European Kingdoms

Prince-Bishopric of Liège (Belgium) (Low Countries)
AD 980 - 1795

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The European city of Liège was initially part of a 'Diocese of Liège' which had grown out of an earlier diocese at Maastricht. The early medieval history of the wider Low Countries region of Western Europe is patchy at best until the ninth and tenth centuries. Out of largely obscure beginnings, the 'Land of Liège' became the undisputed ecclesiastical, administrative, and cultural centre of modern Belgium's Meuse region, with the city at its centre.

The diocese of Liège (or Tongeren-Maastricht-Liège) was, to some extent, based upon Roman and pre-Roman territories. Its territory extended marginally into areas of what are now the Netherlands and Germany. At the start of the tenth century it was attached to the then-powerful Lorraine which wanted to control it fully, in opposition to imperial German sovereignty.

To prevent this, at the end of the tenth century the 'Prince-Bishopric of Liège' ('Fürstbistum Lüttich') evolved from the diocese, becoming a state within Lower Lorraine (see feature link, right). At the beginning, the prince-bishopric of Liège was fragile and relatively unimportant. The prince-bishop was fully independent and remained the emperor's vassal. From the end of the twelfth century his territory expanded considerably.

An ecclesiastical principality or 'Hochstift' referred to a state and territory which belonged to the Holy Roman empire, and which was ruled by a bishop who had been granted the rank of prince ('Fürst'). The prince-bishop ('Fürstbischof') was both the ecclesiastical and temporal ruler of the principality, as opposed to his Roman Catholic diocese (bishopric) which was generally much larger but over which the prince-bishop exercised only spiritual duties as an ordinary bishop (see feature link, right).

Prince-bishops had a seat and a voice on the ecclesiastical bench of the 'College of Ruling Princes of the Imperial Diet' (see feature link). During the period in which the prince-bishopric was founded, Papal authority was weak, conforming to a tradition which dated back to the days of the Roman empire when the church was part of the state and the real master of the church was the emperor. The Franks continued this practice, which meant that the principalities experienced genuine independence from Rome.

Principal author(s): Page created: Page last updated:

(Information by William Willems and Peter Kessler, with additional information from Histoire du diocèse et de la principauté de Liége, Joseph Daris (1890-1899, in French), from Liège et les principautés ecclésiastiques de l'Allemagne occidentale. Les relations de Liège avec Aix, Cologne et l'Empire - La fin, J E Demarteau (Tome XXVIII, 1899, in French), from Biographie nationale, Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des Beaux-arts de Belgique (Bruxelles, 1897, in French), from Notger de Liége et la civilisation au Xe siècle, Godefroid Kurth (Tome I et II, 1905, in French), from Précis d'histoire liégeoise, Félix Magnette (1924, in French), from Bisdommen, kapittels, kloosters en kerken in de Volle Middeleeuwen, Arnoud-Jan Bijsterveld (2015, in Dutch), from La destruction de la ville de Liège et sa reconstruction, Alain Marchandisse, Jean-Louis Kupper, & Irène Vrancken-Pirson (1996, in French), from Liège et ses bonnes villes, Eugène Wahle (Ed, 1980, in French), and from External Links: Catholic Encyclopaedia, and Archives de l'Université Catholique de Louvain, Michel Schooyans (dead link, but the page is still available via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, in French), and Histoire de la Principauté de Liège, Joseph Grandjean (dead link, in French), and Liège Révolution (in French), and Le Prince Evêque de Liège - Origine du pouvoir princier dans la principauté de Liège, Germaine Williot (in French), and Notger and his time, Henry Dupuis (Université Liège, in French), and Les Belges, leur histoire (in French).)

980 - 1008

Bishop of Liège since 971. Established the principality.

980

Although the diocese of Liège has recently been incorporated into the evolving political system of East Francia (in the middle of the tenth century), the Carolingian king of the Western Franks claims the 'Land of Liège' and surrounding regions for his state. He supports the rebellious local nobility in the diocese which is not prepared to accept the authority of the German kings without some sort of resistance.

