Three ecclesiastic
o the Archbishop of Mainz
o the Archbishop of Trier
o the Archbishop of Cologne
Four secular
o the King of Bohemia (krl esk, Knig von Bhmen)
o the Margrave of Brandenburg (Markgraf von Brandenburg)
o the Count Palatine of the Rhine (Pfalzgraf bei Rhein)
o the Duke of Saxony (Herzog von Sachsen)
The three Archbishops oversaw the most venerable and powerful sees in German lands,
while the four Dukes controlled ancient Frankish territory and held important hereditary
offices. The seven (Palatinate, Brandenburg, Saxe-Wittenberg, Bohemia, Mainz, Trier,
Cologne) have been mentioned as the vote-caster setting in the election of 1257 that
resulted in two kings becoming elected.
The Palatinate and Bavaria were originally held by the same individual, but in 1253,
they were divided between two members of the Wittelsbach dynasty. The other electors
refused to allow two princes from the same dynasty to have electoral rights, so a heated
rivalry between the Count Palatine and the Duke of Bavaria arose. Meanwhile, the King
of Bohemia, who held the ancient imperial office of Arch-Cupbearer, asserted his right
to participate in elections, but was challenged on the grounds that his kingdom was not
German, though usually he was recognized, instead of Bavaria which after all was just a
younger line of Wittelsbachs.
Already the declaration at Rhense in 1338 by six electors had the effect that election by
all or the majority of the electors automatically conferred the royal title and rule over
the empire, without papal confirmation. The Golden Bull of 1356 finally resolved the
disputes among the electors; under it, the Archbishops of Mainz, Trier, and Cologne, as
well as the King of Bohemia, the Count Palatine, the Duke of Saxony, and the Margrave
of Brandenburg held the right to elect the King.
The college's composition remained unchanged until the 17th century. In 1621, the
Elector Palatine, Frederick V, came under the imperial ban after participating in the
Bohemian Revolt (a part of the Thirty Years' War). The Elector Palatine's seat was
conferred on the Duke of Bavaria, the head of a junior branch of his family. Originally,
the Duke held the electorate personally, but it was later made hereditary along with the
duchy. When the Thirty Years' War concluded with the Treaty of Mnster (also called
the Peace of Westphalia) in 1648, a new electorate was created for the Count Palatine of
the Rhine. Since the Elector of Bavaria retained his seat, the number of electors
increased to eight; the two Wittelsbach lines now sufficiently estranged so as not to pose
a combined potential threat.
As rulers of States of the Empire, the electors enjoyed all the privileges of the other
princes, including the right to enter into alliances, autonomy in relation to dynastic
affairs and precedence over other subjects. The Golden Bull recognised certain
additional rights belonging to the electors. For instance, electors were granted a
monopoly over all mines of gold, silver, and other metals within their territories, to tax
Jews, to collect tolls, and to mint money; these powers belonged to the Emperor in the
other territories, and princes who wrongly assumed them could be deprived of their
status. Thus, the electors were among the most powerful princes in the Empire. Electors
also enjoyed several judicial powers within their territories. Their subjects could be not
be tried in the imperial courts, and appeal from their courts lay only in cases where
denial of justice was claimed.
After the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire in August 1806, the electors continued to
reign over their territories, many of them taking higher titles. The Dukes of Bavaria,
Wrttemberg, and Saxony made themselves Kings, as later did the Duke of Brunswick-
Lneburg, who was already King of Great Britain. Meanwhile, the Margrave of Baden
elevated himself to the Grand-Ducal dignity. The Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, however,
retained the meaningless title "Elector of Hesse", thus distinguishing himself from other
Hessian princes (the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt and the Landgrave of Hesse-
Homburg). Napoleon soon exiled him and Kassel was annexed to the Kingdom of
Westphalia, a new creation. The Congress of Vienna accepted that all old secular
electorates were entitled to be kingdoms, but generally did not want to accept kingship
for new, napoleon-era electorates. This was one reason why Hanover became a
kingdom. Wurttemberg, already having adopted royal rank in Napoleon era, was
ultimately not stripped of it. Baden did not even try. But the restored elector of Hesse (a
new electorate) tried to get recognition to title of king (King of Khattia), and was
unsuccessful in that pursuit. They being not willing to give up the electoral rank, this led
to the situation that this principality, which never cast an electoral vote in any imperial
election, was the one which preserved the title of prince-elector. In 1866, however, the
last Elector of Hesse was dethroned under Otto von Bismarck's plan for German
Unification.
