The Bishopric of Pomesania (German: Bistum Pomesanien; Polish: Diecezja pomezańska) was a Latin Catholic diocese in the Prussian regions of Pomesania and Pogesania, in northern modern Poland.
It was founded as a Roman Catholic diocese in 1243 by the papal legate William of Modena.
The bishops, whose seat was Prabuty (Riesenburg), ruled one third of diocesan territory as his temporality. The diocesan cathedral chapter met in the fortified cathedral of Kwidzyn (Marienwerder). In the 1280s the Teutonic Order succeeded to impose the simultaneous membership of all capitular canons in the Order thus winning influence in the diocese and in the capitular elections of the bishops. So the temporality of Pomesania's bishop did not develop the status of a prince-bishopric and was ruled as part of Teutonic Prussia.
Beginning in 1523 during the Protestant Reformation, the diocese was effectively administered by Lutheran bishops until 1587, when the diocese was secularized by the regent of Ducal Prussia, George Frederick.
However the Catholic diocese was only formally suppressed in 1763, having remained vacant since 1524 except for 'temporary' Apostolic administrators since 1601.
The diocesan area outside of Ducal Prussia remained Catholic and on 1601.04.19 joined the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chełmno (Bishopric of Kulm=Culm in German; now Peplin in Polish).
Ernst, Dominican Order (O.P.) (1248/49– death 1259?60)Albert Friars Minor (O.F.M.) (1259? – death 1285?86)Heinrich (1277/78–1292) (Counter bishop)Heinrich von Pomesanien (1286 – death 1303)Christian (1303.05.16 – death 1306.07.22)Ludeko von Pomesanien = Lutho von Baldersheim (1319.12.03 – death 1321.08.28)Rudolf (1322.03.05 – death 1332)Bertold von Riesenburg (1332 – death 1346.11.28?)Arnold (1347.06.04 – death 1360.01.29?)Nikolaus von Radam (1360.04.20 – death 1376.11.27)Johannes Mönch (1378.02.16 – death 1409.03.07)Johannes Rymann (1409.07.24 – death 1417.09.04)Gerhard Stolpmann (1418.05.09 – death 1427.07.22)Johannes von Mewe = Johann von Heilsberg (1427.10.13 – death 1440.07.18)Kaspar Linke (1440 – death 1463.10.28) ? Nikolaus (1480.04.14 – 1501.04.10)?(administrator) Vincent Kielbasa (1467–1478)Johannes Christiani von Lessen = Johann Christian von Lessen (1480.04.14 – death 1501.04.10)Hiob von Dobeneck (1501–1521), Teutonic order( O.T.) (1501.08.27 – 1521.05.25) ? George of Polentz (1521–1523)BIO TO COMPLETE
Apostolic Administrator Achille Grassi (1521.08.09 – 1523.11.22), also/previously Bishop of Città di Castello (Italy) (1506.02.14 – 1515), created Cardinal-Priest of S. Sisto (1511.03.17 – 1517.07.06), Bishop of Bologna (Italy) (1511.05.30 – 1518.01.08), Camerlengo of Sacred College of Cardinals (1517 – 1518.01.08), transferred Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria in Trastevere (1517.07.06 – 1523.11.22), also Apostolic Administrator of Bologna (Italy) (1518.03.03 – 1523.11.22)Erhard von Queis (apparently no proper papal mandate- cfr. infra) (1523 – 1524)BIOs TO COMPLETE
Nicolò Ridolfi (1523.11.22 – ?; cfr. supra)Wawrzyniec Gembicki (1601.04.19 – 1610.04.19)Maciej Konopacki (1611 – 1613)Jan Kuczborski (1614 – 1624)Jakub Zadzik (1624.12.02 – 1635.11.29)Jan Lipski (1636 – 1639)Kasper Działyński (1639 – 1646)Andrzej Leszczyński (1646.12.03 – 1653.01.08)Jan Gembicki (1653.04.21 – 1655.05.11)Adam Kos (1657.11.11 – 1661.02.11)Andrzej Olszowski (1661.08.08 – 1674.10.01)Jan Kazimierz Opaliński, Cistercians (O. Cist.) (1681.11.17 – 1693.07.22)Kazimierz Szczuka (1693.10.05 – 1694.06.30)Teodor Andrzej Potocki ( 1699.04.11 – 1712.06.10)Jan Kazimierz de Alten Bokum (1719.07.30 – 1721.06.30)Feliks Ignacy Kretowski (1723.08.30 – 1730.12.06)Andrzej Stanisław Załuski (1723.11.22 – 1736.11.19)Thomaz Franciszek Czapski, O. Cist. (1730.12.06 – 1733.04.23)Adam Stanisław Grabowski (1736.09.26 – 1739.07.15)Wojciech Stanisław Leski, O. Cist. (1747.04.10 – 1758.09.19)Andrzej Ignacy Baier (1759.02.12 – 1763)In October 2014 the Catholic diocese was nominally restored as Titular bishopric of Pomezania (Polish) / Pomesania (Curiate Italian) / Pomesanien (German) / Latin adjective Pomesanien(sis).
It has had the following incumbent(s), of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank :
Adam Wodarczyk (2014.12.13 – ...), as Auxiliary Bishop of Katowice (Poland) (2014.12.13 – ...).Beginning in 1523 during the Protestant Reformation, the diocese was effectively administered by Lutheran bishops. In 1587, the diocese was secularized by the regent of Ducal Prussia, George Frederick.
The Lutheran incumbents were :
George of Polentz (de:Georg von Polenz) (from 1523 first Lutheran Bishop)Erhard of Queis (1523–1525)Paul Speratus (1530–1551)Georg von Venediger (1567–1574)Johannes Wigand (1575–1587)
