Hildesheim from 815 to 1235
  • Prince-bishop of Hildesheim from 1235 to 1803
  • Bishop of Hildesheim since 1803

Bishops of Hildesheim till 1235

edit
This is the list of bishops of the Diocese of Hildesheim
Name From To   Remarks
Gunthar 815 834
Rembert 834 835
Ebbo 835 847 Archbishop of Reims 816–835
Altfrid 847 874  
Ludolf 874 874
Marquard 874 880
Wigbert 880 908
Waldbert 908 919
Sehard 919 928
Diethard 928 954
Otwin 954 984
Osdag 985 989
Gerdag 990 992
Bernward 993 1022  
Godehard 1022 1038  
Thietmar 1038 1044
Azelin 1044 1054
Hezilo 1054 1079
Udo of Gleichen-Rheinhausen 1079 1114
Bruning 1115 1119 canonically irregular, not consecrated but imperially invested
Berthold I of Alvensleben 1119 1130
Bernard I 1130 1153  
Bruno 1153 1161
Herrmann of Wennerde 1162 1170
Adelog of Dorstadt 1171 1190  
Berno 1190 1194
Conrad I of Querfurt 1194 1199 Prince-Bishop of Würzburg 1198–1202
Heribert of Dahlem 1199 1216
Siegfried I of Lichtenberg 1216 1221
Conrad II of Reifenberg 1221 1246

Prince-bishops of Hildesheim between 1235 and 1803

edit
This is the list of prince-bishops of Diocese and Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim
Name From To   Remarks
Conrad II of Reifenberg 1221 1246 imperially recognised as bishop of princely rank in 1235
Henry I of Rusteberg 1247 1257
John I of Brakel 1257 1260
Otto I of Braunschweig-Lüneburg 1260 1279  
Siegfried II of Querfurt 1279 1310
Heinrich II of Woldenberg 1310 1318
Otto II of Woldenberg 1318 1331
Henry III of Brunswick and Lunenburg 1331 1363  
Erich I of Schauenburg 1332 1349
Johann II Schadland 1363 1365 Bishop of Culm 1359–1363;
Prince-Bishop of Worms 1365–1370;
Prince-Bishop of Augsburg 1371–1372;
Administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Constance 1371–1372
Gerhard of Berg 1365 1398   Prince-Bishop of Verden 1363–1365
John III of Hoya 1398 1424 Prince-Bishop of Paderborn 1394–1399
Magnus of Saxe-Lauenburg 1424 1452   Prince-Bishop of Cammin 1410–1424
Bernhard III of Brunschwick and Lunenburg 1452 1458 Prince of Lunenburg 1457–1464
Ernst I of Schauenburg 1458 1471
Henning of Haus 1471 1481
Berthold II of Landsberg 1481 1502   Prince-Bishop of Verden 1470–1502
Eric II of Saxe-Lauenburg 1503 1504 Prince-Bishop of Münster 1508–1522
John IV of Saxe-Lauenburg 1504 1527
Balthasar Merklin 1527 1531 Prince-Bishop of Constance 1530–1531
Otto III of Schauenburg 1531 1537   Count of Schauenburg and Holstein-Pinneberg 1544–1576
Valentin of Teutleben 1537 1551
Frederick of Denmark 1551 1556 not consecrated for being Lutheran; also Bishop of Schleswig 1551–1556
Burkhard of Oberg 1557 1573  
Ernest II of Bavaria 1573 1612   Prince-Bishop of Freising 1566–1612;
Prince-Bishop of Liège 1581–1612;
Prince-Abbot of Stablo-Malmedy 1581–1612;
Elector- Archbishop of Cologne 1583–1612;
Prince-Bishop of Münster 1584–1612
Ferdinand of Bavaria 1612 1650   Administrator only, due to lack of canonical qualification;
Administrator of the Berchtesgaden Provostry 1594–1650;
Elector of Cologne and Administrator of the Archdiocese of Cologne 1612–1650;
Administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège 1612–1650;
Administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster 1612–1650;
Administrator of the Imperial Abbey of Stablo-Malmedy 1612–1650;
Administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn 1618–1650
Maximilian Henry of Bavaria 1650 1688   Elector- Archbishop of Cologne 1650–1688;
Prince-Bishop of Liège 1650–1688;
Prince-Provost of Berchtesgaden 1650–1688;
Prince-Abbot of Stablo-Malmedy 1657;
Prince-Bishop of Münster 1683–1688
Jobst Edmund of Brabeck 1688 1702  
Joseph Clemens of Bavaria 1702 1723   Prince-Bishop of Regensburg 1685–1716;
Elector- Archbishop of Cologne 1688–1723;
Prince-Bishop of Freising 1685–1694;
Prince-Bishop of Liège 1694–1723;
Prince-Provost of Berchtesgaden 1688–1723
Clemens August of Bavaria 1723 1761   Prince-Bishop of Regensburg 1716–1719;
Elector- Archbishop of Cologne 1723–1761;
Prince-Bishop of Münster 1719–1761;
Prince-Bishop of Paderborn 1719–1761;
Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück 1728–1761
Sede vacante 1761 1763
Friedrich Wilhelm of Westphalia 1763 1789   Prince-Bishop of Paderborn 1782–1789
Franz Egon of Fürstenberg 1789 1825   Prince-Bishop of Paderborn 1789–1803

Bishops of Hildesheim since 1803

edit
This is the list of Bishops of the Diocese of Hildesheim
Name From To   Remarks
Franz Egon of Fürstenberg 1789 1825   Bishop of Paderborn 1789–1825
Karl of Gruben 1825 1829 administrator
Gotthard Joseph Osthaus 1829 1835  
Franz Ferdinand Friedrich Fritz 1836 1840  
Jakob Joseph Wandt 1842 1849  
Eduard Jakob Wedekin 1850 1870   Administrator of Osnabrück 1855–1857
Daniel Wilhelm Sommerwerck 1871 1905  
Adolf Bertram 1906 1914   Archbishop of Breslau 1914–1945
Joseph Ernst 1915 1928  
Nikolaus Bares 1929 1934   Bishop of Berlin 1933–1935
Joseph Godehard Machens 1934 1956  
Heinrich Maria Janssen 1957 1983  
Josef Homeyer 1983 2004  
Sede vacante 2004 2006
Norbert Trelle 2006 2017  
Heiner Wilmer 2018    

Auxiliary bishops

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Bishop Johann Christiani von Schleppegrell, O.S.A." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 March 2016
  2. ^ "Bishop Johannes Tideln, O.P. Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 March 2016
  3. ^ "Bishop Ludwig von Siegen, O.F.M." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 March 2016