Archbishopric of Riga

Not to be confused with the modern the Lutheran Archbishop of Riga or the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Riga.

Archbishopric of Riga
Archiepiscopatus Rigensis (la) Erzbisdom Riga (nds)
Prince-Bishopric of Terra Mariana
1186–1561
Seal
Archbishopric of Riga (in yellow), shown within Terra Mariana
Capital		Riga
Languages		Latin Low German Livonian Latvian
Government		Monarchy
Archbishop of Riga
•	1245–73	Albert Suerbeer (first)
•	1539–63	Wilhelm von Brandenburg (last)
Historical era		Middle Ages
•	Established	1186
•	Disestablished	1561
Currency		Livonian Penny Livonian Schilling
Preceded by Succeeded by Ancient Estonia Principality of Jersika Principality of Koknese Tālava Duchy of Livonia

The Archbishopric of Riga (Latin: Archiepiscopatus Rigensis, Low German: Erzbisdom Riga) was an archbishopric in Medieval Livonia, a subject to the Holy See. It was established in 1186 as the bishopric of Livonia at Üxküll, then after moving to Riga it became the bishopric of Riga in 1202 and was elevated to an archbishopric in 1255.

Archbishops of Riga

The archbishops of Riga were also the secular rulers of Riga until 1561 when during the reformation the territory converted from Catholicism to Lutheranism and all church territories were secularized. The see was restored as a diocese of the Catholic Church in 1918 and raised into an archdiocese in 1923.

See also: Livonian Confederation, Livonian Order, Conquest of Estonia, and Northern Crusades

Bishops and Archbishops of Riga

Bishopric of Livonia, 1186–1255
1186–1196	Saint Meinhard
1196–1198	Berthold of Hanover
1199–1229	Albert of Riga
1229–1253	Nikolaus of Nauen
Archbishopric of Riga, 1255–1561
1245–1273	Albert Suerbeer
1273–1284	Johannes I of Lune
1285–1294	Johannes II of Vechten
1294–1300	Johannes III of Schwerin
1300–1302	Isarnus Tacconi of Fontiès-d'Aude
1303–1310	Jens Grand titular, never came to Riga
1304–1341	Friedrich von Pernstein
1341–1347	Engelbert von Dolen
1348–1369	Bromhold von Vyffhusen
1370–1374	Siegfried Blomberg
1374–1393	Johannes IV von Sinten
1393–1418	Johannes V von Wallenrodt
1418–1424	Johannes VI Ambundi
1424–1448	Henning Scharpenberg
1448–1479	Silvester Stodewescher
1479–1484	Sede vacante (empty seat)
1484–1509	Michael Hildebrand
1509–1524	Jasper Linde
1524–1527	Johannes VII Blankenfeld
1528–1539	Thomas Schöning
1539–1563	Wilhelm von Brandenburg

A new Bishopric of Livonia was established in Latgalia in 1621 during the Inflanty Voivodeship of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Coinage

The Archbishops of Riga were innovators in the field of minting currency, reviving techniques abandoned since the collapse of Rome. The names of individual archbishops after 1418, as well as the years of their respective reigns, are stamped on Livonian pennies excavated at archaeological sites. In many cases, this is the only biographical data available. No Livonian pennies before 1418 have been found.

See also

• Bishopric of Courland
• Bishopric of Dorpat
• Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek
• Bishopric of Reval
• Livonian Crusade
• Livonian Brothers of the Sword
• Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights

External links

• More information about the role of the Archbishopric of Riga in the history of coinage is available at Medieval Livonian Numismatics by William Urban
• Archbishopric of Riga (Archived 2009-10-25)
• Rīgas arhibīskapija (1255-1562)
• Rīgas bīskapija un virsbīskapija