The Principality of Halberstadt (german: link=no, Fürstentum Halberstadt) was a state of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...

ruled by Brandenburg-Prussia. It replaced the Bishopric of Halberstadt after its secularization in 1648. Its capital was

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bomb ...

. In 1807, the principality was made a state or regional capital of the Kingdom of Westphalia. In 1813, control of the principality was restored, and its sovereign rights were confirmed as the possession of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

History

According to the

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought pe ...

of 1648, the former prince-bishopric was secularized as the Principality of Halberstadt and together with

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...

, Minden and Cammin given to the

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 squ ...

Elector Frederick William I of Hohenzollern as a compensation for

Western Pomerania Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, West ...

, which in the aftermath of the Brandenburg-Pomeranian conflict he had to cede to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

. This agreement was negotiated by Frederick William's representative

Joachim Friedrich von Blumenthal Joachim Friedrich von Blumenthal (1606 in Berlin – 1657 in Halberstadt) was a German nobleman. He was a diplomat and the founder of the Brandenburg-Prussian Army. The son of Christoph von Blumenthal and his wife Dorothea von Hacke, and the fi ...

, who in reward was appointed Halberstadt's first secular governor. Dompropstei 1

The newly created Principality of Halberstadt consisted of the territory around the historic towns of Osterwieck and Halberstadt, the former Principality of Anhalt-Aschersleben, the former County of Regenstein including Heimburg Castle and the County of Falkenstein. The Lordship of Derenburg was added in 1701, Hasserode acquired from Stolberg-Wernigerode in 1714 and after the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon ...

in 1815, the Principality of Halberstadt obtained the Barony of Schauen and the Lordship of Hessenrode. Lost territories included

Weferlingen Weferlingen is a village and a former municipality in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Low ...

, which King Frederick I in 1703 ceded to his cousin

Christian Heinrich of Brandenburg-Bayreuth-Kulmbach Christian Heinrich of Brandenburg-Bayreuth-Kulmbach (29 July 1661, in Bayreuth – 5 April 1708, in Weferlingen), was a German prince and member of the House of Hohenzollern and nominal Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth-Kulmbach. Family He was t ...

, a subdivision of the County of Hohenstein about the same time and

Stapelburg Stapelburg is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the Nordharz municipality. Geography It is located at the northern foot of the Harz mountain range and Ha ...

left to Stolberg-Wernigerode in 1727. The Principality of Halberstadt was dissolved according to the 1807 Treaty of Tilsit following

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

's defeat in the War of the Fourth Coalition. Its territory became part of the Kingdom of Westphalia, a Napoleonic client-state under his younger brother Jérôme. After the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

final defeat at Waterloo, the principality was restored to Prussia in 1813 and incorporated into the new Province of Saxony in 1817. Prussian monarchs of the House of Hohenzollern continued to style themselves as "Princes of ..Halberstadt" until 191

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halberstadt 1807 disestablishments in Germany

Principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall un ...

Subdivisions of Prussia Principalities of the Holy Roman Empire States and territories established in 1648 Former principalities 1648 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire