prince bishopric · France and the Low Countries

Prince-Bishopric of Cambrai

1007 CE – 1678 CE · capital Cambrai

An imperial church principality on the French border, which gave its name to the League of Cambrai and the Ladies' Peace before Louis XIV annexed it.

Origins

Cambrai was a Merovingian bishopric whose diocese stretched across Hainaut and Brabant. In 1007 Emperor Henry II granted the county of Cambrai to Bishop Erluin, making the bishops princes of the Holy Roman Empire on its frontier with France.

Rule and society

The Cambrésis was a small but rich land of cloth and linen, its name later given to the fine fabric cambric. The bishops often struggled with the townspeople and with the counts of Flanders and Hainaut. The city hosted the League of Cambrai against Venice in 1508 and the Ladies' Peace of 1529. Charles V built a citadel there in 1543.

Decline and legacy

Cambrai became an archbishopric in 1559 under strong Spanish influence. Louis XIV captured it in 1677, and the Treaty of Nijmegen of 1678 gave it to the Kingdom of France. Fénelon was its most famous archbishop.

Connections (3)

More states of France and the Low Countries →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Prince-Bishopric of Cambrai. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/prince-bishopric-of-cambrai
MLA
“Prince-Bishopric of Cambrai.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/prince-bishopric-of-cambrai. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Prince-Bishopric of Cambrai.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/prince-bishopric-of-cambrai.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Prince-Bishopric of Cambrai’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/prince-bishopric-of-cambrai (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