Archbishopric of Trier

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.

1 History
2 Bishops and Archbishops
3 See also
4 References

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.

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.

Eucharius (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]

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

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]

^ 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.
^ Maximinus II sheltered the exiled Athanasius at Trier
^ Paulinus was exiled to Phrygia on account of his opposition to Arianism
^ Modestus was bishop when the Franks gained control over the city
^ Magnerich was an advisor to the Merovingian king Childebert II
^ Wermad accompanied Charlemagne on his campaign against the Avars
^ 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.
^ 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.

History of Trier

(German) Die Bischöfe von Trier
(English) Diocese of Trier in the 1908 Catholic Encyclopaedia

v • d • e Members of the Electoral College of the Holy Roman Empire following the Golden Bull of 1356
Spiritual electors	Abp Mainz Abp Trier Abp Cologne
Secular electors	Kgdm Bohemia Cty Palatine / Rhine Dchy Saxony Mgvt Brandenburg
Electors added in the 17th century	Dchy Bavaria (from 1623) Dchy Hanover (from 1692)
Electors added in the 19th century	Abp Regensburg¹ / Dchy Salzburg²/Dchy Würzburg³ Dchy Württemberg¹ Mgvt Baden¹ Lgvt Hesse-Kassel¹
1: 1803–06; 2: 1803–05; 3: 1805–06.

v • d • e Swabian League of the Holy Roman Empire (1331–1534)
Founders	Aalen • Augsburg • Biberach • Bopfingen • Dinkelsbühl • Donauwörth • Esslingen • Giengen • Heilbronn • Isny • Kaufbeuren • Kempten • Leutkirch • Lindau • Memmingen • Nördlingen • Pfullendorf • Ravensburg • Reutlingen • Schwäbisch Gmünd • Schwäbisch Hall • Überlingen • Ulm • Wangen • Weil • Wimpfen
Joined 1340	Cty Württemberg
Joined 1488	Mgvt Ansbach • Mgvt Baden • Dchy Bavaria • Mgvt Bayreuth • Electoral Palatinate • Lgvt Hesse • Abp Mainz • Abp Trier

v • d • e Holy Roman Empire — Electoral Rhenish Circle (1512–1806)
Electorates	Cologne \| Mainz \| Palatinate \| Trier
Other territories	Arenberg \| Beilstein \| Koblenz \| Nieder-Isenburg \| Rheineck \| Thurn and Taxis

v • d • e Catholic League (1609–35) within the Holy Roman Empire
Duchies	Bavaria
Archbishoprics	Mainz Cologne Trier
Bishoprics	Augsburg Constance Eichstätt Passau Speyer Strasbourg Worms Würzburg and Bamberg
Abbacies	Ellwangen Kempten