Fulda ( German pronunciation: [ˈfʊlda] ) (historically in English called Fuld) is a city in Hesse , Germany ; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district ( Kreis ). In 1990, the city hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival.
59-674: In 744 Saint Sturm , a disciple of Saint Boniface , founded the Benedictine monastery of Fulda as one of Boniface's outposts in the reorganization of the church in Germany . The initial grant for the abbey was signed by Carloman , Mayor of the Palace in Austrasia (in office 741–47), the son of Charles Martel . The support of the Mayors of the Palace, and later of the early Pippinid and Carolingian rulers,
118-581: A Baroque renovation. A small, 9th-century chapel remains standing within walking distance of the church, as do the foundations of a later women's abbey. Rabanus Maurus served as abbot at Fulda from 822 to 842. Fulda Abbey owned such works as the Res Gestae by the fourth-century Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus and the Codex Fuldensis , as well as works by Cicero , Servius , Bede and Sulpicius Severus . Prince-abbot Balthasar von Dernbach adopted
177-435: A bishopric in 1752 and the prince-abbots were given the additional title of prince-bishop . The prince-abbots (and later prince-bishops) ruled Fulda and the surrounding region until the bishopric was forcibly dissolved by Napoleon I in 1802. The city went through a baroque building campaign in the 18th century, resulting in the current "Baroque City" status. This included a remodeling of Fulda Cathedral (1704–12) and of
236-807: A classic example of unified secular and diocesan authority. It progressively lost its powers since the Renaissance, and was finally replaced by the Republic of the Seven Tithings in 1634. Upon the incorporation of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1237, the territory of the Order's State largely corresponded with the Diocese of Riga . Bishop Albert of Riga in 1207 had received the lands of Livonia as an Imperial fief from
295-515: A noble title, with a tiny territory usually about their seat; it was often a princely title, especially Count but also Prince or Baron, including actual seigneurial authority and rights. Indeed, six of the twelve original Pairies (the royal vassals awarded with the highest precedence at Court) were episcopal: the Archbishop of Reims , the Bishop of Langres , and the Bishop of Laon held a ducal title,
354-463: A policy of Counter-Reformation . In 1571 he called in the Jesuits to found a school and college. He insisted the members of the chapter should return to a monastic form of life. Whereas his predecessors had tolerated Protestantism , resulting in most of the citizenry of Fulda and a large portion of the principality's countryside professing Lutheranism , Balthasar ordered his subjects either to return to
413-498: A year visiting Benedictine abbeys learning how the monks lived. Before returning to Fulda, Sturm met with Pope Zachary , who placed the monastery under the jurisdiction of the Vatican, rather than under the bishop. After the death of Boniface, this led to serious conflicts between Lullus, then archbishop of Mainz , and abbot Sturm. Nevertheless, Sturm prevailed over the bishops of Mainz and Utrecht in having Boniface, so-called Apostle of
472-565: Is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty , as opposed to Prince of the Church itself, a title associated with cardinals . Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the Bishop of Urgell , Catalonia, who has remained ex officio one of two co-princes of Andorra , along with the French president . In the West, with the decline of imperial power from
531-889: Is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 2 station . It is on the Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway ; the North–South line ( Nord-Süd-Strecke ), comprising the Bebra–Fulda line north of Fulda, and the Kinzig Valley Railway and Fulda–Main Railway to the south; the Vogelsberg Railway , which connects to the hills of the Vogelsberg in the west; and the Fulda–Gersfeld Railway (Rhön Railway) to Gersfeld in
590-462: The Fürstbischof title, but never held any reichsfrei territory. However, all bishops' princely titles were abolished by the pope in 1951. The Patriarchate of Aquileia (1077–1433) was conquered by Venice in 1420 and officially incorporated after the 1445 Council of Florence . In Brescia Bishop Notingus was made count of Brescia in 844. The archbishops of Besançon had been rulers in
649-585: The Benedictine monastery and abbey of Fulda in 742 or 744. Sturm's tenure as abbot lasted from 747 until 779. Sturm was born c. 705 in Lorch , Austria , and was most likely related to the Agilolfing dukes of Bavaria . His parents placed him under the care of Boniface, who was carrying out the church reorganization in Bavaria and Austria (founding the bishoprics of Salzburg , Regensburg and Würzburg ). He
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#1732845412419708-550: The Catholic faith or leave his territories. He also ordered the Fulda witch trials , in which hundreds of people, including a number of crypto-Protestants were arrested on charges of witchcraft alongside others. The foundation of the abbey of Fulda and its territory originated with an Imperial grant, and the sovereign principality therefore was subject only to the German emperor . Fulda became