[edit] Reichstag
The electors, like the other princes ruling States of the Empire, were members of the
Reichstag, which was divided into three collegia: the Council of Electors, the Council
of Princes, and the Council of Cities. In addition to being members of the Council of
Electors, several lay electors were therefore members of the Council of Princes as well
by virtue of other territories they possessed. In many cases, the lay electors ruled
numerous States of the Empire, and therefore held several votes in the Council of
Princes. In 1792, the King of Bohemia held three votes, the Elector of Bavaria six votes,
the Elector of Brandenburg eight votes, and the Elector of Hanover six votes. Thus, of
the hundred votes in the Council of Princes in 1792, twenty-three belonged to electors.
The lay electors therefore exercised considerable influence, being members of the small
Council of Electors and holding a significant number of votes in the Council of Princes.
The assent of both bodies was required for important decisions affecting the structure of
the Empire, such as the creation of new electorates or States of the Empire.
In addition to voting by colleges or councils, the Reichstag also voted on religious lines,
as provided for by the Peace of Westphalia. The Archbishop of Mainz presided over the
Catholic body, or corpus catholicorum, while the Elector of Saxony presided over the
Protestant body, or corpus evangelicorum. The division into religious bodies was on the
basis of the official religion of the state, and not of its rulers. Thus, even when the
Electors of Saxony were Catholics during the eighteenth century, they continued to
preside over the corpus evangelicorum, since the state of Saxony was officially
Protestant.
[edit] Elections
Main article: Imperial election
The individual chosen by the electors assumed the title "King of the Romans", though
he actually reigned in Germany. The King of the Romans became Holy Roman Emperor
only when crowned by the Pope. On many occasions, a Pope refused to crown a king
with whom he was engaged in a dispute, but a lack of a papal coronation deprived a
king of only the title Emperor and not of the power to govern (cf Declaration at
Rhense). The Habsburg dynasty stopped the practice of papal coronations. After Charles
V, all individuals chosen by the electors were merely "Emperors elect".
The electors were originally summoned by the Archbishop of Mainz within one month
of an Emperor's death, and met within three months of being summoned. During the
interregnum, imperial power was exercised by two imperial vicars. Each vicar, in the
words of the Golden Bull, was "the administrator of the empire itself, with the power of
passing judgments, of presenting to ecclesiastical benefices, of collecting returns and
revenues and investing with fiefs, of receiving oaths of fealty for and in the name of the
holy empire". The Elector of Saxony was vicar in areas operating under Saxon law
(Saxony, Westphalia, Hanover, and northern Germany), while the Elector Palatine was
vicar in the remainder of the Empire (Franconia, Swabia, the Rhine, and southern
Germany). The Elector of Bavaria replaced the Elector Palatine in 1623, but when the
latter was granted a new electorate in 1648, there was a dispute between the two as to
which was vicar. In 1659, both purported to act as vicar, but the other vicar recognised
the Elector of Bavaria. Later, the two electors made a pact to act as joint vicars, but the
Reichstag rejected the agreement. In 1711, while the Elector of Bavaria was under the
ban of the Empire, the Elector Palatine again acted as vicar, but his cousin was restored
to his position upon his restoration three years later. Finally, in 1745, the two agreed to
alternate as vicars, with Bavaria starting first. This arrangement was upheld by the
Reichstag in 1752. In 1777 the question became moot when the Elector Palatine
inherited Bavaria. On many occasions, however, there was no interregnum, as a new
king had been elected during the lifetime of the previous Emperor.
