prince bishopric · Scandinavia and the Baltic
Bishopric of Courland
Origins
The papal legate Baldwin of Alna created a bishopric for the Curonians in 1234 after treaties with Curonian leaders. When Courland was conquered by the Livonian Order in the 1250s and 1260s, the bishop received about a third of the land, scattered in several districts.
Rule and society
The bishop's lands centred on Pilten and Hasenpoth, with the cathedral at Hasenpoth (Aizpute). Unlike other Livonian bishops, those of Courland were closely tied to the Livonian Order, and the chapter was for a time made up of Order priests. Curonian and Latvian peasants worked the estates of German vassals.
Decline and legacy
In 1559 Bishop Johann von Münchhausen sold the bishopric to Frederick II of Denmark, who gave it to his brother Magnus of Holstein. After Magnus died in 1583, Denmark sold its rights to Poland-Lithuania in 1585, and the territory became the District of Pilten.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Bishopric of Courland was part of Livonian Confederation1435 CE – 1561 CE
- Bishopric of Courland was a vassal of Kingdom of Denmark1560 CE – 1585 CE
More states of Scandinavia and the Baltic →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bishopric of Courland. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bishopric-of-courland
- MLA
- “Bishopric of Courland.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bishopric-of-courland. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Bishopric of Courland.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bishopric-of-courland.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bishopric of Courland’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bishopric-of-courland (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