Notger, the founding prince-bishop of Liège (980-1008) and advisor to four of the Saxon kings of Germany, as featured on a postage stamp of 1947

Notger, a former Benedictine monk of Swabian descent, had been appointed by HRE Otto I in 971 as bishop of the diocese. Otto II had effectively raised Notger to govern an episcopal principality, making him the first prince-bishop. Having already been political adviser to three emperors, Notger is now ideal support for Otto II in his struggle against the powerful dukes of Lower Lorraine.

In addition, under his episcopate, various enclaves of the territory are attached to each other along the spine of the River Meuse so that Notger can increase territory which is under his command, now as the first 'Prince-Bishop of Liège' (and see feature link for more). His aim is to expand the principality to cover the entire diocese, an impossible goal to reach.

985

Notger is permitted to exercise sovereign rights over the county of Huy, which comprises the capital of Huy, Famenne, and part of the regions of Condroz and Hesbaye (Haspengouw) in which Notger already has numerous domains.

Germany in AD 962 may have had its new emperor to govern those territories which are shown within the dark black line, but it was still a patchwork of competing interests and power bases (click or tap on map to view full sized)

987

The last king of the Western Franks dies, leaving Hugh Capet to succeed him. The new Capetian dynasty also marks a shift from 'Western Franks' to the nation state of Francia or France, with French policy changing in favour of peace with Liège rather than a desire to control it.

1008 - 1018

Cousin (?) to Baldrick I.

1008

The numbering for Prince-Bishop Baldrick reflects the fact that a Baldrick had previously been bishop of Tongeren-Maastricht-Liège (in 955-959), the pre-principality diocesan arrangement which had moved in turn from fourth century Tongeren to Maastricht (possibly by the 380s), followed by a period of alternating between Maastricht and Liège between 718-810, before finally settling in Liège on a permanent basis.

1018 - 1021

Related (?) to counts of Flanders.

1018

In the eleventh century the principality of Liège has become an obstacle to the eastwards expansion progression of the duke of Brabant and the count of Hainaut. This provides a constant threat to the independence and integrity of the territory of the prince-bishopric.

Under the auspices of Bishop Notger, the episcopal city of Liège underwent a thorough metamorphosis, with the bishop making it a centre of intense political and cultural life - the capital of a powerful ecclesiastical principality in the early Holy Roman empire

Additionally, while the feudal lords of Lower Lorraine are not currently as great a threat, they do however try to control the prince-bishops by intervening in elections or trying to have Lorraine family members elected.

1021 - 1025

A protégé of Wolbodo.

1025 - 1037

Possibly a Liège native.

1037 - 1042

Nephew.

1037

Wazo is elected prince-bishop by 'the clergy and the people', a distinction which becomes of unexpected importance in later years. However, Wazo refuses the post. Instead he succeeds in having his pupil elected, one Nithard. Although Nithard originates from Lorraine he has lived in Liège for many years. This is the area's first truly canonical election.

1042 - 1048

Previously contested the election of 1037.

1042

Wazo is also elected by 'the clergy and the people', but this time he faces strong opposition in the form of the Holy Roman empire's Henry III. It takes all the influence of Archbishop Herman II of Cologne to persuade Henry to give way gracefully. Wazo plays an important role in shaping the foundations of the reforms later in the century of Pope Gregory VII, while also organising Liège's defences against Dirk IV of West Frisia.

The Catholic Church's college of cardinals (seen here in 1922) was formed in Rome in 1061 to elect the pope, one of the highly important reforms which were enacted by Pope Nicholas II

1048 - 1075

Imperial appointment to cancel local independence.

1046 - 1049

Dirk IV of West Frisia has continued his father's policy of expanding his territorial possessions around the low-lying peat districts of Holland and Utrecht. As a result he has come into conflict with the bishop of Utrecht, along with other bishops and monasteries.

On 13 January 1049 Dirk is ambushed and killed near Dordrecht by a force which is led by Bishop Theodwin of Liège, along with elements of Utrecht and Metz.

1053

In opposing Henry III of the Holy Roman empire, Baldwin 'the Pious' of Flanders seizes Thuin and Huy, important towns in the principality of Liège, destroying them almost entirely. These had been the emperor's main strongholds in the Sambre-Meuse region.

