Bishopric/Principality of Lübeck

The Bishopric of Lübeck was founded in the 1160s. Both the bishop and the cathedral chapter quickly began asserting secular control over portions of the diocese (thereby becoming part of Ecclesiastical Germany). That territory was concentrated in two sections—a northern section centered on Eutin and a southern section on the northern boundary of Lübeck. Within the city of Lübeck itself, however, neither the bishop nor the cathedral chapter had much secular influence. That motivated the Bishop to relocate to Eutin, making it the permanent seat of the Bishopric in 1350. On that basis, I add “Eutin” to the simplified country name to distinguish the Bishopric from the Imperial City (the simplified country name of which is simply “Lübeck”). In 1535, the Bishopric became Protestant (and the database starts) and by 1680 it was the only fully Protestant ecclesiastical country in the Empire.

 

In 1803, the Bishopric was secularized and became the Principality of Lübeck in personal union with the Duchy of Oldenburg, thus becoming part of Oldenburgian Germany. Although the seat remained in Eutin, I use the simplified country name of Lübeck-Oldenburg to distinguish the Principality from the Bishopric.

 

The southern section of the Principality was occupied by France in 1806 and was fully incorporated into it in 1811. (The database for that section ends with the occupation.) After the defeat of France, the territory of the Principality was fully incorporated into the new Grand Duchy of Oldenburg. From then on, I omit “Lübeck” from the country name altogether, instead designating “Lübeck” a Landesteil (although it officially retained the Principality title). In 1843 and 1867, Oldenburg traded territory with Holstein so that the northern and southern sections of the Landesteil would be connected. (The database for the northern section ends in 1864, when Denmark lost the surrounding territory of Holstein to Austria).

 

The Principality itself was dissolved in 1918, but the territory remained part of the State of Oldenburg until 1937.