Diocese of Verden

The diocese was centered on the city of Verden an der Aller in what is today the state of Lower Saxony, Germany.

Following the Thirty Years' War, Verden, along with the neighbouring sees of Minden and Bremen, fell into the hands of Protestants.

The abbey established a missionary centre in Verden an der Aller to assist in the conversion of the Saxons to Christianity.

In 985, Empress Theophanu, acting as regent for the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, granted the Bishop of Verden the privilege to hold a market, to mint coins, and to raise taxes.

Since the Investiture Controversy of the 11th and 12th centuries, it became the settled practice in the Holy Roman Empire for diocesan bishops to be elected by their cathedral chapters.

The incumbents of the see held the following titles over the years: During the Protestant Reformation, the cathedral chapter of Verden began to elect candidates who did not conform to canon law (i.e. they were not validly ordained or they failed to secure papal confirmation).

In 1630, by the terms of the Edict of Restitution, a Catholic bishop was appointed — Franz Wilhelm, Count von Wartenberg.