Bishopric of Samland
Encyclopedia
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
in Samland (Sambia)
Sambia
Sambia or Samland is a peninsula in the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia, on the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea. The Curonian Lagoon and the Vistula Lagoon demarcate the peninsula. Prior to 1945 it formed an important part of East Prussia.-Names:Sambia is named after the Sambians, an extinct...
in medieval Prussia
Prussia (region)
Prussia is a historical region in Central Europe extending from the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea to the Masurian Lake District. It is now divided between Poland, Russia, and Lithuania...
. It was founded as a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
diocese in 1243 by papal legate William of Modena
William of Modena
William of Modena , also known as William of Sabina, Guglielmo de Chartreaux, Guglielmo de Savoy, Guillelmus, was an Italian clergyman and papal diplomat. He was frequently appointed a legate, or papal ambassador by the popes Honorius III and Gregory IX, especially in Livonia in the 1220s and in...
. Its seat was Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
, until 1523 the episcopal residence was in Fischhausen. The bishopric became Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
in the 16th century during the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. It was dissolved and merged into the Bishopric of Pomesania
Bishopric of Pomesania
The Bishopric of Pomesania was a diocese in the Prussian regions of Pomesania and Pogesania. It was founded as a Roman Catholic diocese in 1243 by the papal legate William of Modena. The bishops, whose seat was Riesenburg , possessed one-third of the bishopric's territory...
after 1577.
Bishops of Samland
- Dietrich I. 1252–1254
- Heinrich I. von Streitberg 1254–1274
- Hermann von Köln 1274–1276, † 1287
- Christian von Mühlhausen 1276–1295
- Siegfried von Regenstein 1295–1318
- Vacant
- Johann I. von Clare 1320–1344
- Johann II. von Bludau 1344–1358
- (Jakob von Kulm 1344–1354)
- Bartholomäus von Radam 1354–1378
- Thilo von Marburg 1378–1386
- Heinrich II. Kuwal 1387–1395
- Heinrich III. von Seefeld 1395–1414
- Heinrich IV. von Schanenburg 1415–1416
- Johann II. von Saalfeld 1416–1425
- Michael Jung 1425–1442, † 1443
- Nikolaus I. Schlotterkopf 1442–1470
- Dietrich II. von Cuba 1470–1474 (ermordet),
- Johann III. von Rehewinkel 1474–1497
- Nikolaus II. Krender 1497–1503
- Paul von Watt 1503–1505
- Günther von Bünau 1505–1518
- George of PolentzGeorge of PolentzGeorge of Polentz was bishop of Samland and Pomesania and a lawyer. He was the first Lutheran bishop.Polentz was a member of an old Saxon noble family. He studied law in Bologna and was private secretary to the papal Curia, then stood as a soldier in the service of Emperor Maximilian I...
(:de:Georg von Polenz) 1518–1550, turned it into a Lutheran bishopric - Joachim MörlinJoachim MörlinJoachim Mörlin was a Lutheran theologian and an important figure in the controversies following Martin Luther's death.-Early life:...
(:de:Joachim Mörlin) 1550–1571 - Tilemann HeshusiusTilemann HeshusiusTilemann Heshusius Tilemann Heshusius Tilemann Heshusius (also Hesshus, Heßhusen, Hess Husen, Heshusen (November 3, 1527 in Wesel -- September 25, 1588 in Helmstedt) was a Gnesio-Lutheran theologian.- Life :...
(:de:Tilemann Hesshus) 1571–1577
Diocese is merged into the Bishopric of Pomesania
Bishopric of Pomesania
The Bishopric of Pomesania was a diocese in the Prussian regions of Pomesania and Pogesania. It was founded as a Roman Catholic diocese in 1243 by the papal legate William of Modena. The bishops, whose seat was Riesenburg , possessed one-third of the bishopric's territory...