Temporalities or temporal goods are the secular properties and possessions of the church. The term is most often used to describe those properties (a ''
Stift'' in German or ''sticht'' in Dutch) that were used to support a
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
or other religious person or establishment. Its opposite are
spiritualities.
History
In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, the temporalities were usually those lands that were held by a bishop and used to support him. After the
Investiture Crisis was resolved, the temporalities of a diocese were usually granted to the bishop by the secular ruler after the bishop was consecrated.
If a bishop within the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
had gained secular overlordship to his temporalities imperially recognised as an
imperial state
An Imperial Estate (; , plural: ') was an entity or an individual of the Holy Roman Empire with representation and the right to vote in the Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire), Imperial Diet ('). Rulers of these Estates were able to exercise signi ...
, then the temporalities were usually called a ''
Hochstift
In the Holy Roman Empire, the German language, German term (plural: ) referred to the territory ruled by a bishop as a prince (i.e. prince-bishop), as opposed to his diocese, generally much larger and over which he exercised only spiritual auth ...
'', or an ''Erzstift'' (for an archbishop). Sometimes, this granting of the temporalities could take some time. Other times, a bishop-elect gained his temporalities even before or without his papal confirmation by an
imperial act called "
liege indult" (''Lehnsindult''). The temporalities were often confiscated by secular rulers to punish bishops.
See also
*
Post-medieval parish temporalities in England
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Temporalities
Catholic Church and finance
Catholic canon law of property