Würzburg and the Prince Bishops
Würzburg
is known as the city of the Prince Bishops and the principal sights
of the Marienberg Fortress and the Residence Palace are both part of
their legacy to the city.
But who were these Prince Bishops and how did religion and earthly power become so closely entwined here on the banks of the Main?
The origins of the term date back to the early Middle Ages and a story that sounds very similar to that of the much later Henry VIII in England.
The Holy Roman Emperor of the time, Frederick Barbarossa, wanted his childless marriage to be annulled for personal and political reasons. Würzburg was at the time a favourite place for the emperor to visit and the Bishop of Würzburg offered to intercede with the Pope to help with the marital problems.
Following the annullation, there were plans afoot to marry into the Eastern remains of the Roman empire centred on Istanbul (Constantinople in those days) but eventually Frederick settled on the extremely young - but also extremely rich - Princess Beatrice of Burgundy.
The wedding of the two took place in 1156 in Würzburg. Twelve years later at another one of the regular Imperial Diets in the city, the office of Bishop of Würzburg was raised to that of a "Prince-Bishop" in gratitude for the help given in the past.
What this meant for Würzburg was that the religious leaders, with their moral and financial backing of the church, also became political leaders, with rights to raise taxes and involve themselves in alliances and wars.
The Prince Bishops were not always successful and they were definitely
not always loved - one of the reasons that the Marienberg
Fortress looks like it does is because of their justified fear of revolts from
the Würzburg populace - but the rule and privileges of the Prince
Bishops lasted through to the 19th century and left an unmistakable
mark on the city in one of the most stunning Baroque buildings in
Europe,
the Residence Palace.
