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The 'Bishopric and Archbishopric of Trier' was one of the important ecclesiastical principalities of the Holy Roman Empire. Unlike the other Rhenish archbishoprics — Mainz and Cologne — Trier, as the important Roman provincial capital of 'Augusta Treverorum', had been the seat of a bishop since Roman times. It was raised to archiepiscopal status during the reign of Charlemagne, whose will mentions the bishoprics of Metz, Toul and Verdun as its suffragans.

Contents

History

Bishops and Archbishops

Bishops and Archbishops of Augusta Treverorum, 50–791

Archbishops of Trier, 791–1189

Archbishop-Electors of Trier, 1189–1803

Modern Bishops of Trier, 1801–''present''

Notes

See also

References

History

The bishops of Trier were already virtually independent territorial magnates in Merovingian times. In 772 Charlemagne granted Bishop Wiomad complete immunity from the jurisdiction of the ruling count for all the churches and monasteries, as well as villages and castles that belonged to the Church of St. Peter at Trier. In 816 Louis the Pious confirmed to Archbishop Hetto the privileges of protection and immunity granted by his father.
At the partition of the Carolingian empire at Verdun in 843, Trier fell to Lothair; at the partition of Lotharingia at Mersen in 870, it fell to the East Frankish kingdom, which developed into Germany. Archbishop Radbod received in 898 complete immunity from all taxes for the entire episcopal territory, granted by Zwentibold, the natural son of Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia, who reigned briefly as King of Lotharingia and, under great pressure from his independent nobles, desperately needed a powerful ally. The gift cemented the position of the archbishops as territorial lords in their own right. Following Zwentibold's assassination in 900, the handlers of the child-king Louis courted Radbold in their turn, granting him the district and city of Trier outright, and the right to have a mint — as much a symbol of independent authority as an economic tool — and to impose customs-duties. From the court of Charles the Simple he obtained the final right, that of election of the Bishop of Trier by the chapter, free of Imperial interference.
In Early Modern times, the archdiocese of Trier still encompassed territory along the Moselle River between Trier, near the French border, and Koblenz on the Rhine. The Archbishop of Trier, as holder of an imperial office was traditionally an Imperial Elector of the German king. The purely honorary office of Archchancellor of Gaul arose in the 13th century. In this context that was taken to mean the Kingdom of Arles, or Burgundy, technically from 1242 and permanently from 1263, and nominally until 1803. Arles along with Germany and Italy was one of the three component kingdoms of the Empire.
The last elector removed to Koblenz in 1786. From 1795, the territories of the Archbishopric on the left bank of the Rhine — which is to say almost all of them — were under French occupation, and were annexed in 1801 and a separate bishopric established (later assuming control of the whole diocese in 1803). In 1803, what was left of the Archbishopric was secularized and annexed by the Princes of Nassau.

Bishops and Archbishops

The early bishops in this list are strictly legendary. The earliest authenticated bishop, according to the ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' (1908), was Agricius, who took part in the Council of Arles in 314, but who does not appear among the traditional list.

Bishops and Archbishops of Augusta Treverorum, 50–791

★ Eucherius c. 50–73

★ Valerius of Trèves, ''c.''73–88^[1]

★ Maternus c. 88–128

★ Auspicius c. 129

★ Celsus ? –c. 142

★ Felix I c. 142

★ Mansuetus fl. c. 164

★ Clement 173 d. 190

★ Moses fl. c. 190

★ Martin I fl. c. 202

★ Anastasius fl. c. 211

★ Andreas fl. c. 227

★ Rusticus I fl. c. 235

★ Auctor I fl. c. 237

★ Mauritius I 243 d. 244

★ Fortunatus fl. c. 247

★ Cassianus fl. c. 257

★ Marcus I c. 262 d. 273

★ Ravitus c. 273–282

★ Marcellus 282–287

★ Severinus 287–308

★ Florentius 308–309

★ Martin II 309–310

★ Maximinus I 310–322

★ Valentinus 322–327

★ Agrippinus 327–335

★ Maximinus II 335–352^[2]

★ Paulinus 353–358^[3]

★ Bonosus 359–365

★ Vetranius 365–384

★ Felix II 384–398

★ Mauritius II 398–407

★ Leontius 407–409

★ Auctor II 409–427

★ Severus 428–455

★ Cyrillus 455–457

★ Iamblichus 457–458

★ Evemerus 458–461

★ Marcus II 461–465

★ Volusianus 465–469

★ Miletius 469–476

★ Modestus 486–489^[4]

