This list records the incumbents of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim (). Between 1235 and 1803 the bishops simultaneously officiating as rulers of princely rank (prince-bishop) in the Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim (), a state of imperial immediacy within the Holy Roman Empire. Hildesheim is the seat of the bishops and the cathedral chapter.
Titles of the incumbents of the Hildesheim See Between 1235 and 1803 the elected and papally confirmed bishops of the Hildesheim See were additionally imperially invested princely power as prince-bishops. In 1235 part of the Hildesheim diocesan territory, the episcopal and capitular temporalities (Stift) were disentangled from the Duchy of Brunswick and Lunenburg and became an own territory of imperial immediacy called Prince-Bishopric of Brunswick and Lunenburg (), a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. The prince-bishopric was an elective monarchy, with the monarch being the respective bishop usually elected by the Hildesheim Cathedral chapter and confirmed by the Holy See, or exceptionally only appointed by the Holy See. Papally confirmed bishops were then invested by the emperor with the princely regalia, thus the title prince-bishop. However, sometimes the respective incumbent of the see never gained a papal confirmation as bishop (lacking canonical qualification; e.g. Ferdinand of Bavaria and Frederick of Denmark), but was still invested the princely regalia. The respective incumbents of the see bore the following titles:
The respective incumbents of the see bore the following titles: Bishop of Hildesheim from 815 to 1235 Prince-bishop of Hildesheim from 1235 to 1803 Bishop of Hildesheim since 1803
Bishops of Hildesheim till 1235 +This is the list of bishops of the Diocese of HildesheimNameFromToRemarksGunthar815834Rembert834835Ebbo835847Archbishop of Reims 816–835Altfrid847874Ludolf874874Marquard874880Wigbert880908Waldbert908919Sehard919928Diethard928954Otwin954984Osdag985989Gerdag990992Bernward9931022Godehard10221038Thietmar10381044Azelin10441054Hezilo10541079Udo of Gleichen-Rheinhausen10791114Bruning11151119canonically irregular, not consecrated but imperially investedBerthold I of Alvensleben11191130Bernard I11301153Bruno11531161Herrmann of Wennerde11621170Adelog of Dorstadt11711190Berno11901194Conrad I of Querfurt11941199Prince-Bishop of Würzburg 1198–1202Heribert of Dahlem11991216Siegfried I of Lichtenberg12161221Conrad II of Reifenberg12211246
Prince-bishops of Hildesheim between 1235 and 1803 +This is the list of prince-bishops of Diocese and Prince-Bishopric of HildesheimNameFromToRemarksConrad II of Reifenberg12211246imperially recognised as bishop of princely rank in 1235Henry I of Rusteberg12471257John I of Brakel12571260Otto I of Braunschweig-Lüneburg12601279 Siegfried II of Querfurt12791310 Heinrich II of Woldenberg13101318 Otto II of Woldenberg13181331 Henry III of Brunswick and Lunenburg13311363 Erich I of Schauenburg13321349 Johann II Schadland13631365 Bishop of Culm 1359–1363; Prince-Bishop of Worms 1365–1370; Prince-Bishop of Augsburg 1371–1372; Administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Constance 1371–1372Gerhard of Berg 13651398 Prince-Bishop of Verden 1363–1365John III of Hoya13981424 Prince-Bishop of Paderborn 1394–1399Magnus of Saxe-Lauenburg14241452 Prince-Bishop of Cammin 1410–1424Bernhard III of Brunschwick and Lunenburg14521458 Prince of Lunenburg 1457–1464Ernst I of Schauenburg14581471 Henning of Haus14711481 Berthold II of Landsberg14811502 Prince-Bishop of Verden 1470–1502Eric II of Saxe-Lauenburg15031504 Prince-Bishop of Münster 1508–1522John IV of Saxe-Lauenburg15041527Balthasar Merklin15271531 Prince-Bishop of Constance 1530–1531Otto III of Schauenburg15311537 Count of Schauenburg and Holstein-Pinneberg 1544–1576 Valentin of Teutleben15371551 Frederick of