Everything about Bishop Of Li Ge totally explained
The
Bishopric of Liège or
Prince-Bishopric of Liège was a state of the
Holy Roman Empire in the
Low Countries in present Belgium. It belonged from 1500 on to the
Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle. It was headed by the
Prince-Bishop of
Liège. Its territory included most of the present Belgian provinces of
Liège and
Limburg, and some
exclaves in other parts of Belgium and the Netherlands. The capital was Liège (which, as the bishopric, is
Lüttich in
German and
Luik in
Dutch).
The bishop of Liège received
secular powers over the
county of Huy — part of the
diocese — in the
10th century. The bishopric was expanded with the
lordship of Bouillon in 1096 (ceded to France in 1678), the
county of Loon in 1366 and the
county of Horne (near
Weert, Netherlands) in 1568. The bishopric of Liège wasn't part of the
Seventeen Provinces or the
Southern Netherlands, but its politics were influenced by the
dukes of Burgundy and later the
Habsburgs.
The bishopric was dissolved in 1795, when it was conquered by France. Its territory was divided over the départements
Meuse-Inférieure,
Ourthe, and
Sambre-et-Meuse.
The most important cities of the bishopric were Liège,
Beringen,
Bilzen,
Borgloon,
Bree,
Châtelet,
Ciney,
Couvin,
Dinant,
Fosses-la-Ville,
Hamont,
Hasselt,
Herk-de-Stad,
Huy,
Maaseik,
Peer,
Sint-Truiden,
Stokkem,
Thuin,
Tongeren,
Verviers,
Visé and
Waremme.
The city of
Maastricht fell under the
joint jurisdiction of the Prince-Bishop of Liège and the
Duke of Brabant (later the
Estates-General of the United Provinces).
Origin
The first capital of this diocese was
Tongeren, northwest of
Liège; its territory originally belonged to the Diocese of
Trier, then to
Cologne; but, after the first half of the fourth century, Tongeren received autonomous organization. The boundaries were those of the
Civitas Tungrorum, and they remained unchanged until 1559. These boundaries were, on the north, the Diocese of
Utrecht; east, that of Cologne; south, the Dioceses of Trier and
Reims; west, that of
Cambrai. Thus the diocese of Tongeren extended from France, in the neighbourhood of
Chimay, to
Stavelot,
Aachen,
Gladbach, and
Venlo, and from the banks of the
Semois as far as
Ekeren, near
Antwerp, to the middle of the
Isle of Tholen and beyond
Moerdijk, so that it included both
Latin and
Germanic populations. In 1559, its 1636
parishes were grouped in eight
archdeaconries, and twenty-eight councils, chrétientés, or deaneries.
Some trace the bishops of Tongeren to the first century, but the first Bishop was
St. Servais, installed in 344 or 345 assisted at the
Council of Rimini (359–360), and died in 384(?). The invasion of 406 shattered the diocese, and its restoration required a long time. The conversion of the Franks began under Falco (first half of the sixth century) and continued under Sts
Domitian,
Monulphus and
Gondulphus (6th and 7th centuries). St Monulphus built over the tomb of St Servais a sumptuous church, near which his successors often resided. During the whole of the
seventh century the bishops had to struggle against
paganism.
St Amandus (647–650) abandoned the episcopal chair in discouragement, and built monasteries.
St. Remaculus (650–660) did the same.
St. Theodard (660–669), died a martyr.
St Lambert (
669–
700) completed the conversion of the pagans; probably about
705 he was murdered at Liège, named at that time Vicus Leudicus, for his defence of church property against the avarice of the neighbouring lords, and he was popularly regarded as a martyr. His successor,
St Hubert, built, to enshrine his
relics, a
basilica which became the true nucleus of the city, and near which the residence of the bishops was fixed.
Those bishops, nevertheless, continued to use the style of Bishop of the Church of Tongeren, or Bishop of Tongeren and of Liège. Agilbert (
768–
784) and
Gerbald (
785–
810) were both placed in the see by
Charlemagne. Hartgar built the first episcopal palace. Bishop Franco, who defeated the
Normans, is celebrated by the Irish poet
Sedulius Scottus.
Stephen (
908–
920), Richaire (
920–
945), Hugh (
945–
947), Farabert (
947–
958) and
Rathier were promoted from the
cloister. To Stephen, a writer and composer, the Catholic Church is indebted for the feast and the Office of the
Blessed Trinity. Rathier absorbed all the learning of his time. Heraclius, who occupied the see in
959, built four new parish churches, a monastery, and two collegiate churches, he inaugurated in his diocese an era of great artistic activity known as
Mosan art.
The prince-bishopric
The domain of the Church of Liège had been developed by the donations of sovereign princes and the acquisitions of its bishops.
Notger (
972–
1008), by securing for his see the feudal authority of the
County of Huy became himself a sovereign prince. This status his successors retained until the
French Revolution: and throughout that period of nearly eight centuries the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, with a temporal jurisdiction of less extent than its spiritual, succeeded in maintaining its autonomy, though theoretically attached to the
Holy Roman Empire. This virtual independence it owed largely to the ability of its bishops, under whom the Principality of Liège, placed between
France and
Germany, on several occasions played an important part in international politics. Notger, the founder of this principality, was also the second founder of his episcopal city. He rebuilt the cathedral of St Lambert and the episcopal palace, finished the collegiate church of St Paul, begun by Heraclius, facilitated the erection of Sainte-Croix and Saint-Denis, two other collegiate churches, and erected that of St. John the Evangelist. This bishop also strengthened the parochial organization of the city. He was one of the first to spread the observance of
All Souls' Day, which he authorized for his diocese. But the most notable characteristic of Notger's administration was the development which, following up the work of Heraclius, he gave to education: thanks to these two bishops and to
Wazo, "Liège for more than a century occupied among the nations a position in regard to science which it has never recovered". "The schools of Liège were, in fact, at that time one of the brightest literary foci of the period". Balderic of Looz (
1008–
18),
Wolbodo (
1018–
21), Durandus (
1021–
25), Reginard (
1025–
38), Nitard (
1038–
42), the learned
Wazo, and Theoduin (
1048–
75) valiantly sustained the heritage of Notger. The schools went on forming many brilliant scholars, and gave to the Catholic Church Popes
Stephen IX and
Nicholas II.
