Bremen-Verden
Bremen-Verden, formally the Duchies of Bremen and Verden (German pronunciation: [ˈfɛɐ̯dən]; German: Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden), were two territories and immediate fiefs of the Holy Roman Empire, which emerged and gained imperial immediacy in 1180. By their original constitution they were prince-bishoprics of the Archdiocese of Bremen and Bishopric of Verden.
Duchies of Bremen and Verden | |||||||||||||||||
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| 1648–1807 1813–1823 1807-1810 French military administration 1810 annexed by Westphalia and 1811-1813 annexed by France | |||||||||||||||||
Flag
Coat of arms
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Former Bremen-Verden as of 1730 (in light pink) pasted over today's state borders (grey) and former region borders (white, as of 1977) with broken lines, indicating their changes between 1731 and 1977. At the northern tip the Land of Hadeln and Cuxhaven are excluded. | |||||||||||||||||
| Status | States of the Holy Roman Empire, enfeoffed to 1) the Swedish Crown in 1648 2) the Hanoverian Crown in 1733 | ||||||||||||||||
| Capital | Stade | ||||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Low Saxon, German | ||||||||||||||||
| Religion | mostly Lutherans, some Calvinists, very few Jews and Catholics | ||||||||||||||||
| Government | Absolute monarchies in personal union | ||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | |||||||||||||||||
• 1648–1654 | Christina | ||||||||||||||||
• 1654–1660 | Charles X Gustav | ||||||||||||||||
• 1660–1697 •1697–1712 | Charles XI Charles XII | ||||||||||||||||
• 1715–1727 | George I Louis | ||||||||||||||||
• 1727–1760 | George II Augustus | ||||||||||||||||
• 1760–1820 | George III | ||||||||||||||||
• 1820–1823 | George IV | ||||||||||||||||
| Governor-general | |||||||||||||||||
• 1646–1663 | H. C. Königsmarck | ||||||||||||||||
• 1668–1693, de facto interrupted 1676–9 | Henrik Horn | ||||||||||||||||
| Legislature | Landschaft (also Stiftstände), convening at Landtage or Tohopesaten (diets) | ||||||||||||||||
| Historical era | Absolutism (European history) | ||||||||||||||||
• Prince-bishoprics of Bremen a. Verden secularised by the Westphalian Peace | 15 May 1648 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1653–1654 1657–1658 1666 1675– 1679 | |||||||||||||||||
• Danish occupation (Gr. Northern War) • purchase by Hano-ver from Danes and Swedes (Stockholm Treaty) • Hadeln assigned • French invasion (7 Years' War) | 1712– 1715 1715 and 1719 1731 1757 | ||||||||||||||||
• occupied by Branden-burg-Prussia (2nd Coalition ag. France) • French occupation (Conv. of Artlenburg) • Prussian occupation • French occupation (4th Coalition ag. France) • annexed by Westphalia • annexed by France | 1801 1803– 1805 1805–1806 1807– 1810 1810 1811–1813 | ||||||||||||||||
• Restitution (Battle of the Nations) | 1813 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1823 | |||||||||||||||||
| Currency | Rixdollar | ||||||||||||||||
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In 1648, both prince-bishoprics were secularised, meaning that they were transformed into hereditary monarchies by constitution, and from then on both the Duchy of Bremen and the Duchy of Verden were always ruled in personal union, initially by the royal houses of Sweden, the House of Vasa and the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, and later by the House of Hanover.
With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Bremen-Verden's status as fiefs of imperial immediacy became void; as they had been in personal union with the neighbouring Kingdom of Hanover, they were incorporated into that state.