Bishopric of Warmia was one of the bishoprics found by Teutonic Order on the area of newly conquered Prussia. The name Warmia, came from the tribe of Baltic Prussians.

Warmia was one of four dioceses created in 1242 by the papal legate William of Modena. The other three dioceses were Culmland, Pomesania and Sambia). All four dioceses, including Warmia, came under the rule of the archbishop of Riga. Warmia later became an exempt bishopric, ruled by Prince-Bishops, after 1466 subject of the King of Poland. Some of its most notable prince-bishops were Lucas Watzenrode, uncle of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, and Enea Silvio Piccolomini, later Pope Pius II.

Second Treaty of Thorn (1466) removed the bishopric from the protectorate of the Teutonic Knights and placed it under the sovereignty of the King of Poland. The bishopric was the one of the administrative units in the borders of Royal Prussia. This was confirmed in the Treaty of Piotrkow (December 7, 1512), which conceded to the King of Poland a limited influence in the election of bishops. The bishopric became a part of a Polish province of the church and bishops were usually Poles

At the time of the 1772 Partitions of Poland Warmia was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia, province of East Prussia. The last bishop, Ignacy Krasicki, a Polish writer, was nominated to Gniezno Archbishopric. Since that time, the bisopry ceased to be administrative unit and the property of the bishopry was confisquated by the Prussian king.

Bishops of Warmia were now nominated by the Prussians and Catholic institutions suppressed. Most of bishops following the partitions of Poland, where German nationals.

In 1829 the diocese were extended to cover the areas lost during Reformation, as well as the whole of the former Diocese of Sambia, five deaneries of the former Diocese of Pomesania. In 1854 the country surrounding Kwidzyn were also incorporated to the diocese.

The area of the diocese were populated by about 2,000,000, including 327,567 Catholics 1901.

Maximilian Kaller, the Bishop of Ermland, had been forced to leave his office by the Nazi SS in February 1945, during heavy attacks by the Red Army on Germany. After WW2, according to Potsdam agreement southern part of the diocese became Polish, while northern part were annexed by SU. After the heaviest actions by the Red Army subsided, a number of Germans including Bishop Kaller returned.

However, WW2 created deep rift between Polish and German Catholics and Bishop Kaller was then kept from continuing his duties by Cardinal August Hlond. Eventually, Maximilian Kaller made it as a refugee to western Germany, occupied by the Western allies. In 1946 Bishop Kaller received 'Special Authority as Bishop for the Deported Germans' from Pope Pius XII where "Deported Germans" means Preußishers.

External links

• Memorial website, listing names of the dead: