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Bishopric of Warmia

Prince-Bishopric of Warmia
Fürstbistum Ermland (de)
Biskupie Księstwo Warmińskie (pl)
Dioecesis Varmiensis (la)
 
Part of the State of the Teutonic Order
1243–1466


Coat of arms

State of the Teutonic Order, ca 1410
Capital Lidzbark Warmiński Heilsberg
Languages Polish, German
Religion Roman Catholic
Government Theocracy
Historical era Middle Ages
 •  Prussian bishoprics
    founded by
    Teutonic Knights
1243
 •  Gained Reichsfreiheit 1356
 •  Independence from
    the Teutonic Order
1466
 •  Subjugated to the
    Polish Crown
1479
 •  Two-thirds annexed
    by Prussia
1512
 •  Annexed by Prussia August 5, 1466
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Teutonic Knights State of the Teutonic Order
Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569) Coat of arms
Prince-Bishopric of Warmia
Biskupie Księstwo Warmińskie (pl)
Fürstbistum Ermland (de)
Dioecesis Varmiensis (la)
 
Part of Kingdom of Poland
and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
1466–1772


Coat of arms

Exempt Prince-Bishopric of Warmia in 1635. (In red on a map of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth)
Capital 1243-1945 Frauenburg, since 1972 Olsztyn (Allenstein)
Languages Latin Language, German and Polish
Religion Roman Catholic
Government Theocracy
Historical era Middle Ages
 •  Prussian bishopric
    founded as
    protectorate of
    Teutonic Knights
 •  Subjugated to
    Polish Crown

1479 1466
 •  Annexed by Prussia August 5, 1772
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Teutonic Knights Prince-Bishopric of Warmia
Kingdom of Prussia


Coat of arms

The Prince-Bishopric of Warmia (Polish: Biskupie Księstwo Warmińskie,German: Fürstbistum Ermland) was a semi-independent ecclesiastical state, ruled by the incumbent ordinary of the Ermland/Warmia see and comprising one third of the then diocesan area. The other two thirds of the diocese were under the secular rule of Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights (Teutonic Prussia) (till 1525, and Ducal Prussia thereafter). The Ermland/Warmia see was a Prussian diocese under the jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Riga that was a protectorate of Teutonic Prussia (1243–1466) and a protectorate by treaty of Poland - later part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after the Peace of Thorn (1466–1772)

It was founded as the Bishopric of Ermland by William of Modena in 1243 in the territory of Prussia after it was conquered by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades. The diocesan cathedral chapter constituted in 1260. While in the 1280s the Teutonic Order succeeded to impose the simultaneous membership of all capitular canons in the Order in the other three Prussian bishoprics, Ermland's chapter maintained its independence. So Ermland's chapter was not subject to outside influence when electing its bishops. Thus the Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV names the bishops as prince-bishops, a rank not awarded to the other three Prussian bishops (Culm, Pomesania, and Samland).


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