Archbishopric of Riga

The Archbishopric of Riga (, ) was a Catholic diocese and civil government in Medieval Livonia, subject to the Holy See. It was established in 1186 and ended in 1561.

History

The diocese was established in 1186 as the Bishopric of Livonia at Ikšķile; after its seat was moved to Riga, it became the Bishopric of Riga in 1202 and was elevated to an archbishopric in 1255.

The archbishops of Riga were also the secular rulers of Riga until 1561 when during the Reformation the territory converted from Catholicism to Lutheranism and all church territories were secularized. The see was restored as a diocese of the Catholic Church in 1918 and raised into an archdiocese in 1923. Bishops and Archbishops of Riga Bishopric of Livonia(Bishopric of Üxküll)1186–1255 1186–1196 Saint Meinhard 1196–1198 Berthold of Hanover 1199–1202 Albert of RigaBishopric of Riga1202–1255 1202–1229 Albert of Riga 1229–1253 Nikolaus von Nauen 1245–1255 Albert SuerbeerArchbishopric of Riga1255–1561 1255–1273 Albert Suerbeer 1273–1284 Johannes I of Lune 1285–1294 Johannes II of Vechten 1294–1300 Johannes III of Schwerin 1300–1302 Isarnus Tacconi of Fontiès-d'Aude 1303–1310 Jens Grandtitular, never came to Riga 1304–1341 Friedrich von Pernstein 1341–1347 Engelbert von Dolen 1348–1369 Bromhold von Vyffhusen 1370–1374 Siegfried Blomberg 1374–1393 Johannes IV von Sinten 1393–1418 Johannes V von Wallenrodt 1418–1424 Johannes Ambundi 1424–1448 Henning Scharpenberg 1448–1479 Silvester Stodewescher 1479–1484 Sede vacante (empty seat) 1484–1509 Michael Hildebrand 1509–1524 Jasper Lindedue to deflation, no coins were minted during the reign of Jasper Linde; biographical data exists in alternate formats 1524–1527 Johannes VII Blankenfelddue to deflation, no coins were minted during the reign of Johannes VII Blankenfeld; biographical data exists in alternate formats 1528–1539 Thomas Schöning 1539–1563 Wilhelm von Brandenburg

A new Bishopric of Livonia was established in Latgalia in 1621 during the Inflanty Voivodeship of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Coinage

The Archbishops of Riga were innovators in the field of minting currency, reviving techniques abandoned since the collapse of Rome. The names of individual archbishops after 1418, as well as the years of their respective reigns, are stamped on Livonian pennies excavated at archaeological sites. In many cases, this is the only biographical data available. No Livonian pennies before 1418 have been found.

See also Bishopric of Courland Bishopric of Dorpat Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek Bishopric of Reval Livonian Crusade Livonian Brothers of the Sword Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights

References

External links More information about the role of the Archbishopric of Riga in the history of coinage is available at Medieval Livonian Numismatics by William Urban Archbishopric of Riga (Archived 2009-10-25) Rīgas arhibīskapija (1255-1562) Rīgas bīskapija un virsbīskapija