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| === As part of Poland === | === As part of Poland === | ||
| The ] removed the bishopric from the protectorate of the Teutonic Knights and placed it under the sovereignty of the ]. The bishops insisted on large privileges and ruled the territory as ''de-facto'' ]s although the Polish king did not share this point of view. This led to conflict when the Polish king claimed the right to name the bishops, as he did in the Polish kingdom. The chapter did not accepted this right and elected a bishop, which led to the War of the Priests (1467-1479) ({{lang-de|Pfaffenkrieg}}) between the Polish king and the new bishop Nicolaus of Tüngen (1467-89) who was supported by the Teutonic Order and the Hungarian king ]. The Polish king accepted Nicolaus of Tüngen as prince-bishop in the first ] who inversely accepted the Polish king's suzerainty and obleged the chapter to elect only candidates ''liked'' by the Polish king. However, when of Tüngen died in 1489 the chapter elected ] as bishop and ] mitred Watzenrode against the wishes of Polish king ] (1447–1492) who prefered his son Frederic. This problem finally led to the exemption of the |
The ] removed the bishopric from the protectorate of the Teutonic Knights and placed it under the sovereignty of the ]. The bishops insisted on large privileges and ruled the territory as ''de-facto'' ]s although the Polish king did not share this point of view. This led to conflict when the Polish king claimed the right to name the bishops, as he did in the Polish kingdom. The chapter did not accepted this right and elected a bishop, which led to the War of the Priests (1467-1479) ({{lang-de|Pfaffenkrieg}}) between the Polish king and the new bishop Nicolaus of Tüngen (1467-89) who was supported by the Teutonic Order and the Hungarian king ]. The Polish king accepted Nicolaus of Tüngen as prince-bishop in the first ] who inversely accepted the Polish king's suzerainty and obleged the chapter to elect only candidates ''liked'' by the Polish king. However, when of Tüngen died in 1489 the chapter elected ] as bishop and ] mitred Watzenrode against the wishes of Polish king ] (1447–1492) who prefered his son Frederic. This problem finally led to the exemption of the bishopric in 1512 by ]. In the second ] (], ]) Warmia conceded to the King of Poland a limited influence in the election of bishops: He should propose four candidates to the chapter for the election. | ||
| In 1525 the surrounding territory of the ] converted to ] and the bishoperic lost two thirds of its parishes in the trouble of the ] Reformation. | In 1525 the surrounding territory of the ] converted to ] and the bishoperic lost two thirds of its parishes in the trouble of the ] Reformation. | ||
Revision as of 12:18, 4 March 2006
The Archbishopric of Warmia (formerly Bishopric of Warmia) (Polish: Archidiecezja warmińska, Latin: Archidioecesis Varmiensis, German: Erzbistum Ermland) is an archbishopric in Poland since 1992.
For many centuries before, it had been a bishopric, created by a papal legate in the 13th century in the territory of Prussia, then newly conquered by Teutonic Knights. The name Warmia (Ermland) came from a tribe of Baltic Prussians.
History
Territory of the Teutonic Order, 1242-1266
Along with Culmland, Pomesania and Sambia, Warmia was one of four dioceses created in 1243 by the papal legate William of Modena. All four dioceses came under the rule of the appointed Archbishop of Prussia Albert of Suerbeer who came from Cologne and was the former Archbishop of Armagh in Ireland. He choose Riga as his residence in 1251, which was confirmed by Pope Alexander IV in 1255. Several bishops at that time were priests of the Teutonic order. Heinrich of Strateich, first elected bishop of Warmia was unable to overtake his office, but in 1251 Anselm of Meissen entered the see of Warmia. The bishop ruled one third of the bishopric as secular ruler. This was confirmed by the Golden Bull in 1356. The chapter had the right to elect independently the bishop and resided at Braunsberg (Braniewo) until it moved to Frauenburg (Frombork) in 1280 after attacks by heathen Prussians.
Although the bishops of Warmia in thirteenth, fourteenth and early fifteenth century were loyal to the Teutonic order (even during War of the Cities), they determinantly defended their privileges and put down all attempts to cut the prerogatives and the autonomy the bishopric enjoyed. When it became clear that the Teutonic Order would surrender in the war bishop Paul of Lengendorf (1458-1467) joined the Prussian Confederation.
