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Church of the nobility
(1,879 words)

1. Noble exclusivity and ecclesiastical hierarchy

The designation Church of the Nobility applies to those parts of the (Catholic) Church that were dominated by the nobility, and the benefices of which were in the hands of the nobility. From the early Middle Ages, nobles had already held most of the highest ecclesiastical offices, while the rank of cardinal, bishop, or abbot and other ecclesiastical di…

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Wieland, Christian, “Church of the nobility”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_016581>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20160907



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