Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg

Origins

The diocese of Augsburg dates from late Roman times and was led in the 10th century by Saint Ulrich, who defended the city at the Lechfeld in 955. From the late 12th century the bishops assembled a secular territory along the Lech and Danube. As the city itself won independence as the Free Imperial City of Augsburg, they moved their residence to Dillingen.

Rule and society

The cathedral chapter elected the prince-bishop, who ruled scattered lands including Dillingen, Füssen and parts of the Allgäu. Cardinal Otto Truchsess von Waldburg founded the University of Dillingen in 1551, run by the Jesuits from 1563, which made the territory a Counter-Reformation stronghold. Its estates were rural, with farms, forests and small market towns.

Decline and legacy

The territory was secularised in 1802 and annexed by the Electorate of Bavaria, ending the bishops' secular rule; the last prince-bishop, Clemens Wenceslaus of Saxony, was also Elector of Trier. The Catholic diocese of Augsburg continues today.