The powerfully fortified centre of Huy defends both the passage of the Meuse and access to the Condroz region and the Ardennes, creating a strong barrier to the territorial ambitions of the counts of Namur and Leuven, as well as to military expeditions by the counts of Flanders and Hainaut.

This engraving displays the open court within the prince-bishop's palace in Liège, with the title holder being the Holy Roman emperor's direct servant in the region

1075 - 1091

Related to Godfrey 'the Hunchback' of Lower Lorraine.

1091 - 1119

Strong supporter of HRE Henry IV.

1100

Lower Lorraine passes to the dukes of Brabant, who cease using the title ('Lothier') in 1190, so the duchy ceases to exist as a separate entity. The region evolves into that part of the Low Countries which goes into forming a section of the modern Netherlands. Upper Lorraine survives, now the only duchy of Lorraine.

1119

Otbert had fallen foul of Count Godfrey I of Leuven regarding the county of Brunengeruz (now in eastern Belgium). Both of them had claimed it but the emperor had sided with his close ally, the bishop. Otbert had passed the county to Count Albert III of Namur.

Now, following Otbert's death it is Albert's son who is elected, but not without Godfrey supporting his defeated opponent in the election, Alexander, archdeacon of Hesbaye. Now Frederick has to contend with a hostile Godfrey along with Alexander and his supporters.

Styria was initially centred on Traungau when the region was elevated to a margraviate in the late ninth century, after which the region became one of the lesser players in German imperial politics

1119 - 1121

Son of Count Albert III of Namur. Poisoned?

1121 -1123

With Frederick having died suddenly, and perhaps not of natural causes, a fresh election sees the previously-defeated Alexander being elected. The archbishop of Cologne is probably well-aware of the details of events in Liège as he refuses to ordain Alexander. Instead it takes until 1123 to install Albero, brother of Count Godfrey of Leuven. Alexander finally succeeds in obtaining office in 1128.

1123 - 1128

Son of Count Henry II of Leuven.

1128 - 1135

Fought against Godfrey of Leuven for the HRE.

1135 - 1145

Son of Count Otto of Chiny.

1145 - 1164

Of Grand-Leez.

1164 - 1167

Possibly related to Alexander I.

1167 - 1191

Son of Conrad I of Zähringen. Died on crusade.

1188 - 1192

The Third Crusade sweeps across Outremer, bringing with it a wave of enthusiastic Latin Christians, including entire tranches of some noble families. The Angevin ruler of England, Richard 'the Lionheart', is the leader of the expedition, after spending a fortune in equipping his forces. He decides on an ambitious naval voyage, which is launched from Marseille in France.

The coming of the Crusaders occurred at a time at which the Islamic world was deeply involved in factional in-fighting, and at first they were dismissed as being a mere Eastern Roman raid

After conquering Cyprus on his way there (supported by Guy de Lusignan), he arrives at Acre and immediately places Saladin's garrison under siege. Other supporting forces include Rudolf of Zähringen, prince-bishop of Liège. The siege ends in 1992. By that time Rudolf has already begun a return trip to Europe, although he dies along the way.

late 1100s

With the territory of the principality of Liège no longer being part of Lower Lorraine, the principality is free to expand its own borders, continuously and considerably. The drive for territorial expansion is also typical of the neighbouring duchy of Brabant and county of Hainaut, becoming a constant threat to the independence and integrity of the prince-bishopric's own territory.

With the diminution of the Holy Roman emperor's authority from about 1200 onwards, the bishop of Liège is isolated, becoming a territorial prince like any other, even if he is charged with maintaining spiritual power. Papal influence increases instead, which eventually results in struggles between pope and emperor, not to mention other growing powers.

Duke Simon II of Lorraine and his wife, Ida, daughter of Gerard I, count of Mâcon and Vienne, dropped 'upper' from the title as his was the only surviving Lorraine

1191 - 1192

Son of Duke Godfrey III, count of Leuven. Murdered.

1192 - 1193

Brother of Dietrich of Hohenstaufen.

1193 - 1195

Related to Albert of Leuven.

