Thorn Abbey
| Imperial Abbey of Thorn | ||||||||||
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Reichsstift Thorn (de) Rieksstif van Thoear (li) Rijksabdij van Thorn (nl) |
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| Imperial Abbey of the Holy Roman Empire | ||||||||||
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 Territory of the Abbey of Thorn (blue), in the 18th century. The striped area of Neeroeteren was a condominium between Thorn and Liège
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 The Low Countries in the 16th century, showing the Abbey of Thorn in dark blue, at the north-eastern tip of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège (paler blue, centre)
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| Capital | Thorn (Netherlands) | |||||||||
| Languages | Dutch | |||||||||
| Government | Theocracy | |||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | |||||||||
| • | Founded | ca 975 | ||||||||
| • | Gained Reichsfreiheit | 1292 | ||||||||
| • | Joined Council of Princes | 1793 | ||||||||
| • | Annexed by France | 1795 | ||||||||
| • | Awarded to Netherlands | June 9, 1815 | ||||||||
| Area | ||||||||||
| • | 1790 | 1.5 km² (1 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | ||||||||||
| • | 1790 est. | 3,400 | ||||||||
| Density | 2,266.7 /km² (5,870.6 /sq mi) | |||||||||
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Coat of arms
Thorn Abbey or Imperial Abbey of Thorn was an imperial abbey of the Holy Roman Empire in what is now the Netherlands. The capital was Thorn. It was founded in the 10th century; independence ended in 1794, when it was occupied by French troops. The abbey was reichsunmittelbar and belonged to the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle.
The territory covered about 1.5 square kilometers with 3400 inhabitants in 1790.
Details of the founding of the abbey are not clear. According to some sources, the abbey was founded by Countess Hilswind in 902 for herself and her daughter Beatrix. She donated the necessary land, which had been personal property, given to the Countess by King Zwentibold. Other sources claim a Benedictine double monastery was founded by Bishop Ansfried of Utrecht and his wife Hereswint in 925. A Romanesque abbey church was built in 992; some sources give this as the year the Abbey was founded.
The collegiate women came only from the high nobility. It is likely that Thorn had belonged to the Benedictine order originally. It probably changed, however, in the 12th century, to a free secular ladies' abbey. In 1310, the secular cannons of the Abbey stressed their secular status and they claimed to never have been Benedictine.
In the 18th century, collegiate ladies were, in principle, required to reside in the Abbey all year, except for at most six weeks per year. However, for 600 florins, ladies could buy themselves free. In theory, free ladies were still required to provide six weeks of choral service; this was not always observed in practice. Some ladies held positions in several abbeys. This possibility of buying freedom appears to have been used frequently. Maria Josepha of Hatzfeld and Gleichen, for example, was a member of the abbeys at Thorn and Essen for 46 years. During this time, she resided in Essen Abbey for four years, but never in Thorn.
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Wikipedia