Un príncipe-obispo es un obispo que también es el gobernante civil de algún principado y soberanía secular , a diferencia del propio Príncipe de la Iglesia , título asociado a los cardenales . Desde 1951, el único príncipe-obispo existente ha sido el obispo de Urgell , Cataluña, que ha seguido siendo ex officio uno de los dos copríncipes de Andorra , junto con el presidente francés . [1] [2]
En Occidente, con el declive del poder imperial a partir del siglo IV ante las invasiones bárbaras , en ocasiones los obispos cristianos de las ciudades tomaron el lugar del comandante romano, tomaron decisiones seculares para la ciudad y dirigieron sus propias tropas cuando era necesario. Las relaciones posteriores entre un príncipe-obispo y los burgueses no fueron invariablemente cordiales. A medida que las ciudades exigieron cartas a los emperadores, reyes o sus príncipes-obispos y se declararon independientes de los magnates territoriales seculares, las fricciones se intensificaron entre burgueses y obispos. El principado o príncipe-obispado (Hochstift) gobernado políticamente por un príncipe-obispo podría haberse superpuesto total o en gran medida con su jurisdicción diocesana, pero algunas partes de su diócesis , incluso la ciudad de su residencia, podrían haber estado exentas de su gobierno civil. obteniendo el estatus de ciudad imperial libre . Si la sede episcopal era un arzobispado , el término correcto era príncipe-arzobispo; el equivalente en el clero regular (monástico) era el príncipe-abad . Un príncipe-obispo solía ser considerado un monarca electo . Con la disolución del Sacro Imperio Romano Germánico en 1806, el título finalmente desapareció en la Confederación del Rin . Sin embargo, con respecto a las tierras del antiguo Sacro Imperio Romano Germánico fuera del control francés, como la Monarquía de los Habsburgo , incluida Austria propiamente dicha ( Salzburgo , Seckau ), las Tierras de la Corona de Bohemia (la mayor parte de Olomouc y partes de Breslau ), así como con respecto a las partes del Estado polaco dividido en 1795 , incluidas aquellas que formaban parte del Reino de Galicia y Lodomeria o las adquiridas por el Reino de Prusia , la posición continuó en algunos casos nominalmente y a veces se transformó en una nueva , tipo titular, inicialmente reconocido por el Imperio Alemán y Austria-Hungría hasta su desaparición, siendo el título finalmente abolido por completo por el Papa en 1951.
La única excepción es el obispo de Urgell , Cataluña, que ya no tiene ningún derecho secular en España, pero sigue siendo ex officio uno de los dos copríncipes de Andorra , junto con el jefe de Estado francés (actualmente su presidente ), y por tanto el último príncipe-obispo existente. [1] [2]
En el Imperio Bizantino , los emperadores aún autocráticos aprobaron medidas legales generales que asignaban a todos los obispos ciertos derechos y deberes en la administración secular de sus diócesis, posiblemente como parte de un desarrollo para poner a la Iglesia Oriental al servicio del Imperio [ cita requerida ] , con su Patriarca Ecuménico casi reducido a ministro de asuntos religiosos del Emperador. [ cita necesaria ] . La institución del príncipe-obispo revivió en la Iglesia Ortodoxa en los tiempos modernos durante la existencia del Príncipe-Obispado de Montenegro .
Los obispos habían estado involucrados con frecuencia en el gobierno del reino franco y del posterior Imperio carolingio como miembros clericales de un dúo de enviados llamados Missus dominicus , pero ese era un mandato individual, no vinculado a la sede. Los príncipes-obispados eran más comunes en el Sacro Imperio Romano Germánico feudalmente fragmentado , donde a muchos se les concedía formalmente el rango de Príncipe Imperial Reichsfürst , otorgándoles el poder inmediato sobre un determinado territorio y una representación en la Dieta Imperial ( Reichstag ).
Los ducados del Reino Alemán dentro del Imperio tenían duques fuertes y poderosos (originalmente, gobernantes de guerra), siempre buscando más el " interés nacional " de su ducado que el del Imperio. A su vez, el primer rey otoniano ( sajón ), Enrique el Cazador, y más aún su hijo, el emperador Otón I , pretendían debilitar el poder de los duques concediendo a los obispos leales tierras imperiales y dotándolos de privilegios reales . A diferencia de los duques, no podían transmitir títulos ni tierras hereditarios a ningún descendiente. En cambio, los emperadores se reservaron la implementación de los obispos de su iglesia propietaria , desafiando el hecho de que, según el derecho canónico, eran parte de la Iglesia católica transnacional . Esto encontró una creciente oposición por parte de los Papas , que culminó en la feroz Controversia de las Investiduras de 1076. Sin embargo, los Emperadores continuaron otorgando importantes territorios a los (ar)obispos más importantes. El territorio inmediato adscrito a la sede episcopal se convirtió entonces en una diócesis principesca o (arzo)obispado ( Fürst(erz)bistum ). [3] El término alemán Hochstift se usaba a menudo para denotar la forma de autoridad secular que tenían los obispos que gobernaban un príncipe-obispado, mientras que Erzstift se usaba para príncipes-arzobispados.
