The Archdiocese of Turku is the oldest diocese in Finland. Medieval bishops of the Catholic Church were also de facto secular leaders of the country until the end of the 13th century.

After the Reformation in Scandinavia, Lutheran bishops became state officials. When Finland became a separate grand duchy, the then bishop of Turku was designated as an archbishop in 1817. Since 1868, the archbishops of Turku and Finland have been considered primates of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

Bishop Henry

Henry, Bishop of Uppsala is often mentioned in contemporary sources as the first bishop of Finland. According to legends, the English-born Henry arrived in Finland with King Eric IX of Sweden during the First Swedish Crusade, later suffering martyrdom in the 1150s. His position as Bishop of Finland is, however, totally unhistorical, and not claimed even by legends.

Catholic bishops of Finland

See article Diocese of Finland.

  • Rodulff 1156?–1178? (first mentioned in the 15th century, uncertain)
  • Fulco 1178?–1198? (first mentioned in the 15th century, uncertain)

An unnamed Bishop of Finland is mentioned dead in 1209. Papal letters to unnamed Bishops of Finland have survived from 1221, 1229 and 1232.

Catholic bishops of Turku (Åbo, Aboa)

The position Bishop of Finland was renamed Bishop of Turku, first mentioned in 1259, in a move to harmonise the name of the dioceses with other Swedish sees.

  • Ragvald I, 1258–1266
  • Catillus, 1266–1286
  • Johannes I, 1286–1290
  • Magnus I, 1291–1308
  • Ragvald II, 1309–1321
  • Benedictus II Gregor (Bengt Gregoriusson, Pentti Gregoriuksenpoika), 1321–1338
  • Hemming, 1338–1366
  • Henrik Hartmansson (Henricus Hartmannipoika), 1366–1367
  • Johannes II Petri (Johannes Pedersson, Johannes Pietarinpoika), 1367–1370
  • Johannes III Westfal, 1370–1384
  • Bero II Balk (Björn Balk), 1387–1412
  • Magnus II Tavast (Maunu Tavast), 1412–1450
  • Olaus Magni (Olof Magnusson, Olavi Maununpoika), 1450–1460
  • Konrad Bitz, 1460–1489
  • Magnus III Nicolai (Magnus Stjärnkors, Maunu Särkilahti), 1489–1500
  • Laurentius Michaelis (Lauri Suurpää), 1500–1506
  • Johannes IV Olavi (Johannes Olofsson, Johannes Olavinpoika), 1507–1510
  • Arvid Kurki, 1511–1522
  • Ericus Svenonius, 1523–1527
  • Martti Skytte. 1528–1550

Lutheran Bishops of Turku

The title "Bishop of Turku" ceased to exist in 1817. Since 1998, the Archbishop of Turku and Finland has been assisted in the diocese by a Bishop of Turku.

Archbishops of Turku and Finland

Bishop of Turku was elevated to archiepiscopal rank in 1817. The title of the see was changed to Archbishop of Turku and Finland.[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Turun piispat (n.1157–1817) sekä Turun ja Suomen arkkipiispat (1817–) Archived 11 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. Retrieved 10-11-2007. (in Finnish).
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