767-518: The Frisians in 754, the relics of Saint Boniface were brought back to Fulda. Because of the stature this afforded the monastery, the donations increased, and Fulda could establish daughter-houses further away, for example in Hamelin . Meanwhile, Saint Lullus , successor of Boniface as archbishop of Mainz , tried to absorb the abbey into his archbishopric, but failed. Between 790 and 819 the community rebuilt
826-606: The Fulda Gap , a traditional east–west invasion route used by Napoleon I and others. During the Cold War , it was presumed to be an invasion route for any conventional war between NATO and Soviet forces . Downs Barracks in Fulda was the headquarters of the American 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment , later replaced by the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment . The cavalry had as many as 3,000 soldiers from
885-613: The Habsburg Monarchy , including Austria proper ( Salzburg , Seckau ), the Lands of the Bohemian Crown (the bulk of Olomouc and parts of Breslau ), as well as in respect to the parts of the 1795 - partitioned Polish state , including those forming part of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria or those acquired by the Kingdom of Prussia , the position continued in some cases nominally and
944-604: The Prince-Bishops of Montenegro the place of the earlier secular (Grand) Voivodes in 1516, had a unique position of Slavonic , Orthodox prince-bishops of Montenegro under Ottoman suzerainty. It was eventually secularized and became ruled by hereditary princes and ultimately Kings of Montenegro in 1852, as reflected in their styles: The Bishop of Urgell , Catalonia, who no longer has any secular rights in Spain, remains ex officio one of two co-princes of Andorra , along with
1003-623: The Rhön Mountains to the east. Fulda is on the Bundesautobahn 7 (BAB 7). Bundesautobahn 66 starts at the interchange with the BAB 7, heading south towards Frankfurt . Fulda is also on the Bundesstraße 27 . Fulda is twinned with: Saint Sturm Sturm ( c. 705 – 17 December 779), also called Sturmius or Sturmi , was a disciple of Boniface and founder and first abbot of
1062-529: The Stadtschloss (Fulda Castle-Palace, 1707–12) by Johann Dientzenhofer . The city parish church, St. Blasius, was built between 1771 and 1785. In 1764 a porcelain factory was started in Fulda under Prince-Bishop, Prince-Abbot Heinrich von Bibra , but shortly after his death it was closed down in 1789 by his successor, Prince-Bishop, Prince-Abbot Adalbert von Harstall. The city was given to Prince William Frederick of Orange-Nassau (the later King William I of
1121-602: The episcopal see was an archbishopric , the correct term was prince-archbishop; the equivalent in the regular (monastic) clergy was prince-abbot . A prince-bishop was usually considered an elected monarch . With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the title finally became defunct in the Confederation of the Rhine . However, in respect to the lands of the former Holy Roman Empire outside of French control, such as
1180-661: The (originally only seven) prince-electors , the highest order of Reichsfürsten (comparable in rank with the French pairs ), were prince-archbishops, each holding the title of Archchancellor (the only arch-office amongst them) for a part of the Empire; given the higher importance of an electorate, their principalities were known as Kurfürstentum ("electoral principality") rather than prince-archbishopric. The suffragan-bishoprics of Gurk (established 1070), Chiemsee (1216), Seckau (1218), and Lavant (1225) sometimes used
1239-530: The 1803 German Mediatization upon the territorial losses to France in the Treaty of Lunéville , except for the Mainz prince-archbishop and German archchancellor Karl Theodor Anton Maria von Dalberg , who continued to rule as Prince of Aschaffenburg and Regensburg . With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the title finally became defunct in the successor Confederation of the Rhine . No less than three of
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#17328454124191298-472: The 4th century onwards in the face of the barbarian invasions, sometimes Christian bishops of cities took the place of the Roman commander, made secular decisions for the city and led their own troops when necessary. Later relations between a prince-bishop and the burghers were invariably not cordial. As cities demanded charters from emperors, kings, or their prince-bishops and declared themselves independent of
1357-543: The Empire's. In turn the first Ottonian ( Saxon ) king Henry the Fowler and more so his son, Emperor Otto I , intended to weaken the power of the dukes by granting loyal bishops Imperial lands and vest them with regalia privileges. Unlike dukes they could not pass hereditary titles and lands to any descendants. Instead the Emperors reserved the implementation of the bishops of their proprietary church for themselves, defying
