Electorate of Mainz

For the modern diocese, see Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz.

Electorate of Mainz Kurfürstentum Mainz
780–1803
Flag Coat of arms
Location of the Electorate of Mainz in 1648 (Erfurt, more to the east, not shown).
Status	State of the Holy Roman Empire
Capital	Mainz
Government	Principality
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Bishopric established	Ancient Roman times
• Gained territory,    elevated to archbishopric	780–782 780
• Arch-chancellor	1251
• Mainz made Free City	1242–1462
• Republic of Mainz	18 March – 23 July 1793
• Treaty of Campo Formio	17 October 1797
• German Mediatisation	1803
Preceded by Succeeded by Duchy of Franconia Mont-Tonnerre Principality of Aschaffenburg Grand Duchy of Hesse Duchy of Nassau Kingdom of Prussia
Today part of	Germany

Old boundary stone showing the Wheel of Mainz (Mainzer Rad), the coat of arms of the Electorate

Lothar Franz Schönborn, Elector of Mainz (1695-1729)

18th-century map of the Electorate of Mainz

The Archbishopric of Mainz (Erzbistum Mainz), generally referred to as the Electorate of Mainz (Kurfürstentum Mainz or Kurmainz) after it became an electorate in the 13th century, was the most prestigious and among the most influential states of the Holy Roman Empire from the 8th century to the dissolution of the HRE in the early years of the 19th century. In the Roman Catholic hierarchy, the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz was the Primate of Germany (primas Germaniae), a purely honorary dignity that was unsuccessfully claimed from time to time by other Archbishops.

As was generally the case in the Holy Roman Empire, the territory of a prince-bishopric or arbishopric varied from that of the corresponding diocese or archdiocese, which was the purely spiritual jurisdiction of the prince-bishop or archbishop. During the early modern age, the archdiocese of Mainz (see map below) was the largest ecclesiastical province of Germany, covering Mainz and 10 suffragant dioceses.

The Archbishop-Elector of Mainz was also archchancellor of the Holy Roman Empire and, as such, ranked first among all ecclesiastical and secular princes of the Empire, and was second only to the Emperor. His political role, particularly as an intermediary between the Estates of the Empire and the Emperor was considerable.

The territory of the Electorate included several non-contiguous blocks of territory: lands near Mainz on both the left and right banks of the Rhine; territory along the Main River above Frankfurt (including the district of Aschaffenburg); the Eichsfeld region in Lower Saxony and Thuringia; and the territory around Erfurt in Thuringia.

History

The Episcopal see was established in ancient Roman times, in the city of Mainz, which had been a Roman provincial capital called Moguntiacum, but the office really came to prominence upon its elevation to an archdiocese in 780-782. The first bishops before the 4th century have legendary names, beginning with Crescens. The first verifiable Bishop of Mainz was Martinus in 343. The ecclesiastical and secular importance of Mainz dates from the accession of St. Boniface to the see in 747. Boniface was previously an archbishop, but the honor did not immediately devolve upon the see itself until his successor Lullus.

The archdioceses of Central Europe, 1500. After the Peace of Westphalia, the archdiocese of Mainz still remained the largest of Germany, covering 10 suffragant dioceses. The territory of dioceses and archdioceses (spiritual) was usually much larger than the prince-bishoprics and archbishoprics/electorates (temporal), ruled by the same individual.

In 1802, Mainz lost its archiepiscopal character. In the secularizations that accompanied the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, the seat of the elector, Karl Theodor von Dalberg, was moved to Regensburg, and the electorate lost its left bank territories to France, its right bank areas along the Main below Frankfurt to Hesse-Darmstadt and the Nassau princes, and Eichsfeld and Erfurt to the Kingdom of Prussia. Dalberg retained the Aschaffenburg area as the Principality of Aschaffenburg. In 1810 Dalberg merged Aschaffenburg, Frankfurt, Wetzlar, Hanau, and Fulda, to form the new Grand Duchy of Frankfurt in 1810. Dalberg resigned in 1813 and in 1815 the Congress of Vienna divided his territories between the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Electorate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel), the Grand Duchy of Hesse and the Free City of Frankfurt.

The modern Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz was founded in 1802 when Mainz lost its archdiocese status and became a mere diocese within the territory of France. In 1814 its jurisdiction was extended over the territory of Hesse-Darmstadt. Since then it has had two cardinals and via various concordats was allowed to retain the mediæval tradition of the cathedral chapter electing a successor to the bishop.

