Bishopric of Dorpat
Bishopric of Dorpat Bishopric of Leal (1211–1235) | |||||||||
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| 1211–1558 | |||||||||
| Status | Prince-Bishopric of Terra Mariana | ||||||||
| Capital | Dorpat (Tartu), from 1224 | ||||||||
| Common languages | Low German, Estonian | ||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||||
| Government | Ecclesiastical principality | ||||||||
| Prince-Bishop | |||||||||
• 1224–48 | Hermann von Buxhövden | ||||||||
• 1552–60 | Hermann Wesel | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Established | 1211 | ||||||||
| 1 December 1225 | |||||||||
• Livonian War | 1558 | ||||||||
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The Bishopric of Dorpat was a medieval prince-bishopric, i.e. both a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church and a temporal principality ruled by the bishop of the diocese. It existed from 1211 until 1558, generally encompassing the area that now comprises Tartu County, Põlva County, Võru County, and Jõgeva County in Estonia. The prince-bishopric was a sovereign member of the Holy Roman Empire (formally from 6 Nov 1225) and part of the Livonian Confederation until its dissolution in 1561.
The state was originally established as the Bishopric of Leal in 1211, based in Leal, modern Lihula. When the Sword Brothers in 1224 captured Yuryev (modern Tartu), they renamed it Dorpat. Prince-bishop Hermann Buxhövden of Leal took up residence there and ordered the construction of the Dorpat Cathedral. Around 1235, the bishopric was finally renamed from Leal to Dorpat.