1416-563: The French head of state (currently its President ) The term has been used by Episcopalians in North America to describe modern bishops with commanding personalities usually of previous generations. One such individual was Bishop Horace W. B. Donegan of whom Episcopal suffragan bishop Robert E. Terwilliger said "We often say that Bishop Donegan is the last prince bishop of the church because in his graciousness, in his presence, in his total lack of any crisis of identity, we have seen what
1475-514: The Germans, buried in Fulda after his assassination in 754 near Dokkum in Frisia . This made Fulda a major place of pilgrimage for many peoples, including Anglo-Saxons , and brought much prestige and a stream of gifts and donations to Fulda. Building on this success, Sturm was able to fend off efforts by the bishops of Mainz and Würzburg to invalidate the abbey's exemption. In 763, Lull convinced Pippin
1534-640: The Holy Roman Emperor to stress their sovereignty. In the original Prussian lands of the Teutonic Order, Willam of Modena established the suffragan bishoprics of Culm , Pomesania , Samland and Warmia . From the late 13th century onwards, the appointed Warmia bishops were no longer members of the Teutonic Knights, a special status confirmed by the bestowal of the princely title by Emperor Charles IV in 1356. Three bishoprics were initially parts of
1593-520: The Kingdom of Poland and its offshoots before being subsequently incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire, namely the bishoprics of Wolin/Kamień (Wollin/Cammin) (1140-1181), Lubusz (Lebus) (1125-1372) and Wrocław (Breslau) (1201-1335/1348), with the latter two of them continuing, however, as suffragan to the Polish archbishopric of Gniezno for many years later (until 1424 in the case of Lebus and until 1821 in
1652-616: The Middle Ages over Besançon , an Imperial city from 1307, which in 1512 joined the Burgundian Circle . In the Bishopric of Belley , Saint Anthelm of Belley was granted Reichsfreiheit by Emperor Frederick I , but submitted temporal authorities to the Duchy of Savoy in 1401. The Bishopric of Sion ( French : Principauté épiscopale de Sion , German : Bistum Sitten ) was from 999
1711-709: The Netherlands ) in 1803 (as part of the short-lived Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda ), was annexed to the Grand Duchy of Berg in 1806, and in 1809 to the Principality of Frankfurt . After the Congress of Vienna of 1814–15, most of the territory went to the Electorate of Hesse , which Prussia annexed in 1866. From 1938 to 1943, Fulda was the location of a Nazi forced labour camp for Romani people . Fulda lends its name to
1770-482: The Younger to banish Sturm from Fulda to Jumièges ( Normandy ). Lull named a new abbot, whom the monks refused to accept. Eventually, Lull allowed them to elect their own abbot and within two years they convinced Pepin to allow Sturm to return to Fulda. During his exile, he spent time with the common people of Germany, by the time he was rehabilitated, he had developed a much humbler demeanour, leading to him being known by
1829-635: The acknowledgement of his status as a Prince-Bishop of the Empire, though the Roman Curia insisted on the fact that the Christianized Baltic territories were solely under the suverainty of the Holy See . By the 1234 Bull of Rieti, Pope Gregory IX stated that all lands acquired by the Teutonic Knights were no subject of any conveyancing by the Emperor. Within this larger conflict, the continued dualism of
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1888-683: The area to battle the Moors in Spain, the Saxons revolted and drove out the monks. In 779, he accompanied Charlemagne into Saxony, but fell ill and died soon after returning to Fulda on 17 December 779, where he was buried in the cathedral. Sturm was recognised as a saint prior to the East–West Schism in 1054, hence the Orthodox Church continues to honour him. The post-1054 Roman Papacy did not accept all pre-Schism saints, sometimes reviewing their status. He
1947-553: The autonomous Riga prince-bishop and the Teutonic Knights led to a lengthy friction. Around 1245 the Papal legate William of Modena reached a compromise: though incorporated into the Order's State, the archdiocese and its suffragan bishoprics were acknowledged with their autonomous ecclesiastical territories by the Teutonic Knights. The bishops pursued the conferment of the princely title by
2006-555: The beginning of the bishops' temporal powers, which expanded during the Middle Ages before being gradually curbed from the sixteenth century onwards. Except for a brief period of suppression during the English Civil War , the bishopric retained some temporal powers until it was abolished by the Durham (County Palatine) Act 1836 , when its powers returned to the Crown. The last institution of
2065-469: The bishops of Beauvais , Chalôns , and Noyon had comital status. They were later joined by the Archbishop of Paris , who was awarded a ducal title, but with precedence over the others. France also counted a number of prince-bishops formerly within the Holy Roman Empire such those of Besançon, Cambrai, Strasbourg, Metz, Toul, Verdun, and Belley. The bishops of Arles, Embrun, and Grenoble also qualify as princes of episcopal cities. The bishop of Viviers
