Prince primate
Encyclopedia
Prince-Primate is a rare prince
ly title held by individual (prince-)archbishops of specific sees in a presiding capacity in an august assembly of mainly secular princes, notably the following:
' was founded in 1806, when several German states seceded from the Holy Roman Empire
and allied themselves with Emperor Napoleon I of France
, who assumed the position of a protector
of the Confederation. Its highest office was held by Karl Theodor von Dalberg, first Archbishop of Mainz and then of Regensburg, who had been the first among the princes of the Holy Roman Empire and styled its Archchancellor
, was given the first rank among the princes of the new Confederation and the title of Fürstprimas, 'Prince Primate'. As such he presided over the College of Kings and the Diet of the Confederation, a senate-like assembly which never actually assembled.
During his term as Prince Primate, Dalberg was Archbishop of Regensburg (in Bavaria
) and at first Fürst
(ruling Prince) of Aschaffenburg
. Since September 19, 1806 his territories included the former Reichsstadt and on February 16, 1810 Dalberg was promoted to the strictly secular rank of Grand Duke of Frankfurt
, in chief of another former Reichsstadt (on the lower Main, enclaved in the electorate of Kurmainz, now in Hessen. At the same time, Napoleon appointed his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais
-excluded from the French imperial succession- as heir to the Grand Duchy.
At the eve of the collapse of the Napoleonic Empire, Dalberg resigned his secular positions and Beauharnais succeeded him as Grand Duke, though this had no practical effect, as the dissolution of the Confederation (carved up into a revised set of monarchies) also rendered the position moot.
of the Habsburg dynasty's Apostolic Kingdom of Hungary
, the Archbishop of Esztergom
enjoyed extraordinary privileges, resulting in his being titled Prince Primate.
The primate
was entitled to hold national synods, was Legatus Natus of the Holy Roman Church, and therefore had the right, inside of his legation (territory where he represented the Pope
), to have the cross carried before him, dealt directly with Rome
and had the right of visitation
in the episcopal see
s and the religious houses in Hungary, except the exempt
Archabbey of Pannonhalma
(S. Martinus in Monte Pannoniæ).
Since 1715 the primate had also been a Reichsfürst, a ruling Prince of the Holy Roman Empire
, entitled Prince Primate. He was the chief and privy chancellor
of the Hungarian kingdom, and thus keeper of the great seal. Formerly he was also a member of the supreme court, and still earlier governor, viceroy and Erbobergespan ('hereditary' Chief Count) of Gran. To the primate also belonged the right (delegated regalia
) to superintend the royal mint
at Kremnica
(German Kremnitz, Hungarian Körmöcbánya), for which he received a significant sum from its seigniorage
revenues, called jus piseti ('right of'). By ancient custom, he had the right to crown the King of Hungary
and anoint the queen. By a gift of archiepiscopal property he was at one time able to confer nobility
(Prädialadel), another rarely delegated princely prerogative (usually only knighting was allowed to non-sovereign nobility). Another privilege was his right to take an oath before a court of justice through his deputy, and not personally.
The primate
was also chief priest and chancellor of the Hungarian national Order of St. Stephen
, established in 1764. As first banneret (baro regni) of Hungary, he was a Magnate
, i.e. member of the Upper House.
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
ly title held by individual (prince-)archbishops of specific sees in a presiding capacity in an august assembly of mainly secular princes, notably the following:
Germany - Confederation of the Rhine
The Rheinbund or 'Confederation of the RhineConfederation of the Rhine
The Confederation of the Rhine was a confederation of client states of the First French Empire. It was formed initially from 16 German states by Napoleon after he defeated Austria's Francis II and Russia's Alexander I in the Battle of Austerlitz. The Treaty of Pressburg, in effect, led to the...
' was founded in 1806, when several German states seceded from the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and allied themselves with Emperor Napoleon I of France
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, who assumed the position of a protector
Protector (title)
Protector, sometimes spelled protecter, is used as a title or part of various historical titles of heads of state and others in authority...
of the Confederation. Its highest office was held by Karl Theodor von Dalberg, first Archbishop of Mainz and then of Regensburg, who had been the first among the princes of the Holy Roman Empire and styled its Archchancellor
Archchancellor
An archchancellor or chief chancellor was a title given to the highest dignitary of the Holy Roman Empire, and also used occasionally during the Middle Ages to denote an official who supervised the work of chancellors or notaries....
, was given the first rank among the princes of the new Confederation and the title of Fürstprimas, 'Prince Primate'. As such he presided over the College of Kings and the Diet of the Confederation, a senate-like assembly which never actually assembled.
During his term as Prince Primate, Dalberg was Archbishop of Regensburg (in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
) and at first Fürst
Fürst
Fürst is a German title of nobility, usually translated into English as Prince.The term refers to the head of a principality and is distinguished from the son of a monarch, who is referred to as Prinz...