As part of Poland
The Peace of Thorun in 1466 removed the bishopric from the protectorate of the Teutonic Knights and placed it under the sovereignty of the King of Poland. The bishops insisted on large privileges and ruled the territory as de-facto prince-bishops although the Polish king did not share this point of view. This led to conflict when the Polish king claimed the right to name the bishops, as he did in the Polish kingdom. The chapter did not accepted this right and elected a bishop, which led to the War of the Priests (1467-1479) (Template:Lang-de) between the Polish king and the new bishop Nicolaus of Tüngen (1467-89) who was supported by the Teutonic Order and the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus. The Polish king accepted Nicolaus of Tüngen as prince-bishop in the first Treaty of Piotrków Trybunalski who inversely accepted the Polish king's suzerainty and obleged the chapter to elect only candidates liked by the Polish king. However, when of Tüngen died in 1489 the chapter elected Lucas Watzenrode as bishop and Pope Innocent VIII mitred Watzenrode against the wishes of Polish king Casimir IV (1447–1492) who prefered his son Frederic. This problem finally led to the exemption of the bishopric in 1512 by Pope Julius II. In the second Treaty of Piotrków Trybunalski (December 7, 1512) Warmia conceded to the King of Poland a limited influence in the election of bishops: He should propose four candidates to the chapter for the election.
In 1525 the surrounding territory of the Teutonic Order converted to Protestantism and the bishoperic lost two thirds of its parishes in the trouble of the Lutherian Reformation. However the Warmian bishops stuck to Catholizism though threatened by their neighbors. After the Council of Trent the later cardinal Stanislaus Hosius (1551-79) held a diocesan synode (1565) and the same year the Jesuits came to Braunsberg (Braniewo). The Congregation of St. Catherine, founded at Braunsberg by Regina Protmann engaged in education buisness.
Several times in the 17th and early 18th century Warmia was exposed to attacks of the Swedes. Especially Catholic institutions had to suffer at that time.
By the late 18th century, the prince-bishop was an ex officio Senator of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
As part of East Prussia
As a result of the First Partition of Poland in 1772, Warmia was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia's province of East Prussia. The bishopric ceased to be a governmental unit, and King Frederick II confiscated its property. The last prince-bishop, the noted Polish author Ignacy Krasicki, though deprived of temporal authority, retained influence at the Prussian court before his reappointment as Archbishop of Gniezno in 1795.
Thereafter, the Bishops of Warmia were nominated by the Lutheran Prussian government and Catholic institutions were suppressed. Most bishops appointed after the Partitions of Poland were nationalist Germans who supported the Germanisation policy of the time.
By the bull De salute animum (July 16, 1820) the catholic church in Prussia was reorganised. The Diocese of Warmia included from then also the territories taken during Reformation, the former Diocese of Samland (Sambia) and a part of the Diocese of Pomesian. Later Marienwerder (Kwidzyn) was attached as well.
In 1901, the total population in the area of the diocese was about 2,000,000, but only 327,567 were Catholics.
World War II and after
During the Second World War, Nazi Germany engaged in atrocities against the Polish population. Many Warmiaks and Polish intellectuals and activists were murdered, such as Seweryn Pieniężny and Leon Włodarczak.
Maximilian Kaller, the Bishop of Ermland (Warmia), was forced to leave his office by the Nazi Schutzstaffel in February 1945, as the Soviet Red Army advanced into Germany. After the Second World War, the Potsdam Agreement made the southern portion of the diocese a part of Poland, while the northern part found itself in the Soviet Union as part of the Kaliningrad Oblast; the German population was subject to expulsion.
Kaller returned to the region to resume his office as bishop, but by now Polish administration and population had moved in and was opposed to a German bishop after the German wartime atrocities. Cardinal August Hlond prevented Kaller from resuming his duties, and Kaller went to what would become West Germany. In 1946 he received "Special Authority as Bishop for the Deported Germans" from Pope Pius XII.
The office of Bishop of Warmia, traditionally at the Cathedral of Frauenburg (Frombork), was left vacant until the appointment of Józef Drzazga in 1972, now at Olsztyn (Allenstein).
On March 25 1992, the Bishopric of Warmia was raised to an archbishopric, with the bishoprics of Elbląg (Elbing) and Ełk (Lyck) belonging also to the 12,000 km² area and its 703,000 Catholics, 33 ], 253 church districts, 446 diocese priests, 117 order priests and 231 order nuns.
The current archbishop is Edmund Michał Piszcz, supported by a bishop.