2124-571: The case of Breslau). On the other hand, the Prince Bishopric of Warmia was obtained by Poland following the Second Peace of Thorn . The bishops of Durham , while not sovereign, held extensive rights usually reserved to the English, and later British, monarch within the county palatine of Durham. In 1075 Walcher , the bishop of Durham, was allowed to purchase the earldom of Northumbria; this marked
2183-415: The cities. From 1472 to 1967, the bishop of Coimbra held the comital title of Count of Arganil , being thus called "bishop-count" ( Portuguese : Bispo-Conde ). The use of the comital title declined during the 20th century since Portugal has become a republic and nobility privileges have ceased to be officially recognized, and was ultimately discontinued. The bishops of Cetinje , who took as
2242-601: The city cathedral. During the time of the German Empire and Weimar Republic , the city was a stronghold for the Centre Party . After the end of World War II, in addition to all mayors, Fulda's constituency seats have been safe seats for CDU in both the Landtag of Hesse (District X 1946–1950, District 14 1950–1983, Fulda I since 1983) and Bundestag ( Fulda electoral district ). The CDU has never received less than 42.4 percent of
2301-406: The commoners as the "Quaint Saint". In 774, the Abbey of Fulda received royal protection from Charlemagne . In the same year, Fulda was assigned missionary territories in heathen Saxony , thereby becoming a bridgehead in the Frankish political efforts to seize the Saxons' lands and forcibly impose Christianity on them. Sturm established the abbey of St. Boniface at Hamelin . When Charlemagne left
2360-422: The donations Fulda received from these and other important families helped in the establishment of daughter-houses near Fulda. In 751, Boniface and his disciple and successor Lullus obtained an exemption for Fulda, having it placed directly under the Papal See and making it independent of interference by bishops or worldly princes. The monastery school became a renowned center of learning. After his martyrdom by
2419-445: The end of World War II until 1993. Not all those soldiers were in Fulda proper, but scattered over observation posts and in the cities of Bad Kissingen and Bad Hersfeld . The strategic importance of this region, along the border between East and West Germany, led to a large United States and Soviet military presence. Fulda has traditionally been a conservative Catholic city, with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fulda being based in
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2478-465: The fact that according to canon law they were part of the transnational Catholic Church . This met with increasing opposition by the Popes , culminating in the fierce Investiture Controversy of 1076. Nevertheless, the Emperors continued to grant major territories to the most important (arch)bishops. The immediate territory attached to the episcopal see then became a prince-diocese or (arch)bishopric ( Fürst(erz)bistum ). The German term Hochstift
2537-449: The feudally fragmented Holy Roman Empire , where many were formally awarded the rank of an Imperial Prince Reichsfürst , granting them the immediate power over a certain territory and a representation in the Imperial Diet ( Reichstag ). The stem duchies of the German Kingdom inside the Empire had strong and powerful dukes (originally, war-rulers), always looking out more for their duchy 's " national interest " than for
2596-399: The hands of German king Philip of Swabia , he however had to come to terms with the Brothers of the Sword. At the behest of Pope Innocent III the Terra Mariana confederation was established, whereby Albert had to cede large parts of the episcopal territory to the Livonian Order . Albert proceeded tactically in the conflict between the Papacy and Emperor Frederick II : in 1225 he reached
2655-443: The last extant prince-bishop. In the Byzantine Empire , the still autocratic Emperors passed general legal measures assigning all bishops certain rights and duties in the secular administration of their dioceses, possibly as part of a development to put the Eastern Church in the service of the Empire , with its Ecumenical Patriarch almost reduced to the Emperor's minister of religious affairs. . The institution of prince-bishop
2714-416: The main abbey church to more fittingly house the relics . They based their new basilica on the original 4th-century (since demolished) Old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, using the transept and crypt plan of that great pilgrimage church to frame their own saint as the "Apostle to the Germans". The crypt of the original abbey church still holds those relics, but the church itself has been subsumed into
2773-450: The palatinate, its court of chancery , was abolished in 1974. From the tenth century civil wars on, many bishops took over the powers of the local count, as authorised by the king. For example, at Chalons-sur-Marne the bishop ruled the lands 20 km around the town, while the Archbishop of Rheims demarcated his territory with five fortresses of Courville, Cormicy, Betheneville, Sept-Saulx and Chaumuzy. A number of French bishops did hold
2832-402: The secular territorial magnates, friction intensified between burghers and bishops. The principality or prince-bishopric (Hochstift) ruled politically by a prince-bishop could wholly or largely have overlapped with his diocesan jurisdiction, but some parts of his diocese , even the city of his residence, could have been exempt from his civil rule, obtaining the status of free imperial city . If