1195 - 1200

Son of a Dutch nobleman.

1200 - 1229

Related to Count Albert III of Namur.

1229 - 1238

Nephew.

1238 - 1239

Son of Count Thomas of Savoy.

1240 - 1246

Distant relative of Louis IX of France.

1247 - 1274

Distant relative of Brabant & Hainault rulers.

c.1250

Beginning around this time, social conflict increases. Demands for greater freedoms evolve into civil war. Peace agreements and periods of struggle alternate with each other, spanning more than a century and eventually encompassing the entire principality. Henry of Guelders himself is deposed, to be replaced by the relatively miserable office of John of Enghien.

The former Roman settlement of Vienne, or Viennois, was divided in 1032 between the counts of Albon and the Maurienne, which was held by Savoy, while today it forms part of south-eastern France

1274 - 1281

Friend of HRE Rudolph I of Habsburg.

1282 - 1291

Son of Count Guy de Dampierre of Flanders.

1282

John is an unusual appointment as he is the youngest son of Guy de Dampierre of Flanders, who himself is largely subject to invasive French suzerainty rather than imperial. The final choice over the selection goes to Pope Martin IV, a highly-appreciated confident of the king of France.

1291 - 1295

Becoming ill in 1291 with kidney stones, John is substituted by his father, as mambour (a form of regent). John dies in 1292, leaving the principality in a period of interregnum. This coincides with a Papal interregnum which takes two years to resolve, only for the successful candidate, Pope Celestine V, to abdicate five months into his term of office.

Pope Boniface VIII becomes his replacement later in the same year, 1294, and the question of a new prince-bishop in Liège is resolved by 1295.

Rudolf, the son of Count Albert IV of Habsburg, and Hedwig, daughter of Count Ulrich of Kyburg, had inherited the large Habsburg estates around Habsburg Castle (in modern Switzerland), as well as lands in Alsace, and from that power-base he grabbed further power wherever it was available, fighting his way to the top

1295 - 1301

Archdeacon of Laon. Papal supporter. Removed.

1301 - 1302

Archdeacon of Utrecht. Died suddenly. Poisoned?

1302 - 1312

Brother of Count Henry III of Bar. Died in Rome.

1312 - 1313

The Holy Roman empire's Henry VII travels to Rome in May 1312 to be crowned, accompanied by Theobald of Bar. A mambour, Arnold of Pesche, replaces Theobald in Liège during his absence. Henry decides he wants to conquer Rome and Theobald is participating with him in street fights against Robert of Anjou, king of Naples, when he is fatally wounded. The prince-bishop dies in Rome, sword in hand.

1313 - 1344

A canon of Cologne. Died insane.

1345 - 1364

Nephew. Became archbishop-elector of Cologne.

1364 - 1378

Dutch. Papal appointment.

1378

Elected in Liège. Not recognised by the Pope.

1378 - 1389

Papal appointment. Bishop of Utrecht. Died.

1389 - 1418

Son of Albert of Bavaria (count of Holland). Resigned.

1389

John of Bavaria, son of Count Albert of Holland, is the first of a new breed of prince-bishop and something of a departure from what has gone before. Aged seventeen when he gains office, he always refuses to be a priest and is never consecrated as a bishop. Instead he goes by the titles 'Elected from Liège and Count of Loon', and refuses all others.

Bavaria's mixed terrain varies from dark forests to alpine mountains in the far south, with an equally mixed population of Celts, Germanics, and Romans forming this new tribal grouping in the fifth century AD

1418 - 1419

Previously Archbishop Johannes V of Riga. Died.

1419 - 1455

Of the family of the former earls of Loon.

1456 - 1482

Burgundian. Killed by William I of La Marck.

1468

Social struggles throughout the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries have resulted in a gradual reduction of the power of the prince-bishop. Those struggles culminate in the pillage and destruction of the city of Liège in 1468, part of a grim conflict between the dukes of Burgundy and the people of Liège.

1482 - 1483

With the murder of Louis of Bourbon at the hands of William I of La Marck (nicknamed 'Le Sanglier des Ardennes', or 'The Wild Boar of the Ardennes'), the principality is plunged into an interregnum. William serves as mambour, but finds he has been abandoned by France following the Treaty of Arras between Burgundy and France. He struggles on, even plundering Liège itself in 1484, until peace is agreed later that year.