Bishops and archbishops

Bishops of Moguntiacum, 80–745 Crescens c. 80–103 Marinus c. 103–109 St. Crescentius c. 109–127 Cyriacus c. 127–141 Hilarius c. 141–161 Martin I c. 161–175 Celsus c. 175–197 Lucius c. 197–207 Gotthard c. 207–222 Sophron c. 222–230 Heriger I c. 230–234 Ruther c. 234–254 Avitus c. 254–276 Ignatius c. 276–289 Dionysius c. 289–309 Ruprecht I c. 309–321 Adalhard c. 320s Lucius Annaeus c. 330s Martin II c. 330s – c. 360s Sidonius I c. late 360s – c. 386 Sigismund c. 386 – c. 392 Theonistus or Thaumastus Lupold c. 392 – c. 409 Nicetas c. 409 – c. 417 Marianus c. 417 – c. 427 Aureus c. 427 – c. 443 Eutropius c. 443 – c. 467 Adalbald Nather Adalbert (I) Lantfried Sidonius II  ? – c. 589 Siegbert I c. 589–610 Ludegast c. 610–615 Rudwald c. 615 Lubald ? fl. c. 625 Siegbert II Gerold  ?–743 Gewilip c. 743 – c. 745

Archbishops of Mainz, 745–1251 Saint Boniface 745–754 Lullus 754–786 (First "real" archbishop of Mainz) Richholf 787–813 Adolf 813–826 Odgar 826–847 Rabanus Maurus 848–856 Karl 856–863 Ludbert 863–889 Sunderhold 889–891 Hatto I 891–913 Herigar 913–927 Hildebert 927-937 Frederick 937–954 William 954–968 Hatto II 968–970 Rudbrecht 970–975 Willigis 975–1011 Erkanbald 1011–1021 Aribo 1021–1031 Bardo 1031–1051 Luitpold 1051–1059 Siegfried I 1060–1084 Wezilo 1084–1088 Rudhart 1088–1109 Adalbert I von Saarbrücken 1111–1137 Adalbert II von Saarbrücken 1138–1141 Markholf 1141–1142 Henry I 1142–1153 Arnold von Selenhofen 1153–1160 Christian I 1160–1161 opposing… Rudolf of Zähringen 1160–1161 Conrad I of Wittelsbach 1161–1165 Christian I 1165–1183 Conrad I of Wittelsbach (restored) 1183–1200 Luitpold von Scheinfeld 1200–1208 Sigfried II von Eppstein 1200–1230 (in opposition to 1208) Sigfried III von Eppstein 1230–1249 Christian III von Weisenau 1249–1251

Archbishops-Electors of Mainz, 1251–1803 Gerhard I von Daun-Kirberg 1251–1259 Werner II von Eppstein 1260–1284 Heinrich II von Isny 1286–1288 Gerhard II von Eppstein 1286–1305 Peter of Aspelt 1306–1320 Matthias von Buchek 1321–1328 Heinrich III von Virneberg 1328–1337 Baldwin of Luxembourg 1328–1336, administrator Gerlach von Nassau 1346–1371 Johann I von Luxemburg-Ligny 1371–1373 Louis of Meissen 1374–1379 Adolf I von Nassau 1379–1390 Konrad II von Weinsberg 1390–1396 Johann II von Nassau 1396–1419 Joffrid von Leiningen 1396–1397 (in opposition) Konrad III Wild- und Rheinsgraf zum Stein 1419–1434 Dietrich Schenk von Erbach 1434–1459 Dieter von Isenburg 1460–1461 Adolf II von Nassau (or Adolf III) 1461–1475 Dieter von Isenburg (restored) 1476–1482 Albert II 1482–1484 Bertold von Henneberg-Römhild 1484–1504 Jacob of Liebenstein 1504–1508 Uriel von Gemmingen 1508–1514 Albert III von Brandenburg 1514–1545 Sebastian of Heusenstamm 1545–1555 Daniel Brendel of Homburg 1555–1582 Wolfgang von Dalberg 1582–1601 Johann Adam von Bicken 1601–1604 Johann Schweikhard von Kronberg 1604–1626 Georg Friedrich von Greiffenklau 1626–1629 Anselm Casimir Wambold von Umstadt 1629–1647 Johann Philipp von Schönborn 1647–1673 Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid 1673–1675 Damian Hartard von der Leyen-Hohengeroldseck 1675–1678 Karl Heinrich von Metternich-Winneburg 1679 Anselm Franz von Ingelheim 1679–1695 Lothar Franz von Schönborn 1695–1729 Franz Ludwig von Pfalz-Neuburg 1729–1732 Philipp Karl von Eltz-Kempenich 1732–1743 Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein 1743–1763 Emmerich Joseph von Breidbach zu Bürresheim 1763–1774 Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal 1774–1802 Karl Theodor von Dalberg 1802–1803

See also

• Lists of office-holders
• Bishop of Mainz
• Mainz Cathedral
• Primas Germaniae

External links

• Official website of the modern Diocese
• Map of the Archbishopric of Mainz in 1789