Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg

State of the Holy Roman Empire (c. 888–1803)

The Prince Bishopric of Augsburg was a prince-bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire, meaning it was a territory ruled by a prince-bishop. Its territory included a large portion of the Diocese of Augsburg, which the Prince-Bishop only had spiritual power over.

Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg
Fürstbistum Augsburg
c.8881803
Coat of arms of Augsburg
Coat of arms
Augsburg territory (blue) in 1648
Augsburg territory (blue) in 1648
StatusPrince-Bishopric
(State of the Holy Roman Empire)
CapitalAugsburg (until 1276) Dillingen an der Donau
GovernmentElective theocratic monarchy
Historical eraMiddle Ages
• Bishopric established
4th century
• Established
c.888
• Disestablished
1803
Population
• Estimate
100,000 (approximately)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Duchy of Swabia
Electorate of Bavaria

History

change

The prince-bishopric was established in the city of Augsburg and its surrounding territory in the 4th century.

Around the year 888, Augsburg was granted Imperial Immediacy, a high rank given to a territory of the Holy Roman Empire with a high degree of autonomy.

In 1276, the City of Augsburg became a Free Imperial City, meaning that it was now separate from the rest of the Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg. This meant that the capital of the Prince-Bishopric was changed to Dillingen an der Donau.

From 1632 to 1635, the Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg was occupied by the Swedish Empire.

In 1803, as part of the German mediatisation, the Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg became a part of Bavaria.