Electorate of Trier

History

Middle Ages

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.

The bishops of Trier were already virtually independent territorial magnates during the Merovingian dynasty. 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 was given to Lothair; at the partition of Lotharingia at Mersen in 870, it became part of the East Frankish kingdom, which developed into the Kingdom of Germany.

In 898, Archbishop Radbod received complete immunity from all taxes for the entire episcopal territory, granted by Zwentibold, who was the natural son of Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia, and who reigned briefly as King of Lotharingia. He was under great pressure from his independent nobles and 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 Radbod in their turn, granting him the district and city of Trier outright, permission to impose customs duties and the right to a mint (as much a symbol of independent authority as an economic tool). From the court of Charles the Simple, he obtained the final right of election of the Bishop of Trier by the chapter, free of Imperial interference.

Early modern

In early modern times, the Electorate of Trier still encompassed territory along the river Moselle between Trier, near the French border, and Koblenz on the Rhine. From the early 13th century the Archbishop of Trier, as the holder of an imperial office was traditionally an Imperial Elector of the German king. The purely honorary office of Arch-chancellor of Gaul arose in the 13th century. In this context, that was taken to mean the Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles, technically from 1242 and permanently from 1263, and nominally until 1803. Arles along with Germany and the medieval Kingdom of Italy was one of the three component kingdoms of the Holy Roman Empire.

In 1473, Emperor Frederick III and Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy held a meeting in Trier. In this same year, the University of Trier was founded in the city. A session of the Reichstag was held in Trier in 1512, during which the demarcation of the Imperial Circles was definitively established. Between 1581 and 1593, the Trier witch trials gravely affected the entire territory; it was one of the first mass witch trials of the Holy Roman Empire, and resulted in the death of hundreds of people.

In the 17th century, the Archbishops and Prince-Electors of Trier relocated their residences to Philippsburg Castle in Ehrenbreitstein, near Koblenz.

During the Thirty Years' War, Archbishop-Elector Philipp Christoph von Sötern supported France against the Habsburgs, leading to a rivalry between French and Spanish troops about the strategic cities and fortresses of the Electorate. In 1630, the city of Trier opened its gates to Spanish troops to defend its rights against the absolutist Elector. French troops captured the city in 1632 to help Sötern. In return, they were allowed to install garrisons there and in the fortress of Ehrenbreitstein. Spanish troops retook Trier by surprise in 1635 and imprisoned Sötern. During his absence, the cathedral chapter took over administration of the archbishopric. Imperial troops dispelled the French garrison of Ehrenbreitstein in 1637 and occupied the place until the end of the war. The archbishop was released from captivity in 1645 because of French demands in Westphalia.

Warfare returned to the Electorate in 1673 during the Franco-Dutch War, when the French Army occupied Trier and stayed until 1675. They heavily fortified the city and destroyed all churches, abbeys and settlements in front of the city walls.

Residential Landscape

The original seat of the Electors of Trier was the Electoral Palace in Trier. In addition, a number of castles across the electorate were used as secondary residences, particularly for summer stays and hunting, including Montabaur Castle, the Genovevaburg in Mayen, and Burg Ottenstein in Wittlich.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the centre of government gradually shifted to Koblenz, partly in response to the repeated military threats faced by Trier, especially from France. At the foot of the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, Elector Philipp von Sötern initiated the construction of the Philippsburg. The architect had also worked on Schloss Johannisburg in Aschaffenburg for the Electors of Mainz. The Philippsburg subsequently became the principal Electoral residence and was extended under later electors.

In the 1650s, Elector Karl Kaspar von der Leyen commissioned a Renaissance-style hunting lodge, Schloss Kärlich, near Koblenz. He and his successor, Johann Hugo von Orsbeck, also carried out works at the castle in Boppard. Around 1700, the castles at Montabaur and Mayen were further adapted in the Baroque style.

Francis Louis of Palatinate-Neuburg, who was also Prince-Bishop of Breslau, appears to have spent relatively more time in his Silesian residences, such as Ottmachau, than in the western part of Germany.

During the 18th century, building activity increased. Franz Georg von Schönborn extended the Philippsburg with the dicasterial building, basis a design by Balthasar Neumann. He also initiated the Baroque rebuilding of Prüm Abbey, which could be used as a summer residence, and renovated the interiors of Montabaur Castle. In addition, he commissioned Neumann to design a new summer palace near Koblenz, Schloss Schönbornslust, completed with the assistance of Neumann’s pupil Johannes Seiz. This project represents one of the last major palace designs associated with Neumann.

His successor, Johann Philipp von Walderdorff, continued these developments. He commissioned Johannes Seiz to rebuild the Electoral Palace in Trier and to construct Schloss Engers on the Rhine as a summer residence. The medieval castle at Wittlich was replaced by a Rococo palace, Schloss Philippsfreude. Walderdorff also began rebuilding his family seat, Schloss Molsberg, although only a single wing of the original plan was completed.

Archbishop-Electors of Trier

John I 1189–1212

Theoderich von Wied 1212–1242

Arnold II von Isenburg 1242–1259

Heinrich II von Finstingen 1260–1286

Bohemond I von Warnesberg 1286–1299

Diether von Nassau 1300–1307

Heinrich II von Virneburg 1300–1306 (in opposition)

Baldwin von Luxemburg 1307–1354

Bohemond II von Saarbrücken 1354–1362

Kuno II von Falkenstein 1362–1388

Werner von Falkenstein 1388–1418

Otto von Ziegenhain 1418–1430

Raban von Helmstatt 1430–1438

Jakob I von Sierck 1439–1456

John II of Baden 1456–1503

Jakob II von Baden 1503–1511

Richard von Greiffenklau zu Vollrads 1511–1531

Johann von Metzenhausen 1531–1540

Johann Ludwig von Hagen 1540–1547

John of Isenburg-Grenzau 1547–1556

Johann von der Leyen 1556–1567

Jakob von Eltz-Rübenach 1567–1581