1484 - 1505

Papal appointment. Struggled to be accepted.

1505 - 1538

Son of Robert I of La Marck of Sedan & Bouillon.

1512

An imperial circle ('Reichskreis') is a regional grouping of the imperial states of the Holy Roman empire. Although arranged as a means of organising a common defence policy and imperial tax collection, the circles are also used as a means of organisation in the imperial diet. The prince-bishopric of Liège is arranged into the 'Westphalian Circle' from this date onwards.

Introduced in 1560, the system of imperial states replaced the now-outdated feudal system, with an imperial circle ('Reichskreis') being a regional grouping of the imperial states (click or tap on map to view full sized)

1538 - 1544

Son of Admiral Cornelis of Glymes ( Netherlands).

1544 - 1557

Illegitimate son of HRE Maximilian I.

1557 - 1564

Son of Anthony of Glymes.

1564 - 1580

Son of Baron Jan of Groesbeek.

1581 - 1612

Son of Duke Albert V of Bavaria.

1581

The election of Ernest, son of the late Albert V of Bavaria, as prince-bishop of Liège begins a run of three consecutive elections from the ranks of the Wittelsbachs. Ernest is succeeded by Ferdinand, son of William 'the Pious', and then Maximilian Henry, son of Albert VI. A brief break with a compromise candidate is followed by the election of Joseph Clemens, son of Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria.

1612 - 1650

Son of Duke William the Pious of Bavaria.

1650 - 1688

Son of Duke Albert VI of Bavaria. Died.

1684

Following further confrontations between the high clergy and the nobility on one side and the prince-bishop on the other, the bourgeoisie and trades receive the democratic universal right to vote thanks to the new regulations of this year, which have the unfortunate side-effect of definitively ruining Liège's democratic organisation.

The frozen River Schelde divides a warming fire from the town of Antwerp in the near distance, painted in 1593 by Lucas van Valckenborch

1688 - 1694

Compromise for young Joseph Clemens of Bavaria.

1694 - 1723

Son of Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria.

1713 - 1715

The Austrian-Dutch 'Antwerp Barrier Treaty' - agreed in 1715 after two years of negotiations - sees six barrier towns and one fortress on the territory of the new Austrian Netherlands - including Dutch garrisons, part of the Dutch defence system - being retained with the agreement of France.

1724 - 1743

Son of Count Eugene de Berghes of Grimberghen.

1740 - 1748

The War of the Austrian Succession is a wide-ranging conflict which encompasses the North American King George's War, two Silesian Wars, the War of Jenkins' Ear, and involves most of the crowned heads of Europe in deciding the question of whether Maria Theresa can succeed as archduke of Austria and, perhaps even more importantly, as Holy Roman emperor.

The War of the Austrian Succession saw Europe go to war to decide whether Maria Theresa would secure the throne left to her by her father, but several other issues were also decided as a wide range of wars were involved in the overall conflict

Austria is supported by Britain, Russia, Schaumburg-Lippe, the Netherlands, the Savoyard kingdom of Sardinia, and Saxony (after an early switchover), but opposed by an opportunistic Prussia and France, who had raised the question in the first place to disrupt Habsburg control of Central Europe, backed up by Bavaria and Sweden (briefly). Spain joins the war in an unsuccessful attempt to restore possessions lost to Austria in 1715 (such as Milan).

1744 - 1763

Prince-bishop of Regensburg & Freising.

1763 - 1771

Son of Count Jean-François-P-E of Oultremont.

1772 - 1784

Archdeacon of Hesbaye.

1784 - 1792

Of the Van Hoensbroecks of Dutch Limburg.

1784 - 1787

César-Constantin-François Hoensbroeck is an authoritarian, hostile to any reform. His election stirs up the smouldering feeling of rebellion in the principality. In 1787, following a long trial, he shuts down a gambling house in the city of Spa. This serves as the pretext for renewed protest (to be fully triggered by the French Revolution which erupts in Paris in July 1789).

