Diocesan administrator#Administrators of prince-bishoprics

When administrators were after the Reformation in the 16th century in the evangelical become rich immediate ecclesiastical principalities of the Holy Roman Empire refers to the place of the former Catholic Prince-Bishops elected and appointed by the cathedral chapters or pin chapters princes who like their Catholic predecessors on the one hand the country wonderfully - worldly functions and exercising the other spiritual bishop functions. The latter were, however, sometimes over to the respective chapter.

This allows the position of the administrator with a secular Protestant princes compare, who was the sovereign government of the Church in its territory from the Reformation period, but he was different than the one equipped only with a non-hereditary rule dignity. The appointment of an administrator was made by a pen from the chapter, which was composed of canons, conducted election. It happened that an administrator at the instigation of the chapter could be sold again. On the choice of an administrator was often exercised by other secular princes pressure, who saw it as a way to provide for their (often not yet adult ) sons supply station by acquired this with the election of the administrator, the position of a territorial princes in their own right. With this placement of close relatives also the pursuit of a larger influence of its own dynasty was connected in the pin area. Not infrequently, the choice of an administrator has already taken place during the lifetime of the previous administrator, so that the successor initially took the position of a Coadjutor.

The name of the postulated administrator ( administrator literally ) was chosen because according to contemporary understanding was the approval of the Pope for the title of bishop is necessary. The administrator of title is thus related to the homonymous title of the Catholic Church, which is still used today for bishop similar official.

The transition of the princely authority of Catholic bishops to Protestant administrators was not recognized until the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 by the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, so that by that time the administrators of the relevant ore and high pins its actually votes to be held in the Imperial Prince College of the Reichstag could not perceive. However, the peace agreement stipulated also that most Protestant ecclesiastical principalities secularized and the dominions of neighboring princes were connected.

These were the Protestant spiritual principalities:

• Bishopric of Brandenburg, in 1571 to Brandenburg
• Archbishopric of Bremen, 1648 Bremen secular duchy under Swedish rule, see Bremen- Verden
• Bishopric of Pomerania, Pomerania in 1556 to
• Bishopric of Halberstadt Halberstadt 1648 secular principality under Brandenburg rule
• Hochstift Havel Berg, 1571 Brandenburg
• Bishopric of Lübeck, Lübeck 1803 secular principality under Oldenburg domination for
• Archbishopric of Magdeburg, Magdeburg 1680 secular duchy under Brandenburg rule
• Bishopric of Merseburg, Saxony 1565
• Bishopric of Minden, Minden 1648 secular principality under Brandenburg rule
• Hochstift Naumburg, 1562 to Saxony, from 1657 Sekundogenitur Saxony- Zeitz, 1718 with the extinction of the line back to the Albertine
• Bishopric of Osnabrück, alternately Catholic bishops and Protestant Administrators, 1803 to Hannover
• Bishopric of Ratzeburg, 1648 secular principality of Ratzeburg, under Mecklenburg rule
• Bishopric of Schwerin, 1648 secular principality of Schwerin, Mecklenburg under rule
• Bishopric of Verden, Verden 1648 secular principality under Swedish rule, see Bremen- Verden

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• Holy Roman Empire in the Early Modern Period
• Episcopal Office