Wolves in Bishops’ Clothing: Prince-Bishops against Cathedral Chapters and Estate Assemblies in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Holy Roman Empire

Abstract

The Holy Roman Empire contained a vast multitude of states, many with their own unique political circumstances and government forms. Despite this, many studies on early modern state-building and even histories of the Holy Roman Empire overgeneralise smaller states, and focus only on the large states that preceded the modern nations. Especially ecclesiastical states are given little attention, and are often lumped in with secular states, which ignores their unique structure and risks misrepresenting the types of government forms extant in the Holy Roman Empire. To counter this historiographical neglect, this thesis seeks to investigate the checks of power that prince-bishops experienced at the hands of two important institutions: the cathedral chapter and the assembly of estates. This is done by studying the origins of ecclesiastical states as a whole, before focusing on four case studies (namely, Cologne, Salzburg, Liège, and Bamberg) and their specific characteristics. By analysing these case studies, using both general histories of the Holy Roman Empire as well as literature on the four chosen states, it becomes possible to compare them and determine what dynamics and traits were common among prince-bishoprics, as well as what kind of variety existed among them. For both the cathedral chapters and the estate assemblies the analysis is supplemented by a study of a primary source, one already partially studied but given new perspectives here, and the other not yet studied before. Through the secondary literature and the primary sources, the government form of the ecclesiastical states is shown as the unique and peculiar phenomenon it was, with its own set of power balances and struggles.