Along with the Battle of Turnhout on 27 October 1789, the Battle of Ghent on 13 November 1789 (shown here) was instrumental in forcing the Austrian governors of the southern Netherlands to flee Brussels while Austrian forces soon took refuge behind strong defensive walls in Luxembourg and also Antwerp

1787 - 1788

Various far-reaching deep reforms by Emperor Joseph now trigger widespread rioting and a rising in the Austrian Netherlands which is known as the 'Small Revolution' in May 1787. The governors-general immediately attempt to calm down the unrests by temporarily suspending Joseph's reforms without the emperor's permission, although this prompts a furious reaction from Joseph himself.

1789

The French Revolution begins on 14 July 1789 with the storming of the Bastille prison during a popular uprising in Paris. Inspired by this, revolutionaries in the Austrian Netherlands oppose the Holy Roman emperor to found - by the end of the year - the independent 'United States of Belgium'. Brabant declares its own independence on 31 December.

In Liège revolution also strikes, less than one month after the fall of the Bastille. The people of Liège capture the town hall and the citadel, the latter being taken professionally, and without bloodshed. Independence here is manifested in the form of 'Le Pays Mosan' (the 'Land of the Meuse'), which is headed by a governing committee.

The palace of the prince-bishops is often presented as being one of the biggest Gothic civil buildings in the world, and today it plays host to the law courts and headquarters of the provincial government

By December 1789, the Austrians have been fully routed from the southern Netherlands but Liège has been occupied by allied Prussians. Mediation takes place between the dethroned prince-bishop and the revolutionaries, but the unbending Hoensbroeck will not give a centimetre of concession.

1790 - 1791

The month of January 1790 has seen many other Belgian mini-states being formed which have joined the 'United States of Belgium'. The new state receives no foreign recognition, however, and the rebels soon become divided along ideological lines. The revolution is quickly overthrown by Joseph's successor, Leopold II, while Le Pays Mosan falls early in 1791, the prince-bishop being restored. Liège's revolutionary leaders largely accept exile in France.

1792

The quelling of the Belgian revolution is pounced upon by a fevered France which is hugely enthusiastic about spreading its newly-found revolutionary fervour. France declares war against the Holy Roman emperor and his largely Austrian-dominated military machine.

The French revolutionary 'Reign of Terror' reached its peak between 5 September 1793 and 27 July 1794, with civil war mixing into desperate armed conflict with several hostile states, forcing the Revolutionary government to make terror the mainstay of its rule

The Austrians are defeated by the French army under Charles François du Périer Dumouriez (the former French foreign minister) at the Battle of Jemappes (in Wallonia) in November 1792. The French immediately reopen the River Scheldt to maritime traffic between there and the harbour of Antwerp, resulting in a revival of Belgian industry.

1792 - 1794

In office 18 Aug 1792 to 20 Jul 1794. Last prince-bishop.

1793

In February, a French army invades the Austrian Netherlands and the territory is annexed for a short period. Militarily, France's fortunes look shaky when Great Britain, Naples, the Netherlands, and Spain join Austria and Prussia in the First Coalition. The French are defeated at the Battle of Neerwinden (East Flanders) on 18 March 1793. The French position in the Austrian Netherlands swiftly collapses.

1794 - 1795

The Flanders campaign renews the struggle between revolutionaries and reactionaries. The Battle of Fleurus (in Wallonia), on 26 June 1794 sees the French victorious again. They defeat the First Coalition forces which comprise units from Great Britain, Hanover, the Netherlands, and the Austrian-dominated Holy Roman empire.

The Battle of Fleurus in 1794 ended Austrian attempts to protect its hold over the southern Netherlands and ushered in a period of French domination (painting by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse)

In June 1794 the Austrians are driven out of the Austrian Netherlands for the last time. The French army quickly completes its conquest of the region, although the Belgian revolutionaries are disappointed when it becomes clear that a French military victory is a prelude to annexation.

Formal annexation takes place on 1 October 1795, when the 'French National Convention' votes to merge the Austrian Netherlands with the principality of Liège. The Austrian Netherlands become the French Netherlands.