In the reign of
Henry of Verdun (
1075–
91) a tribunal was instituted (
tribunal de la paix) to take cognizance of infractions of the
Peace of God.
Otbert (
1091–
1119) increased the territory of the principality by purchasing the
Lordship of Bouillon. He remained faithful to
Henry IV, who died as his guest. The violent death of Henry of Namur (
1119–
21) won for him veneration as a martyr.
Alexander of Juliers (
1128–
34) received at Liège the
pope, the
emperor, and
St Bernard. The episcopate of
Raoul of Zachringen was marked by the preaching of the reformer, Lambert le Bègue, who is credited with founding the
béguines. The time at length came when the schools of Liège were to yield to the
University of Paris, and the diocese supplied that university with some of its first doctors —
William of Saint-Thierry,
Gerard of Liège,
Godfrey of Fontaines.
Alger of Liège (
1055–
1131), known also as Alger of Cluny and Algerus Magister, was an important intellectual of the period. He was first appointed deacon of the
church of St Bartholomew at Liège. He finally retired to the monastery of
Cluny.
Albero I of Louvain was elected Bishop of Liège in
1191, but
Emperor Henry VI, on the pretext that the election was doubtful, gave the see to Lothair of Hochstadt. Albero's election was confirmed by the pope, and he was consecrated, but was assassinated at
Reims, in
1192, by three German knights. It is probable that the emperor was privy to this murder, the victim of which was canonized. In
1195, Albert de Cuyck (
1195–
1200) formally recognized the franchises of the people of Liège. In the
12th century, the cathedral
chapter assumed a position of importance in relation to the bishop, and began to play an important part in history of the principality.
The struggles between the upper and lower classes, in which the prince-bishops frequently intervened, developed through the
13th and
14th centuries, to culminate, in the
15th, with the pillage and destruction of the episcopal city. In the reign of Robert of Thourotte, or of Langres (
1240–
46),
Saint Juliana — a religious of
Cornillon, Liège — was led by certain visions to the project of having a special feast established in honour of the
Blessed Sacrament. After much hesitation, the bishop approved of her idea and caused a special office to be composed, but death prevented his instituting the feast. The completion of the work was reserved for a former prior of the
Dominicans of Liège,
Hugh of Saint-Cher, who returned to the city as papal legate. Hugh, in
1252, made the feast one of obligation throughout his legatine jurisdiction. John of Troyes, who, after having been archdeacon at Liège, was elected pope as
Urban IV, caused an office to be composed by St Thomas, and extended the observance of the feast of
Corpus Christi to the whole Church. Another archdeacon of Liège, becoming pope under the name of
Gregory X, deposed the unworthy
Henry of
Gueldres (
1247–
74). The
Peace of Fexhe, signed in
1316, in the reign of Adolph of La Marck (
1313–
44), regulated the relations of the prince bishop and his subjects; nevertheless the internal discord continued, and the episcopate of Arnould of Hornes (
1378–
89) was marked by the triumph of the popular party. In
1366, the
county of Loon was annexed to the bishopric which then included most of the current province of
Limburg.
Burgundian and Hasburgian influence
Upon the death of
Louis of Male,
count of Flanders, in 1384, the Low Countries began their unification within the
Burgundian Netherlands. Though the Principality was still nominally independent, the
Dukes of Burgundy have had an increasing influence on its government.
Louis of Bourbon (
1456–
82) was placed on the throne of Liège by the political machinations of
Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. Burgundy coveted the principality. The destruction of
Dinant in
1466, and of Liège in
1468, by
Charles the Bold, marked the ending of democratic ascendancy in the Principality.
Charles V completed the union of the
Seventeen Provinces in the 1540s, and unofficially also controlled the principality.
He nominated
Erard de la Marck (
1505–
38) who brought a period of restoration. Erard was an enlightened protector of the arts. He was who commenced that struggle against the
Reformation which his successors maintained after him, and in which Gerard of Groesbeeck (
1564–
80) was especially distinguished. With the object of assisting in this struggle,
Paul IV, by the
Bull Super Universi (
12 May,
1559), created the new bishoprics of the
Low Countries. This change was effected largely at the expense of the Diocese of Liège; many of its parishes were taken from it to form the
Diocese of Roermond,
Diocese of Bois-le-Duc (
's-Hertogenbosch), and
Diocese of Namur, and parts added to the
Diocese of Mechlin and
Diocese of Antwerp. The number of deaneries in the Diocese of Liège was reduced to 13.
Most of the bishops in the
17th century were foreigners, many of them holding several bishoprics at once. Their frequent absences gave free scope for those feuds of the
Chiroux and the
Grignoux to which
Maximilian Henry of Bavaria (
archbishop of Cologne,
1650–
88) put a stop by the Edict of 1681. In the middle of the
18th century the ideas of the French
encyclopedists began to be received at Liège; Bishop de Velbruck (
1772–
84), encouraged their propagation and thus prepared the way for the
Revolution Liégeoise, which burst upon the episcopal city on
18 August,
1789, during the reign of Bishop de Hoensbroech (
1781–
92).
The modern diocese
See also:
Roman Catholic Diocese of LiègeFurther Information
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