(ruling Prince) of Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg is a city in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not considered part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is the administrative seat.Aschaffenburg is known as the Tor zum Spessart or "gate to the Spessart"...
. Since September 19, 1806 his territories included the former Reichsstadt and on February 16, 1810 Dalberg was promoted to the strictly secular rank of Grand Duke of Frankfurt
Grand Duchy of Frankfurt
The Grand Duchy of Frankfurt was a German satellite state of Napoleonic creation. It came into existence in 1810 through the combination of the former territories of the Archbishops of Mainz along with the Free Imperial City of Frankfurt itself....
, in chief of another former Reichsstadt (on the lower Main, enclaved in the electorate of Kurmainz, now in Hessen. At the same time, Napoleon appointed his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Prince Français, Prince of Venice, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy, Hereditary Grand Duke of Frankfurt, 1st Duke of Leuchtenberg and 1st Prince of Eichstätt ad personam was the first child and only son of Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais and Joséphine Tascher de la...
-excluded from the French imperial succession- as heir to the Grand Duchy.
At the eve of the collapse of the Napoleonic Empire, Dalberg resigned his secular positions and Beauharnais succeeded him as Grand Duke, though this had no practical effect, as the dissolution of the Confederation (carved up into a revised set of monarchies) also rendered the position moot.
Hungary
In virtue of his dignity as PrimatePrimate (religion)
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
of the Habsburg dynasty's Apostolic Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, the Archbishop of Esztergom
Archdiocese of Esztergom
The archbishopric of Esztergom was a historical diocese created in 1000 under Stephen I of Hungary largely on the territory of Upper Hungary. After the Treaty of Trianon, its territory was reduced to its present-day extent and it became the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest on 31 May 1993...
enjoyed extraordinary privileges, resulting in his being titled Prince Primate.
The primate
Primate (religion)
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
was entitled to hold national synods, was Legatus Natus of the Holy Roman Church, and therefore had the right, inside of his legation (territory where he represented the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
), to have the cross carried before him, dealt directly with Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and had the right of visitation
Canonical Visitation
A canonical visitation is the act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view of maintaining faith and discipline, and of correcting abuses by the application of proper remedies.-Catholic usage:...
in the episcopal see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
s and the religious houses in Hungary, except the exempt
Exemption (church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, exemption is the whole or partial release of an ecclesiastical person, corporation, or institution from the authority of the ecclesiastical superior next higher in rank....
Archabbey of Pannonhalma
Pannonhalma
Pannonhalma is a town in western Hungary, in Győr-Moson-Sopron county with approximately 4,000 inhabitants. It is about from Győr. Archduke Otto Habsburg's heart is kept at the Pannonhalma Archabbey, while his body was laid at the Capuchin Crypt in the old Imperial capital of Vienna.-History:The...
(S. Martinus in Monte Pannoniæ).
Since 1715 the primate had also been a Reichsfürst, a ruling Prince of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, entitled Prince Primate. He was the chief and privy chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of the Hungarian kingdom, and thus keeper of the great seal. Formerly he was also a member of the supreme court, and still earlier governor, viceroy and Erbobergespan ('hereditary' Chief Count) of Gran. To the primate also belonged the right (delegated regalia
Regalia
Regalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...
) to superintend the royal mint
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
at Kremnica
Kremnica
Kremnica is a town in central Slovakia. It has some 5,700 inhabitants. The well-preserved medieval town built above important gold mines is the site of the oldest still-working mint in the world.-History:...
(German Kremnitz, Hungarian Körmöcbánya), for which he received a significant sum from its seigniorage
Seigniorage
Seigniorage can have the following two meanings:* Seigniorage derived from specie—metal coins, is a tax, added to the total price of a coin , that a customer of the mint had to pay to the mint, and that was sent to the sovereign of the political area.* Seigniorage derived from notes is more...
revenues, called jus piseti ('right of'). By ancient custom, he had the right to crown the King of Hungary
King of Hungary
The King of Hungary was the head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 1918.The style of title "Apostolic King" was confirmed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 and used afterwards by all the Kings of Hungary, so after this date the kings are referred to as "Apostolic King of...
and anoint the queen. By a gift of archiepiscopal property he was at one time able to confer nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
(Prädialadel), another rarely delegated princely prerogative (usually only knighting was allowed to non-sovereign nobility). Another privilege was his right to take an oath before a court of justice through his deputy, and not personally.
The primate
Primate (religion)
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
was also chief priest and chancellor of the Hungarian national Order of St. Stephen
Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
The Royal Hungarian Order of Saint StephenThe Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary, the royal Hungarian order, founded in 1764 by the empress Maria Theresa of Austria, consisted of the grand master , 20 knights grand cross, 30 knights commanders and 50 knights...
, established in 1764. As first banneret (baro regni) of Hungary, he was a Magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
, i.e. member of the Upper House.
Sources and references
- Westermann, Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte (in German)
- WorldStatesmen - here Frankfurt, see also other parties mentioned