2891-427: The vote in communal elections since 1946. Oberbürgermeister (Lord mayor) Department I (head and personnel administration, finance, committee work, culture, business development, city marketing, investments) Department II (public security and order, family, youth, schools, sports, social affairs, seniors) Landtag (state parliament) Bundestag (federal parliament) Source: Between 1927 and 1974, Fulda
2950-482: Was Count of Viviers and Prince de Donzère. The bishop of Sisteron was also Prince de Lurs, the title of count was held by the Archbishop of Lyons, and the bishops of Gap, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, Vienne and Die were Seigneurs of their cities. Never part of the empire were Lisieux, Cahors, Chalon-sur-Saône, Léon, Dol and Vabres whose bishops were also counts. Ajaccio was Count of Frasso. The bishops of Sarlat, Saint-Malo (Baron de Beignon) and of Luçon were Barons and Tulle
3009-565: Was Viscount of the city. The bishop of Mende was governor and count, Puy held the title Count of Velay, Quimper was Seigneur of the city and Comte de Cornouailles, Valence was Seigneur and Count of the city. Montpellier's bishop was Count of Mauguio and Montferrand, Marquis of Marquerose and Baron of Sauve, Durfort, Salevoise, and Brissac. The bishop of Saint-Claude was Seigneur of all the lands of Saint-Claude. The bishops of Digne (Seigneur and Baron), Pamiers (co-Seigneur), Albi, Lectoure, Saint-Brieuc, Saint-Papoul, Saint-Pons, and Uzès were Seigneurs of
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#17328454124193068-421: Was a district-free city (Kreisfreie Stadt). Since 1974, it has been included in the eponymous district as a city with special status (Stadt mit Sonderstatus), a distinction it shares with six other Hessian cities, meaning that it takes on tasks more usually performed by the district. Fulda station is a transport hub and interchange point between local and long-distance traffic of the German railway network , and
3127-410: Was accordingly formally canonized in 1139 by Pope Innocent II . His life was recorded in the Vita Sturmi by the fourth abbot of Fulda, Eigil of Fulda (d. 822), a relative of his who had been a monk in Fulda for over 20 years under abbot Sturm. Saint Sturm's Fountain is located in Fulda in front of the old town hall. It depicts Benedict, Boniface, and Sturm. Prince-bishop A prince-bishop
3186-436: Was educated in the Benedictine monastery of Fritzlar by abbot Wigbert . He was then active as a missionary in northern Hesse , where in 736 he established a monastic settlement in Haerulfisfeld ( Hersfeld ). Ordained in 740 as priest in Fritzlar. Boniface sent him to work for three years as a missionary in Westphalia. He then was a hermit at Hersfeld, until raiding Saxons drove him from his unprotected hermitage. Sturm
3245-438: Was important to Boniface's success. Fulda also received support from many of the leading families of the Carolingian world. Sturm, whose tenure as abbot lasted from 747 until 779, was most likely related to the Agilolfing dukes of Bavaria . Fulda also received large and constant donations from the Etichonids, a leading family in Alsace , and from the Conradines , predecessors of the Salian Holy Roman Emperors . Under Sturm,
3304-526: Was instructed by Boniface in 744 to establish a monastery in the region of Eichloha, which had been granted to Boniface by the Frankish Mayor of the Palace Carloman . In the ruins of a 6th-century Merovingian royal camp, destroyed 50 years earlier by the Saxons , at a ford on the Fulda River , Sturm established the monastery and was named first abbot of Fulda by Boniface. Around 748, Sturm and two other monks went to study Benedictine life as practiced at Monte Cassino and establish it at Fulda. They spent
3363-482: Was often used to denote the form of secular authority held by bishops ruling a prince-bishopric with Erzstift being used for prince-archbishoprics. Emperor Charles IV by the Golden Bull of 1356 confirmed the privileged status of the Prince-Archbishoprics of Mainz , Cologne and Trier as members of the electoral college. At the eve of the Protestant Reformation , the Imperial states comprised 53 ecclesiastical principalities. They were finally secularized in
3422-404: Was revived in the Orthodox Church in the modern times during the existence of the Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro . Bishops had been involved in the government of the Frankish realm and subsequent Carolingian Empire frequently as the clerical member of a duo of envoys styled Missus dominicus , but that was an individual mandate, not attached to the see. Prince-bishoprics were most common in
3481-442: Was sometimes transformed into a new, titular type, initially recognized by the German Empire and Austria-Hungary until their demise, with the title ultimately abolished altogether by the pope in 1951. The sole exception is the Bishop of Urgell , Catalonia, who no longer has any secular rights in Spain, but remains ex officio one of two co-princes of Andorra , along with the French head of state (currently its President ), and thus
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