The bishop of Minden is lord of the city at the Weser crossing below the Porta Westfalica and of the church's estates, given by kings and enfeoffed by them; the castle offices that make it a territory (Petershagen, Reineberg, Rahden, Schlüsselburg) are built only between about 1250 and 1350.
In 1200 it is a small Welf-leaning see on the edge of Henry the Lion's old Saxon lands.
Who holds it
- Name
- Thietmar
- Title
- Bishop of Minden
- Since
- 1185
- Confidence
- medium
Bishop 1185-1206, later venerated as a saint. He voted for Otto at Cologne in 1198 (campaign notes). Nothing further on his lordship was found in the sources consulted.
What it holds
- Minden: the bishop's city at the Weser crossing, with the cathedral and its market
- The church's estates and rights from royal gifts and enfeoffments, not yet organised in castle districts
How it was acquired
Royal donations and enfeoffments; the territorial administration (Ämter on the castles of Rahden, Reineberg, Schalksburg, Petershagen and Schlüsselburg) comes between about 1250 and 1350.
How things stand that morning
Thietmar holds his city as a Welf ally. The see is too small to act alone.
Wealth
The Weser crossing and river trade at Minden; the cathedral's estates.
Threats
- Staufen pressure on a Welf see
- The neighbouring counts
Advocates and rivals
The Welf house (Henry the Lion's heirs, Otto IV's own family) to the east; the counts of Schaumburg, Hoya, Ravensberg and Tecklenburg around the diocese.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Only the bishop's name and dates and the later shape of the territory were found; the city is the only part drawn.
On the map: Only the city is drawn; the bishop's scattered estates in 1200 cannot be placed from the sources consulted.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.