Prince-Bishop

Prince-Bishop was the title of bishops who held, beside their inherent clerical power, considerable secular powers. The prince-bishop titles and subsequent offices were bestowed by the emperors. Prince-bishoprics were not uncommon in Germany until they were finally dissolved with the downfall of the old Empire and Holy Roman Emperor in 1806.

In England the bishop of Durham was also styled as Prince Bishop, for it was his duty not only to be head of his diocese, but also to protect the Kingdom against the Scottish threat from the north.