List of bishops, prince-bishops, and administrators of Verden

This is alist of bishops, prince-bishops, and administrators of Verden.TheCatholicDiocese of Verden(German:Bistum Verden), was asuffraganof theArchdiocese of Mainz.From the 12th century, the Bishop of Verden was also,ex officio,aprince of the Holy Roman Empireand the ruler of a state inimperial immediacy— thePrince-Bishopric of Verden(German:Hochstift Verden.ThePrince-Bishopricwas established in 1180 and disestablished in 1648. The city ofVerden upon Allerwas the seat of thecathedraland thecathedral chapter.The bishop also resided there until 1195 when theresidenzwas moved toRotenburg upon Wümme.

Coat-of-arms of the Prince-Bishopric of Verden

Titles of the incumbents of the Verden See

Not all incumbents of the Verden See were imperially invested princely power as Prince-Bishops and not all were papally confirmed as bishops. In 1180 part of the Verden diocesan territory were disentangled from theDuchy of Saxonyand became an own territory of imperial immediacy calledPrince-Bishopric of Verden,a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. The prince-bishopric was anelective monarchy,with the monarch being the respective bishop usually elected by the Verden cathedralchapter,and confirmed by theHoly See,or exceptionally only appointed by the Holy See. Papally confirmed bishops were then invested by the emperor with the princelyregalia,thus the title prince-bishop. However, sometimes the respective incumbent of the see never gained a papal confirmation, but was still invested the princely regalia. Also the opposite occurred with a papally confirmed bishop, never invested as prince. A number of incumbents, elected by the chapter, neither achieved papal confirmation nor imperialinvestiture,but as a matter of fact nevertheless de facto held the princely power. The respective incumbents of the see bore the following titles:

• Bishopof Verden until 1180
• Prince-Bishopof Verden from 1180 to 1566 and again 1630 to 1631
• Administratorof the Prince-Bishopric of Verden 1566 to 1630 and again 1631 to 1645. Either simply de facto replacing the Prince-Bishop or lacking canon-law prerequisites the incumbent of the see would officially only hold the title administrator (but nevertheless colloquially referred to as Prince-Bishop). From 1566 to 1630 and again 1631 to 1645 all administrators were Lutherans.