Frankfurt regularly served as the site of the election from the fifteenth century on, but
elections were also held at Cologne (1531), Regensburg (1575 and 1636), and Augsburg
(1653 and 1690). An elector could appear in person or could appoint another elector as
his proxy. More often, an electoral suite or embassy was sent to cast the vote; the
credentials of such representatives were verified by the Archbishop of Mainz, who
presided over the ceremony. The deliberations were held at the city hall, but voting
occurred in the cathedral. In Frankfurt, a special electoral chapel, or Wahlkapelle, was
used for elections. Under the Golden Bull, a majority of electors sufficed to elect a king,
and each elector could cast only one vote. Electors were free to vote for whomsoever
they pleased (including themselves), but dynastic considerations played a great part in
the choice. Electors drafted a Wahlkapitulation, or electoral capitulation, which was
presented to the king-elect. The capitulation may be described as a contract between the
princes and the king, the latter conceding rights and powers to the electors and other
princes. Once an individual swore to abide by the electoral capitulation, he assumed the
office of King of the Romans.
In the 10th and 11th centuries, princes often acted merely to confirm hereditary
succession in the Saxon (Ottonian) and Franconian (Salian) dynasties, whereas
beginning from the actual forming of the prince-elector class, elections became less
secure (wit the election of 1125), though the Staufen dynasty managed to get its sons
formally elected in their fathers' lifetimes almost as a formality. After these lines ended
in extinction, the electors began to elect kings from different families so that the throne
would not once again settle within a single dynasty. For some two centuries, the
monarchy was elective both in theory and in practice; the arrangement, however, did not
last, since the powerful House of Habsburg managed to secure succession within their
dynasty during the fifteenth century. All kings elected from 1438 onwards were from
among the Habsburg Archdukes of Austria (and later Kings of Hungary and Bohemia)
until 1740, when the archduchy was inherited by a woman, Maria Theresa. A
representative of the House of Wittelsbach became elected for a short period of time,
but in 1745, Maria Theresa's husband, Francis I of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty,
became King; all of his successors were also from the same family. Hence, for the
greater part of the Empire's history, the role of the electors was largely ceremonial.
Imperial
Augmentation German Latin Elector
office
Archi
Erzmundschenk Archipincerna King of Bohemia
Mayordomo
Elector Palatine to
1623
Elector of Bavaria,
Archi 16231706
Erztruchse Archidapifer
Seneschal Elector Palatine,
170614
Elector of Bavaria,
17141806
Arch
Erzmarschall Archimarescallus Elector of Saxony
Mariscal
Archi Elector of
Erzkmmerer Archicamerarius
Camarero Brandenburg
Elector Palatine,
16481706
Elector of Hanover,
Archi 171014
Erzschatzmeister Archithesaurarius
Tesorero Elector Palatine,
171477
Elector of Hanover,
17771814
Elector of Hanover,
Archi
Erzbannertrger Archivexillarius 170810 and 1714
Banderero
77
Each elector held a "High Office of the Empire" and was a member of the
(ceremonial) Imperial Household.
The three spiritual electors were all Arch-Chancellors (German: Erzkanzler,
Latin: archicancellarius): the Archbishop of Mainz was Arch-Chancellor of
Germany, the Archbishop of Trier was Arch-Chancellor of Burgundy, and the
Archbishop of Cologne was Arch-Chancellor of Italy.
Senescal es un gran funcionario de palacio. El cargo de senescal exista en la
mayor parte de las cortes reales o principados medievales de la Europa
occidental. Segn las regiones o los pases, el cometido del senescal era
diferente. La palabra senescal procede del vocablo latino senex (anciano) y
vocablo germnico skalk (servidor), y significa "servidor de ms edad", "decano
de los servidores".
Medio: se divide
frontal (cuadro 4): Conde de Moers: en un bar de oro negro
espalda (cuadro 5): Bergen op Zoom: una vez en los 14 Marcos siglo se form al norte del condado de Amberes Brabante pequea en el borde del
Ducado.
El Marquisat Bergen op Zoom - los dueos de la ciudad se pueden ejecutar desde 1533 el ttulo de Marqus - lleg por herencia Sulzbach 1728.