El emperador Carlos IV confirmó mediante la Bula de Oro de 1356 el estatus privilegiado de los Príncipes-Arzobispados de Maguncia , Colonia y Tréveris como miembros del colegio electoral . En vísperas de la Reforma protestante , los estados imperiales comprendían 53 principados eclesiásticos. Finalmente fueron secularizados en la Mediatización alemana de 1803 tras las pérdidas territoriales sufridas por Francia en el Tratado de Lunéville , a excepción del príncipe-arzobispo de Maguncia y archicanciller alemán Karl Theodor Anton Maria von Dalberg , que continuó gobernando como Príncipe de Aschaffenburg y Ratisbona . Con la disolución del Sacro Imperio Romano Germánico en 1806, el título finalmente desapareció en la sucesora Confederación del Rin .
No menos de tres de los (originalmente sólo siete) príncipes electores , la orden más alta de Reichsfürsten (comparable en rango con las parejas francesas ), eran príncipes-arzobispos, cada uno con el título de Archicanciller (el único archi-oficio entre ellos) por una parte del Imperio; dada la mayor importancia de un electorado, sus principados se conocían como Kurfürstentum ("principado electoral") en lugar de príncipe-arzobispado.
The suffragan-bishoprics of Gurk (established 1070), Chiemsee (1216), Seckau (1218), and Lavant (1225) sometimes used the Fürstbischof title, but never held any reichsfrei territory. However, all bishops' princely titles were abolished by the pope in 1951.
The Patriarchate of Aquileia[5] (1077–1433) was conquered by Venice in 1420 and officially incorporated after the 1445 Council of Florence.
In Brescia Bishop Notingus was made count of Brescia in 844.
The archbishops of Besançon had been rulers in the Middle Ages over Besançon, an Imperial city from 1307, which in 1512 joined the Burgundian Circle. In the Bishopric of Belley, Saint Anthelm of Belley was granted Reichsfreiheit by Emperor Frederick I, but submitted temporal authorities to the Duchy of Savoy in 1401.
The Bishopric of Sion (French: Principauté épiscopale de Sion, German: Bistum Sitten) was from 999 a classic example of unified secular and diocesan authority. It progressively lost its powers since the Renaissance, and was finally replaced by the Republic of the Seven Tithings in 1634.
Upon the incorporation of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1237, the territory of the Order's State largely corresponded with the Diocese of Riga. Bishop Albert of Riga in 1207 had received the lands of Livonia as an Imperial fief from the hands of German king Philip of Swabia, he however had to come to terms with the Brothers of the Sword. At the behest of Pope Innocent III the Terra Mariana confederation was established, whereby Albert had to cede large parts of the episcopal territory to the Livonian Order. Albert proceeded tactically in the conflict between the Papacy and Emperor Frederick II: in 1225 he reached the acknowledgement of his status as a Prince-Bishop of the Empire, though the Roman Curia insisted on the fact that the Christianized Baltic territories were solely under the suverainty of the Holy See. By the 1234 Bull of Rieti, Pope Gregory IX stated that all lands acquired by the Teutonic Knights were no subject of any conveyancing by the Emperor.
Within this larger conflict, the continued dualism of the autonomous Riga prince-bishop and the Teutonic Knights led to a lengthy friction. Around 1245 the Papal legate William of Modena reached a compromise: though incorporated into the Order's State, the archdiocese and its suffragan bishoprics were acknowledged with their autonomous ecclesiastical territories by the Teutonic Knights. The bishops pursued the conferment of the princely title by the Holy Roman Emperor to stress their sovereignty. In the original Prussian lands of the Teutonic Order, Willam of Modena established the suffragan bishoprics of Culm, Pomesania, Samland and Warmia. From the late 13th century onwards, the appointed Warmia bishops were no longer members of the Teutonic Knights, a special status confirmed by the bestowal of the princely title by Emperor Charles IV in 1356.
Three bishoprics were initially parts of the Kingdom of Poland and its offshoots before being subsequently incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire, namely the bishoprics of Wolin/Kamień (Wollin/Cammin) (1140-1181), Lubusz (Lebus) (1125-1372) and Wrocław (Breslau) (1201-1335/1348), with the latter two of them continuing, however, as suffragan to the Polish archbishopric of Gniezno for many years later (until 1424 in the case of Lebus and until 1821 in the case of Breslau). On the other hand, the Prince Bishopric of Warmia was obtained by Poland following the Second Peace of Thorn.
