duchy · Germany and Central Europe

Duchies of Bremen and Verden

1648 CE – 1823 CE · capital Stade

Two secularised prince-bishoprics between Elbe and Weser that passed from Sweden to Hanover, controlling the approaches to Bremen and Hamburg.

Origins

The Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen and the Prince-Bishopric of Verden had been occupied by Sweden during the Thirty Years' War. At the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 they were secularised and granted to the Swedish crown as the duchies of Bremen and Verden, with the government seated at Stade.

Rule and society

The duchies kept their estates and Lutheran church while Sweden used them as a strategic base. The city of Bremen resisted Swedish claims and remained an imperial free city. Denmark occupied the duchies in 1712 during the Great Northern War and sold them to the Electorate of Hanover in 1715, a transfer recognised by Sweden in 1719. Farming in the marshlands and moors was the mainstay.

Decline and legacy

After Napoleonic occupation the lands returned to Hanover in 1813, a kingdom from 1814. In 1823 they were merged into the Stade administrative region, ending the duchies as distinct units; the area passed to Prussia in 1866.

Lineage

Prince-Bishopric of Verden 1180 CE – 1648 CEPrince-Archbishopric of Bremen 1180 CE – 1648 CEDuchies of Bremen and VerdenKingdom of Hanover 1814 CE – 1866 CE

Connections (3)

More states of Germany and Central Europe →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Duchies of Bremen and Verden. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchies-of-bremen-and-verden
MLA
“Duchies of Bremen and Verden.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchies-of-bremen-and-verden. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Duchies of Bremen and Verden.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchies-of-bremen-and-verden.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Duchies of Bremen and Verden’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchies-of-bremen-and-verden (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