Johann Christian Joseph von Pfalz-Sulzbach estaba casado con Marie Anne Henritte Leopoldine Tour de La d'Auvergne, una sobrina nieta del
mariscal francs Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vizconde de Turenne, antiguos propietarios de Bergen op Zoom. Su hijo era el Elector Palatino
despus, Karl Theodor. 1728-1747 y 1748-1795 Karl Theodor era en realidad marqus de Bergen op Zoom, desde 1747 la ciudad fue conquistada
por los franceses de 1748 anul la Paz de Aquisgrn volver en 1795 pasa de nuevo a los franceses, desocupado 1814.
Escudo: En rojo a verde tres suspendido por tres (2-1), Andrs Cruz (Flanchis).
a continuacin: tres dividida
Recuadro 6: El Condado de Mark Plata: En un rojo dorado vigas geschachter.
Seccin 7: Condado de Veldenz: en plata, un len azul, armados y coronado de oro. En 1444 el castillo cay y sus alrededores durante cientos de
aos para el conde palatino de Simmern, que lo cedi en 1559 en Zweibrcken.
Recuadro 8: Sponheim, geschacht rojo-plata. 1437 fue compartido por los condes de Veldenz y el Margrave de Baden Sponheim virtud de un
contrato a partir del ao 1425 (Benheimer decisin). Hasta 1707, pero el verdadero frente Sponheim condado se dividi entre Baden y el
Palatinado de 1776 trasero del condado Sponheim entre Baden y Palatinado-Zweibrcken.
Los campos 1 y 4: Pfalz: en negro un len de oro, coronado de gules y armado azur. Antiguo escudo de armas del conde palatino del Rin. Despus
de la investidura de la Luis duque de Baviera en 1214 como Condado Palatino, sirvi como smbolo de la Vieja Wittelsbach Palatino y Baviera
El campo 2 y 3: Casa de Wittelsbach: a cuadros oblicuos de plata y azul. Originalmente (desde 1204) fue la cresta de los condes de Bogen, pero
fue adquirido por los Wittelsbach en 1247 como maestro de armas.
el Erztruchsessenamt. Corazn del escudo en gules un orbe de oro.
A los brazos del Collar de la Orden del Toisn de Oro (cadena interna):
o Fecha de fundacin: 10/01/1430 por Felipe el Bueno, duque de Borgoa, con motivo del matrimonio con la princesa Isabel de Portugal en Brujas.
Sinnimos: Orden de la Toison d'or. Fue la Orden de la Cmara de Burgunderherzge, pero fue tras su desaparicin definitiva sobre 1477 a la
Casa de Habsburgo. Hasta 1477 fue Carlos el Temerario ejecutar. 1700, la divisin de orden de Felipe V y Carlos VI en dos lneas, una espaola
de los Borbones y una rama austraca. Adems de la Orden de Ingls de la Liga jugado la Orden del Toisn de Oro, el papel de uno de los mejores
de la cristiandad, que no slo es debido a la exclusividad del crculo de los elegidos, pero tambin en parte a la memoria del glorioso reino de
Borgoa y la otra en el doble importancia de la dinasta de los Habsburgo en Espaa y el Imperio Romano. El nombre de la Orden tiene dos races
mitolgicas, en primer lugar, la Geden Antiguo Testamento Begnadungswunder con el carnero Dewy's, se roba la segunda, la antigua leyenda
griega de los Argonautas, donde Jason el Vellocino de Oro de Clquida, y en una piel de oveja, que fue utilizado para el lavado de oro, y en el
Flugoldflitter capturados, la multa, el fondo es.
