prince bishopric · Germany and Central Europe
Prince-Bishopric of Brixen
Origins
The bishopric moved from Säben to Brixen (Bressanone) around 990. In 1027 Emperor Conrad II granted Bishop Hartwig the counties of the Inn and Eisack valleys, and in 1091 the Puster valley followed, so that loyal bishops would hold the passes on the imperial road to Rome.
Rule and society
The bishops entrusted their counties to advocates, chiefly the counts of Tyrol, who gradually absorbed most of their power. The bishopric retained Brixen, Bruneck and scattered lands. Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa, bishop from 1450, clashed bitterly with Duke Sigismund of Tyrol and was imprisoned in 1460.
Decline and legacy
The prince-bishopric was secularised in 1803 and annexed by Austria, then passed to Bavaria from 1805 to 1814, and back to Austria. After the First World War Brixen became part of Italy, and in 1964 the see moved to Bolzano, becoming the Diocese of Bolzano-Brixen.
Lineage
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- Prince-Bishopric of Brixen was part of Holy Roman Empire1027 CE – 1803 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Prince-Bishopric of Brixen. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/prince-bishopric-of-brixen
- MLA
- “Prince-Bishopric of Brixen.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/prince-bishopric-of-brixen. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Prince-Bishopric of Brixen.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/prince-bishopric-of-brixen.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Prince-Bishopric of Brixen’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/prince-bishopric-of-brixen (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