The bishops of Durham, while not sovereign, held extensive rights usually reserved to the English, and later British, monarch within the county palatine of Durham. In 1075 Walcher, the bishop of Durham, was allowed to purchase the earldom of Northumbria; this marked the beginning of the bishops' temporal powers, which expanded during the Middle Ages before being gradually curbed from the sixteenth century onwards.[6] Except for a brief period of suppression during the English Civil War, the bishopric retained some temporal powers until it was abolished by the Durham (County Palatine) Act 1836, when its powers returned to the Crown.[7][8] The last institution of the palatinate, its court of chancery, was abolished in 1974.[9]
From the tenth century civil wars on, many bishops took over the powers of the local count, as authorised by the king. For example, at Chalons-sur-Marne the bishop ruled the lands 20 km around the town, while the Archbishop of Rheims demarcated his territory with five fortresses of Courville, Cormicy, Betheneville, Sept-Saulx and Chaumuzy.[11]A number of French bishops did hold a noble title, with a tiny territory usually about their seat; it was often a princely title, especially Count but also Prince or Baron, including actual seigneurial authority and rights.[12] Indeed, six of the twelve original Pairies (the royal vassals awarded with the highest precedence at Court) were episcopal: the Archbishop of Reims, the Bishop of Langres, and the Bishop of Laon held a ducal title, the bishops of Beauvais, Chalôns, and Noyon had comital status. They were later joined by the Archbishop of Paris, who was awarded a ducal title, but with precedence over the others.[12][13]
France also counted a number of prince-bishops formerly within the Holy Roman Empire such those of Besançon, Cambrai, Strasbourg, Metz, Toul, Verdun, and Belley. The bishops of Arles, Embrun, and Grenoble also qualify as princes of episcopal cities. The bishop of Viviers was Count of Viviers and Prince de Donzère. The bishop of Sisteron was also Prince de Lurs, the title of count was held by the Archbishop of Lyons, and the bishops of Gap, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, Vienne and Die were Seigneurs of their cities.
Never part of the empire were Lisieux, Cahors, Chalon-sur-Saône, Léon, Dol and Vabres whose bishops were also counts. Ajaccio was Count of Frasso. The bishops of Sarlat, Saint-Malo (Baron de Beignon) and of Luçon were Barons and Tulle was Viscount of the city. The bishop of Mende was governor and count, Puy held the title Count of Velay, Quimper was Seigneur of the city and Comte de Cornouailles, Valence was Seigneur and Count of the city. Montpellier's bishop was Count of Mauguio and Montferrand, Marquis of Marquerose and Baron of Sauve, Durfort, Salevoise, and Brissac. The bishop of Saint-Claude was Seigneur of all the lands of Saint-Claude. The bishops of Digne (Seigneur and Baron), Pamiers (co-Seigneur), Albi, Lectoure, Saint-Brieuc, Saint-Papoul, Saint-Pons, and Uzès were Seigneurs of the cities.[13][14][15][12]
From 1472 to 1967, the bishop of Coimbra held the comital title of Count of Arganil, being thus called "bishop-count" (Portuguese: Bispo-Conde). The use of the comital title declined during the 20th century since Portugal has become a republic and nobility privileges have ceased to be officially recognized, and was ultimately discontinued.
The bishops of Cetinje, who took as the Prince-Bishops of Montenegro the place of the earlier secular (Grand) Voivodes in 1516, had a unique position of Slavonic, Orthodox prince-bishops of Montenegro under Ottoman suzerainty.[16] It was eventually secularized and became ruled by hereditary princes and ultimately Kings of Montenegro in 1852, as reflected in their styles:
The Bishop of Urgell, Catalonia, who no longer has any secular rights in Spain, remains ex officio one of two co-princes of Andorra, along with the French head of state (currently its President)[1][2]
The term has been used by Episcopalians in North America to describe modern bishops with commanding personalities usually of previous generations.[17] One such individual was Bishop Horace W. B. Donegan of whom Episcopal suffragan bishop Robert E. Terwilliger said "We often say that Bishop Donegan is the last prince bishop of the church because in his graciousness, in his presence, in his total lack of any crisis of identity, we have seen what a bishop is; and we know that it is a kind of royalty in Christ."[18]
Anglican Archbishop Robert Duncan expressed his view that the pastoral changes "in the 1970s was a revolution in reaction to those prince bishops – they had all this authority, they had all this power." So systems such as the Commission on Ministry system in the Episcopal Church "was to replace an individual's authority with a committee's authority."[17]
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, serves as Co-Prince of Andorra in addition to his duties as French President and is one of the few examples of a democratically elected leader serving in a royal capacity in another country. Since 2003, the other Co-Prince is the Catholic Bishop of Urgell from Spain, Joan-Enric Vives i Sicília. But how did the president and bishop become co-princes of another country? The answer lies in a political arrangement stretching back over seven centuries.
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