Catholic Bishops of Verden till 1180

Roman Catholic Bishops of Verden till 1180
Episcopate	Portrait	Name	Birth and death with places	Reason for end of office	Notes
no assured dates		Swibrecht	unknown		legendary, not substantiated, any relation to Verden denied
no assured dates		Spatto also Patto	Ireland, unknown–30 March 788?	death	also abbot atAmorbach Abbey
no assured dates		Tancho of Verden also Tanco, Tanko	Ireland, unknown – 16 December 808?	death	also abbot at Amorbach Abbey;martyr(murdered by pagans),saint,feast day:16 February
809–829		Harud also Haruth	Ireland, unknown – 15 June 829	death	also abbot at Amorbach Abbey; first bishop of assured information
829–831		sede vacante
831–838		Helmgaud also Haligad	unknown – 21 January 841	death
838–847		sede vacante
847–849		Waldgar also Waltgar, Walter	unknown – 7 September 865?	death
849–868		sede vacante
868–874		Erlulf also Erlulphus (Lat.), Herluf	Ireland?, unknown – 10 May 874	death	martyr (murdered by pagans), saint, feast day: 2 February; in 1631 Prince-BishopFrancis of Wartenbergfled Verden taking Erlulf's relics with him to Regensburg
874–908		Wigbert of Verden also Wikbert	unknown – 8 September 908	death	great-grandson ofWidukind
908–913		Bernhar I	unknown – 20 October 913	death
913–933		Adalward (House of Immeding)	unknown – 27 October 933	death	teacher and promoter of his relativeAdaldag
933–962		Amalung Billung also Amelung (House of Billung)	unknown – 5 May 962	death	brother ofHermann Billung
962–976		Bruno Billung also Brun asBruno I (House of Billung)	unknown – 7 March 976	death	nephew of his predecessor and son ofWichmann the Elder,receivedimmunityfor the diocese byEmperor Otto I
976–993		Erpo of Verden also Adelperio, Albertus, Erp, Herpo (House of Erponids)	unknown – 19 February 993	death	before provost ofBremen Cathedral,Erpo received fromEmperor Otto IIItheregaliaofcoinage,of hunting in the Sturmigau region (comparable to the future prince-bishopric), of holding markets and of punishment for the diocesan subjects
993–1013		Bernhar II	unknown – 25 July 1013	death
1013–1031		Wigger of Verden also Wigher	unknown – 16 August 1031	death	before provost ofCologne Cathedral,fixed the diocesan border towards thediocese of Halberstadt
1031–1034		Thietmar of Verden also Dietmar asThietmar I	unknown – 26 June 1034	death
1034–1049		CountBruno of Walbeck also Brun asBruno II	unknown – 20 August 1049	death	brother of BishopThietmar of Merseburg
1049–1060		Siegbert of Verden also Sizzo	unknown – 9 October 1060	death	Henry IV granted him a manor inHermannsburgand the Magetheide forest
1060–1076/1084		Richbert	unknown – 29 November 1084	death	he and his bailiff Hermann Billung the Younger ravaged the neighbouring archdiocese of Bremen
1076–1085		sede vacante
1085–1097		Hartwig of Verden also Hartwich	unknown – 14 October 1097	death
1097–1116		Mazo of Verden	unknown – 25 October 1116	death	Mazo enfeoffedLothair of Süpplingenburgas inheritable diocesan bailiff (military protector)
1116–1148		Thietmar of Plötzkau also Dietmar asThietmar II (House of Plötzke)	unknown – 23 September 1148	death	arbiter in the dispute betweenHenry the Lionand Bremen's Archbishop Adalbero on the County ofStade
1149–1167		Hermann Behr (House of Behr)	c. 1110 – 11 August 1167, near Rome	death	before member of the Halberstadtcathedral chapter,disputed with ArchbishopHartwig I of Bremenon the common diocesan border since the former settled uninhabited areas within the Verden diocese (second mile ofAltes Land), in 1148/1150 Hermann falsified documents to fictitiously date back the foundation of the Verden see to 786, claiming Bremen's suffragans seesRatzeburgandMecklenburgwere actually part of the Verden diocese, Hermann spent much of his time at the court ofFrederick Barbarossain Italy (1158–1161, 1162–1163, and 1166–1167)
1167–1180		Hugo of Verden	unknown – 1 March 1180	death	Hugo confirmed the foundation of theLüne Nunneryin 1172, he spent much of his time at the court ofFrederick Barbarossain Italy (1174–1175, and 1176–1178)

Catholic Prince-Bishops (1180–1566)

Roman Catholic Prince-Bishops of Verden (1180–1566)
Reign and episcopate	Portrait	Name	Birth and death with places	Reason for end of office	Notes
1180–1188		Tammo of Verden	unknown – 7 December 1188	death	at the carve-up ofSaxonyin 1180 Tammo gained for about a quarter of the diocese, where the see held already considerable privileges, the territorial princely power, establishing the Prince-Bishopric of Verden; Tammo endowed the nunnery inArendseein 1184, consecrated theSt. Michael's AbbeyinHildesheimin 1186, and privileged theCollegiate ChurchofBardowick
1189–1205		Rudolph of Verden asRudolph I	unknown – 29 May 1205	death	before official in the imperial chancery,Emperor Henry VIgranted Verden diocese half the castle and half theSaltworks of Lunenburgand estates in theBardengauin 1192, he erected the castle ofRotenburg upon Wümmeas prince-episcopal residence in 1195, he founded the old monastery in today'sBuxtehude-Altklosterin 1197, and participated in theCrusade of 1197/1198
1205–1231		CountIso of Wölpe also Yso of Welpe (Counts of Wölpe)	1167 – 5 August 1231	death	before provost at the collegiate church in Bardowick and at the Verden Cathedral, at his investiture he stipulated with the chapter the oldestprince-episcopal capitulationrecorded in Verden, laying ground for the co-rule by the chapter, in 1211/1212 and 1213–1215 he participated in theLivonian Crusade,south ofVerden cityhe gained the lordship ofWestenas part of the prince-bishopric in 1219/1220; in 1223 Iso gained the bailiwick (secular protection) over the diocese, a priorGuelphicsubfief, he founded the collegiate church of St. Andrew with 12prebendariesin Verden endowing it with the revenues ofHollenstedtarchdeaconry and the revenues of the parishes ofEstebrügge,Zesterfleth,JorkandMittelnkirchen,the latter four in the Verden diocesan area belonging to the political territory of the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen
1231–1251		Luder of Borch also Lüder vun Borg, Lothar von Berg	unknown – 28 June 1251, Verden	death	Luder conflicted with DukeOtto the Childon the latter's prince-episcopal fiefs, since Otto strove to convert Verden's subfiefs into fiefs of imperial immediacy, Luder founded Cistercian monasteries inMedingenandSteinbeck upon Luhe(1243), Luder wasstewardofBrunswick and Lunenburgwhile its Duke Otto the Child was on thePrussian Crusadein 1238
1251–1269		CountGerard of Hoya also Gerhard asGerard I (Counts of Hoya)	unknown – 4 May 1269	death	granted the city of Verdentown privilegesin 1259, laying the grounds for its future development asfree city.Gerhard accepted speakers of the nobility, holding estates in the prince-bishopric, as their representation, thus establishing the third power having a say in the government, besides the bishop and the cathedral chapter; son ofHenry II, Count of Hoya
1269–1300		DukeConrad of Brunswick and Lunenburg also Konrad asConrad I (House of Welf)	unknown – 15 September 1300	death	son of DukeOtto the Child,due to minority only administrator of the prince-bishopric until his consecration as bishop in 1285, Conrad reconstructed the burnt cathedral following the model ofReims Cathedralafter 1274, Conrad was the guardian of his fatherless nephew DukeAlbert II of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Wolfenbüttel line),supporting him against his elder brother DukeHenry I.After the brothers partitioned their duchy in 1286 Albert II granted ConradHellwege,Neuenkirchen,the patrimonial jurisdiction over Verden rural area,Dörverden,Schneverdingen,VisselhövedeandScheeßelas part of the prince-bishopric in 1288, in the same year Conrad richly endowed the cathedral chapter with revenues from the episcopal share in the Lunenburg salt mines
1300–1312		Frederick Man of Honstädt asFrederick I	unknown – 9 January 1312	death	uncle of his successor
1312–1332		Nicolaus Ketelhot also Kettelhodt or Kesselhut	unknown – 11 February 1332	death	since 1305 provost of St. Andrew Collegiate Church in Verden, between 1312 and 1231 he served as administrator andvicar general(this as of 1322) of thePrince-Archbishopric of Bremen,supported by Vicar General Dietrich von Xanthen
1332–1340		Johannes Hake also Hacke, or John of Göttingen asJohn I	Göttingen,1280 – 3 October 1349,Avignon	becamePrince-Bishop of Freisingin 1341 (as John II)	probably son of Göttingen'scity councillorConrad Hake, Johannes studied medicine inMontpellier,professor ofMontpellier University(since 1314), in 1324 papally provided asBishop of Cammin(denied by the chapter there), first prince-bishop of Verden not elected by the chapter, but only papally appointed, lacking support in chapter and nobility, therefore residing mostly in Avignon, and for only some months ever in 1333 within his diocese, however outside the prince-bishopric, to be precise inLunenburg,which belonged to thePrincipality of Lunenburgas to secular rule. Mostly represented by his vicar general Godfrey of Werpe, who successfully defended the prince-bishopric againstGuelphicconquest attempts
1340–1342		sede vacante
1342–1363		Daniel of Wichtrich	unknown – March 1364	death	before Carmelite friar andauxiliary bishopof Archbishop-ElectorBaldwin of Luxembourgin theArchbishopric-Electorate of Triers,not elected by the Verden chapter, but only papally appointed, lacking support in chapter and nobility he had a weak standing as prince-bishop, after less than a year in office leaving his diocese until 1350, now forced to conquer the prince-bishopric ruled by the chapter, then mostly residing in the castle inRotenburg upon Wümme,he lacked theGuelphicsupport during theLunenburg Succession Warbetween the Welfs and the Ascanians, so he left his diocese again in 1355 only to return to Rotenburg once in summer 1362. In return for their aid Daniel alienated many diocesan fiefs to the Welfs.
1363–1365		Gerard of Schalksberg also Gerhard vom Berge asGerard II	unknown – 15 November 1398	becamePrince-Bishop of Hildesheim(1365–1398)	elected by the chapter
1365–1367		Rudolf Rühle also Rule von Friedeberg, Rudolph of Friedeberg asRudolph II	Friedbergin the Wetterau,c. 1320 – 3 July 1367,Prague(likely)	death	son of Johann Rühl from Friedberg, studied atBologna University,endowed withprebendariesin several dioceses he became an official in the chancery ofEmperor Charles IV,while his service the chancery authored theGolden Bull,not elected by the Verden chapter, but only papally appointed
1367–1381		Henry of Langlingen also Langeln asHenry I	unknown – 23 January 1381	death	elected by the Verden chapter, before provost of theLüne Nunnery,in 1371 Henry I further privileged the city of Verden, empowering it against the cathedral chapter, Henry I helped theGuelphicDukeMagnus II Torquatus,Prince of Wolfenbüttelto finance theLunenburg Succession Warby granting him a credit against the pawn of Magnus' castles inKettenburg,Lauenbrück,andRethem upon Aller,as well as his bailiwick ofWahlingen.After Magnus' defeat theAscanianvictorsAlbert of Lunenburgand his uncleWenceslas I of Saxe-Wittenbergsubjected the prince-bishopric in 1378, imposed the return of the pawns with repayment and a war alliance between Verden and the Principality of Lunenburg.
1381–1388		John Gryse of Zesterfleth also Johann asJohn II	c. 1314 – 11 December 1388,Rotenburg upon Wümme	death	in 1376 during the War on Lunenburgian Succession still asdeanof the Bremen chapter Zesterfleth entered intopsychological warfareand publicly allegedAlbert of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Wolfenbüttel),as Albert II Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, were aHermaphrodite;elected by the Verden chapter, as a partisan of the Ascanians in the Lunenburg Succession War he gained their support, eased the relation between prince-bishopric and the Ascanian-ruled Principality of Lunenburg, even gaining the confirmation of the Verden fiefs to the Lunenburg princes in 1386, but in May the Welfs defeated the Ascanians making any agreements with the Ascanians void and endangering the prince-bishopric as Ascanian partisan, in July 1388 Zesterfleth brokered the compromise between the two fighting parties
1388–1395		DukeOtto of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Wolfenbüttel) (House of Welf)	c. 1364 – 30 June 1406	on 29 May 1395 he became Prince-Archbishop of Bremen (1395–1406) as Otto II	son of DukeMagnus II Torquatus,Prince of Wolfenbüttel,elected by the Verden chapter pressurised by the Welfs, Otto turned out to be a willing partisan of his brothers, by 1389 the estates of the Bremen Prince-Archbishopric appointed Otto asregentfor his spendthrift uncle Prince-ArchbishopAlbert II
1395–1398/1401 (de facto/de jure)		Dietrich of Nieheim also Niem or Nyem	Nieheim,c. 1345 – 22 March 1418,Maastricht	resignation	beforeRoman Curial,not elected by the Verden chapter, but only papally appointed, he finally failed to take the see and returned to the Roman Curia in 1403.
1398–1399		Conrad of Vechta asConrad II	Bremen(likely),c. 1370 – 24 December 1431,Roudnice nad Labem	deposed after the downfall of his benefactor KingWenceslaus of the Romans.	Bishop of Olomouc(1409–1412) andArchbishop of Prague(1413–1421)
1399–1400 and again 1402–1407		Conrad of Soltau asConrad III	Lunenburg,c. 1350 – 2 January 1407,Rotenburg	death	papally provided as Bishop of Verden on 8 August 1399, papally deposed on 6 February 1400, on 18 May 1401 KingRupert of Germanyinvested him as Prince-Bishop of Verden, papally confirmed in 1402, before professor atCharles Universityin Prague, andRuperto-Carola UniversityinHeidelberg,on 6 February 1400 provided asBishop of Cambrai,however this was blocked by an incumbent appointed by the pope in Avignon, Conrad III failed to move the see from Verden toSt. John's in Lunenburgagainst the resistance of the princes of Lunenburg and the city council of Lunenburg
1407–1426		CountHenry of Hoya asHenry II (Counts of Hoya)	unknown – 15 February 1441	resigned on 14 August 1426	on 21 February 1407 the Verden chapter elected him bishop, confirmed byPope Benedict XIIIof Avignon (one of the popes during theWestern Schism), Henry II de facto held the princely power, without being imperially invested, Henry II was not accepted as bishop in the diocesan area within thePrincipality of Lunenburguntil 1417, after the Welfs' preferred rivalling Prince-Bishop Ulrich left forSeckauthey refused to swear him the oath ofvassalagefor their fiefs granted by the bishop of Verden and deprived Henry II of the prince-episcopal castle in Rotenburg
1407-1409/1417		Ulrich of Albeck	unknown – 12 December 1431,Padova	appointedBishop of Seckau(1417–1431) byPope Martin V	provided byPope Gregory XIIof Rome, invested as prince-bishop byKing Rupert,however, never gained princely power in the prince-bishopric proper, but residing in Lunenburg, deposed byPope Alexander Vof Avignon in 1409 without effect, serving as bishop in the diocesan area within the GuelphicPrincipality of Lunenburguntil 1417
1426–1470		John of Asel also Johannes asJohn III	1380 – 21 June 1472,Rotenburg	supposedly resigned
1470–1502		Berthold of Landsberg also spelled Bertold	unknown – 4 June 1502,Rotenburg	death	since 1481 simultaneouslyPrince-Bishop of Hildesheimas Berthold II
1502–1558		DukeChristopherthe Spendthrift (House of Welf)	1487 – 22 January 1558, Tangermünde	de facto dismissal as prince by Chapter and Estates	alsoPrince-Archbishop of Bremen(1511–1542/1547 and again 1549–1558), he usually resided in Rotenburg
1558–1566		DukeGeorge of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Wolfenbüttel) (House of Welf)	22 November 1494 – 4 December 1566	death	brother of the former, simultaneouslyPrince-Archbishop of Bremen(1558–1566)

