Meaning: Stift van Breemen [closed]

Question

Hope I used the right tags here. Or category. Anyway, here goes.

In a 1684 Amsterdam marriage record I have a bride from the "Stift van Breemen". I assume she was from what is nowadays known as Bremen, Germany, but I'm not sure what to make of the word ''stift'' here. I found it in combination with other place names through Google, but I was unable to find what it might mean. Can anyone shed a light? Thanks.

Mariska

Comments

Thanks to everyone who left an answer and took the time to help me out with this.

Answer 1

Until 1648 the archbishop of Bremen was also the secular lord of a territory surrounding Bremen, which was known as "Stift [or more properly Erzstift] Bremen"; after 1648 this was known as the Duchy of Bremen. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince-Archbishopric_of_Bremen

Comments

From 1648 to 1712 this territory was ruled by the Swedes, which is perhaps why a groom from Gothenburg in Sweden would marry a bride from this territory.

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Thank you, it makes a lot more sense to me now. I was very excited to find this record, since they are my 7th g.g.parents. It was also nice to finally find the 8.1% Scandinavian dna 23andme insisted I had.

Answer 2

From "A Geographical Dictionary representing the present and ancient names of all..." page 59 of 437 pages. Published in London in 1693.

"...Bremen, Brema, is a very potent City in the lower Circle of Saxony in Germany; made more renowned by the Archbishops See, instead of Hamburg. It stands upon the River Wiser, a Free Town, and under no Prince; with a small Territory about it called Strift van Bremen..."

Answer 3

If I understand correctly, it is the word stift as in diocese. Same in Swedish.

Comments

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stift