o La insignia es un carnero de oro de (velln), que cuelga de un esmalte azul, flammenspeienden Feuerstein. La cadena se compone de dos tipos
de miembros: 1) dos aceros fuego, con el golpe hacia el exterior y los bordes junto con los mangos colindan entre s o unidas entre s, 2) de arriba
hacia abajo brotaban llamas Feuerstein. A mediados de pedernal en la que la lana depende, se encuentra en Austria en una banda de oro, un
cazador de dragones y la liquidacin del nodo del lema "vil Laborum Pretium no" (no mdico precio de mano de obra), en Espaa el nudo tortuoso
de oro no es inscripcin. Bomberos de acero y el pedernal y el anillo se lo maltratadas radio antes de la fundacin de la Orden de la privada de
divisas duque Felipe de Borgoa. El nmero de eslabones de la cadena es 31 (sin contar el enlace a la lana), los miembros correspondientes de
los 30 originales, con la Ordenssouvern an miembro se cuentan por separado, probablemente ms por razones de simetra. Este concepto de
orden de la cadena, poner fin a la mutua miembros de la Orden, a la mutua de los miembros individuales en un todo inseparable, era un modelo
para futuros pedidos. Curiosamente, el uso de un simple aparatos cotidianos como el acero y el pedernal el fuego y los smbolos religiosos, es
natural para entender el funcionamiento bsico de fuego de decisiones como una reivindicacin simblica a la luz y el calor en la oscuridad del
mundo para llevar.
Funciones y Caractersticas o: Una cruz de oro, blanca de ocho puntas, con botones dorados en las puntas. Frente en medio de un escudo de oro
con la Hubertus el lugar del siniestro, un arbusto de color verde, del que sobresale un medio natural de venado, entre los cuernos tienen una cruz
roja. Antes de la de San Huberto de rodillas, con halo. La transcripcin en un crculo rojo con letras de oro: En mucho bien (en la fidelidad fijo).
Desde los ngulos de la cruz de cada dar lugar a tres rayos dorados. En el reverso un orbe con la cruz en forma de un globo, se trata de la
inscripcin: En memoria recuperatae dignitatis avita. Con la cruz de la cadena est unida por una corona de oro. La cadena se compone de 42
miembros de dos tipos, de los cuales 21 son miembros de la placa (primer tipo), ms ancho que largo. Cada una de estas placas lleva en un
esmalte blanco, marco con montura de oro la escena Hubertus de oro, detrs de un medio pequea montaa mirando ciervo con la cruz en la
cornamenta, frente a un perro de caza y Hubert San arrodillado a su derecha, un sirviente con parcialmente visible la caza a caballo. Segundo
miembros Tipo: TV Serpenteando iniciales, que la Orden en buena vasto intercambio (en la fidelidad valor fijo). Estos miembros se celebran
alternativamente en verde y rojo y oro tomado.
Orden de San Jorge, correcto "Orden militar-caballero-Casa de San Jorge (cadena tercero desde el interior, Resolucin de la Cmara):
o Fue fundada por el prncipe elector Karl Albrecht en 3/20/1729.
Caractersticas oy Caractersticas: de ocho puntas, weibordiertes cruz azul con la bola de oro extremos, con picos de ngulo similar, que llevan
sobre un fondo azul, las iniciales V, I, B, I: Virginie Inmaculada Inmaculada Baviera - La Virgen Inmaculada, la Baviera Inmaculada. A la inversa, el
color azul de la cruz se sustituye por el rojo, y nos encontramos con otras iniciales en las esquinas: I, V, P, Q: Justus Vt Palma es Florebit - El
florecer justo como la palma. El medalln de oro con la imagen de San Jorge y el dragn verde dentro de una corona de laurel. La conexin con el
collar es la cabeza de un len de oro, tomadas con una de oro, la garganta azul, cado de media luna. La cadena est compuesta por tres
miembros: un tiro) entre las dos partes 90 coronas de oro una inscripcin cartela rectangular. El lema es: En fe et justitia fortudine - en verdad, la
justicia y coraje. Estos puntos se distribuyen en los trminos correspondientes del tipo 1: IN - FIDE - JVS - TI - AIT - ET - FOR - TITV - DINE. Por
encima y por debajo de la tabla podemos ver de color rojo, las llamas de oro captado paquete. 2) que descansa sobre dos adornos mentir Wake
(diamantes, Querrauten), cada uno dividido por un Schrgkreuz en cuatro despertador, dos blancos, dos azules. 3) Sobre la base de oro, una
columna blanca con capiteles de oro, es un orbe de oro. La columna est flanqueada por dos de oro, de pie, frente a los leones a la columna, que
lleva un blanco visual izquierdo, antorcha de oro, ardor, la ptica derecha lleva una hoja de sable azul en la pata abierta.