Lutheran Administrators of the Prince-Bishopric (1566–1630)

Lutheran Administrators of the Prince-Bishopric (1566–1630)
Reign and episcopate	Portrait	Name	Birth and death with places	Reason for end of office	Notes
1566–1586		Eberhard of Holle	Uchte,1531/32 – 5 July 1586,Lübeck	death	also papally confirmed and imperially investedPrince-Bishop of Lübeck(1561–1586), since 1564 coadjutor of his predecessor George, however, never papally confirmed and imperially invested as prince-bishop of Verden
1586–1623		DukePhilip Sigismund of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Wolfenbüttel) (House of Welf)	Hessen am Fallstein,1 July 1568 – 19 March 1623,Iburg	death	simultaneously Administrator of thePrince-Bishopric of Osnabrück(1591–1623)
1623–1629		Frederick, Prince of Denmark asFrederick II (House of Oldenburg)	Haderslev, 18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670, Copenhagen	on 26 May 1629 expelled by theCatholic Leagueand deposed by theEdict of Restitution	reascending administratorship in 1635

Catholic Prince-Bishop (1630–1631)

Roman Catholic Prince-Bishop of Verden (1630–1631)
Reign and episcopate	Portrait	Name	Birth and death with places	Reason for end of office	Notes
1630–1631		Francis William of Wartenberg	Munich, 1 March 1593 – 1 December 1661, Ratisbon	deposed by the Swedish conquerors	papally appointed, lacking the capitular elective mandate alsoPrince-Bishop of Osnabrück(1625–1634 and again 1648–1661), ofRatisbon(1649–1661), andVicar Apostolicof theArchdiocese of Bremen(1645/1648)

Lutheran Administrators of the Prince-Bishopric (1631–1645)

Lutheran Administrators of the Prince-Bishopric (1631–1645)
1631–1634		DukeJohn Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein at Gottorp (House of Holstein-Gottorp)	Gottorp, 1 September 1579 – 3 September 1634,Altkloster	death	also administrator of the prince-bishoprics ofBremen(1596–1634), andLübeck(1607–1634)
1634–1635		rule by Chapter and Estates due to sede vacante
1635–1645		Frederick of Denmark asFrederick II (House of Oldenburg)	Haderslev, 18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670, Copenhagen	resignation bySecond Peace of Brömsebro	simultaneously administrator of thePrince-Archbishopric of Bremen(1634–1645), expelled from both sees by the Swedes, since 1648King of Denmarkas Frederick III
1645–1648		rule by the Swedish occupants
after 15 May 1648		The Prince-Bishopric was converted into a hereditary monarchy, thePrincipality of Verden,first ruled inpersonal unionby the Swedish crown. SeeList of princes of Verden (1648–1823).

Sources

• Arend Mindermann,Urkundenbuch der Bischöfe und des Domkapitels von Verden:2 vols. (vol. 1: 'Von den Anfängen bis 1300'ISBN978-3-931879-07-5;vol. 2: '1300 – 1380'ISBN978-3-931879-15-0), Stade: Landschaftsverband der ehem. Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden, Stade, 2001 and 2004.
• Thomas Vogtherr (ed.),Chronicon episcoporum Verdensium = Die Chronik der Verdener Bischöfe,commented and translated, Stade: 1997,ISBN978-3-931879-03-7