Denmark15511556 not consecrated for being Lutheran; also Bishop of Schleswig 1551–1556Burkhard of Oberg15571573 Ernest II of Bavaria15731612 Prince-Bishop of Freising 1566–1612; Prince-Bishop of Liège 1581–1612; Prince-Abbot of Stablo-Malmedy 1581–1612; Elector- Archbishop of Cologne 1583–1612; Prince-Bishop of Münster 1584–1612Ferdinand of Bavaria16121650 Administrator only, due to lack of canonical qualification; Administrator of the Berchtesgaden Provostry 1594–1650; Elector of Cologne and Administrator of the Archdiocese of Cologne 1612–1650; Administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège 1612–1650; Administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster 1612–1650; Administrator of the Imperial Abbey of Stablo-Malmedy 1612–1650; Administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn 1618–1650Maximilian Henry of Bavaria16501688 Elector- Archbishop of Cologne 1650–1688; Prince-Bishop of Liège 1650–1688; Prince-Provost of Berchtesgaden 1650–1688; Prince-Abbot of Stablo-Malmedy 1657; Prince-Bishop of Münster 1683–1688Jobst Edmund of Brabeck16881702 Joseph Clemens of Bavaria17021723 Prince-Bishop of Regensburg 1685–1716; Elector- Archbishop of Cologne 1688–1723; Prince-Bishop of Freising 1685–1694; Prince-Bishop of Liège 1694–1723; Prince-Provost of Berchtesgaden 1688–1723Clemens August of Bavaria17231761 Prince-Bishop of Regensburg 1716–1719; Elector- Archbishop of Cologne 1723–1761; Prince-Bishop of Münster 1719–1761; Prince-Bishop of Paderborn 1719–1761; Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück 1728–1761 Sede vacante17611763 Friedrich Wilhelm von Westphalen17631789 Prince-Bishop of Paderborn 1782–1789Franz Egon von Fürstenberg17891825 Prince-Bishop of Paderborn 1789–1803
Bishops of Hildesheim since 1803 +This is the list of Bishops of the Diocese of HildesheimNameFromToRemarksFranz Egon of Fürstenberg17891825 Bishop of Paderborn 1789–1825Karl of Gruben18251829 administratorGotthard Joseph Osthaus18291835 Franz Ferdinand Friedrich Fritz18361840 Jakob Joseph Wandt18421849 Eduard Jakob Wedekin18501870 Administrator of Osnabrück 1855–1857 Daniel Wilhelm Sommerwerck18711905Adolf Bertram19061914Archbishop of Breslau 1914–1945Joseph Ernst19151928Nikolaus Bares19291934Bishop of Berlin 1933–1935Joseph Godehard Machens19341956Heinrich Maria Janssen19571983Josef Homeyer19832004Sede vacante20042006Norbert Trelle20062017Heiner Wilmer2018
Auxiliary bishops Johann Christiani von Schleppegrell, O.S.A. (7 Jun 1428 to 8 Oct 1468)"Bishop Johann Christiani von Schleppegrell, O.S.A." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 March 2016 Johann Anguli Wilkelmann, O.F.M. (28 November 1436) Johannes Tideln, O.P. (7 Feb 1477 to 28 Jul 1501)"Bishop Johannes Tideln, O.P. Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 March 2016 Ludwig von Siegen (bishop), O.F.M. (20 May 1502 to 13 Feb 1508)"Bishop Ludwig von Siegen, O.F.M." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 March 2016 Balthasar Fannemann (Waneman) (26 Aug 1540 to 8 Oct 1561) Nikolaus Arresdorf, O.F.M. Conv. (23 Nov 1592 to 28 Mar 1620) Johannes Pelking (Pelcking), O.F.M. Conv. (16 Dec 1619 to 28 Dec 1642) Adam Adami, O.S.B. (16 Dec 1652 to 19 Feb 1663) Johann Heinrich von Anethan (6 Jul 1665 to 13 Nov 1676) Friedrich von Tietzen-Schlütter (12 Dec 1677 to 4 Nov 1696) Maximilian Heinrich von Weichs zu Rösberg (1 Oct 1703 to 20 Sep 1723) Ernst Friedrich von Twickel (27 Sep 1724 to 17 Jan 1734) Johann Wilhelm von Twickel (27 Jun 1735 to 10 Sep 1757) Ludwig Hatteisen, O.S.B. (2 Oct 1758 to 3 Apr 1771) Johannes Bydolek (10 Sep 1949 to 18 Oct 1957) Heinrich Pachowiak (27 May 1958 to 24 Aug 1992) Adolf Kindermann (11 Jul 1966 to 23 Oct 1974) Heinrich Machens (24 Mar 1976 to 11 Feb 1994) Hans-Georg Koitz 24 Aug 1992 to 4 Dec 2010) Nikolaus Schwerdtfeger (19 Jun 1995 -) Heinz-Günter Bongartz (4 Dec 2010 -)
References