★ Maximianus 479–499

★ Fibicius 500–526

★ Aprunentius 526–527

★ Nicetius 527–566

★ Rusticus II 566–573

★ Magnerich 573–596^[5]

★ Gundwich 596–600

★ Sibald 600–626

★ Modoald 626–645

★ Numerianus 645–665

★ Hildulf 665–671

★ Basinus 671–697

★ Ludwin 697–718

★ Milo 718–758

★ Wermad 758–791^[6]

Archbishops of Trier, 791–1189

★ Richbod 791–804

★ Waso 804–809

★ Amalhar 809–814

★ Hetto 814–847

★ Dietgold 847–868

★ Barthold 869–883

★ Radbod 883–915

★ Rudgar 915–930

★ Rudbrecht 930–956

★ Henry I 956–964

★ Theodoric I 965–977

★ Egbert 977–993

★ Ludolf 994–1008

★ Adalbero I 1008

★ Megingod 1008–15

★ Poppo 1016–47

★ Eberhard 1047–66

★ Kuno I 1066

★ Udo 1066–78

★ Engelbert 1079–1101

★ Bruno 1101–24

★ Gottfrid 1124–27

★ Meginher 1127–30

★ Adalbero II 1131–52

★ Hillin 1152–69

★ Arnold I 1169–83

★ Fulmar 1183–89

Archbishop-Electors of Trier, 1189–1803

★ John I 1189–1212

★ Theodoric II 1212–42

★ Arnold II von Isenburg 1242–59

★ Heinrich I von Finstingen 1260–86

★ Bohemond I von Warnesberg 1286–99

★ Diether von Nassau 1300–07

★ Heinrich III von Virneburg 1300–06 (in opposition)

★ Baldwin von Luxemburg 1307–54

★ Bohemond II von Saarbrücken 1354–61

★ Kuno II von Falkenstein 1362–88

★ Werner von Falkenstein 1388–1418

★ Otto von Ziegenhain 1418–30

★ Rhaban von Helmstadt 1430–38

★ Jakob von Sierk 1439–56

★ Johann II of Baden 1456–1503

★ Jakob II of Baden 1503–11

★ Richard Greiffenklau zu Vollraths 1511–31

★ Johann III von Metzenhausen 1531–40

★ Johann Ludwig von Hagen 1540–47

★ Johann IV von Isenburg 1547–56

★ Johann V von der Leyen 1556–67

★ Jakob III von Eltz 1567–81

★ Johann VI von Schonenberg 1581–99

★ Lothar von Metternich 1599–1623

★ Philipp Christoph von Sotern 1623–52

★ Karl Kaspar von der Leyen 1652–76

★ Johann Hugo von Orsbeck 1676–1711

★ Charles Joseph of Lorraine 1711–15

★ Franz Ludwig of Palatinate-Neuburg 1716–29

★ Franz Georg von Schönborn-Buchheim 1729–56

★ Johann Philipp von Walderdorf 1756–68

★ Clemens Wenzel of Saxony 1768–1803^[7]

Modern Bishops of Trier, 1801–''present''

★ Charles Mannay 1802–16^[8]

★ Josef von Hommer 1824–36

★ Wilhelm Arnoldi 1842–64

★ Leopold Pelldram 1864–67

★ Matthias Eberhard 1867–76

★ Michael Felix Korum 1881–1921

★ Franz Rudolf Bornewasser 1922–51

★ Matthias Wehr 1951–66

★ Bernhard Stein 1967–80

★ Hermann Josef Spital 1981–2001

★ Reinhard Marx 2001–''present''

Notes

1. According to legend, Valerius of Trèves is also said to have been a disciple of Saint Peter. Other sources claim he died in the late third or early 4th century.
2. Maximinus II sheltered the exiled Athanasius at Trier
3. Paulinus was exiled to Phrygia on account of his opposition to Arianism
4. Modestus was bishop when the Franks gained control over the city
5. Magnerich was an advisor to the Merovingian king Childebert II
6. Wermad accompanied Charlemagne on his campaign against the Avars
7. From 1801, after the French conquest of the Imperial territories on the left-bank of the Rhine, Clemens Wenzel of Saxony was archbishop with effect on the right bank only.
8. Until 1803, when the territorial archbishopric was definitively dissolved, Charles Mannay was archbishop but only with effect on the left bank of the Rhine; he was never Prince-Archbishop.

See also

★ History of Trier

References

★ Die Bischöfe von Trier

★ Diocese of Trier in the 1908 ''Catholic Encyclopaedia''