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The
Holy Roman Empire was a highly decentralized state for most of its history, composed of hundreds of smaller states, most of which operated with some degree of independent sovereignty. Although in the earlier part of the Middle Ages, under the
Salian and
Hohenstaufen emperors, it was relatively centralized, as time went on the Emperor lost more and more power to the Princes. The membership of the
Imperial Diet in 1792, late in the Empire's history but before the beginning of the
French Revolutionary Wars , gives some insight as to the composition of the Holy Roman Empire at that time.
Structure of the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire in 1792
The year 1792 was just before the vast changes inspired by the
French Revolutionary incursions into Germany. The empire was, at that time, divided into several thousand immediate (unmittelbar ) territories, but only about three hundred of these had
Landeshoheit (the special sort of quasi-sovereignty enjoyed by the states of the Empire), and had representation in the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire (
German Reichstag ). The Imperial Diet was divided into three so-called collegia —the Council of
Electors , the Council of Princes, and the Council of Cities. As those who received votes had gradually changed over the centuries, many princes held more than one vote. Certain territories which had once held votes in the Diet, as for instance the
County of Waldeck or the
United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg , no longer retained them, due to the extinction of a dynasty or other causes.
The Council of Electors
The council included the following eight members:
The Council of Princes
This is ordered based on the official order of voting in the Diet:
The Ecclesiastical Bench
The
Archbishop of Salzburg (
Hieronymus von Colloredo )
The
Archbishop of Besançon (vacant seat )
The Grand Master of the
Teutonic Order (
Maximilian Franz of Austria , the Elector of Cologne)
The
Bishop of Bamberg (
Franz Ludwig von Erthal , also Prince-Bishop of Würzburg)
The
Bishop of Würzburg (Franz Ludwig von Erthal, also Prince-Bishop of Bamberg)
The
Bishop of Worms (
Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal , the Elector of Mainz)
The
Bishop of Eichstätt (
Joseph von Stubenberg )
The
Bishop of Speyer (
August Philip of Limburg Stirum )
The
Bishop of Strassburg (
Louis-René-Edouard de Rohan-Guéménée )
The
Bishop of Constance (
Maximilian Christof von Rodt )
The
Bishop of Augsburg (
Clemens Wenzeslaus of Saxony , the Elector of Trier)
The
Bishop of Hildesheim (
Franz Egon von Fürstenberg , also Prince-Bishop of Paderborn)
The
Bishop of Paderborn (Franz Egon von Fürstenberg), also Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim)
The
Bishop of Freising (
Joseph Konrad von Schroffenberg-Mös , also Prince-Bishop of Regensburg)
The
Bishop of Regensburg (Joseph Konrad von Schroffenberg-Mös, also Prince-Bishop of Freising)
The
Bishop of Passau (
Joseph Franz Anton von Auersperg )
The
Bishop of Trent (
Peter Michael Vigilius von Thun-Hohenstein )
The
Bishop of Brixen (
Karl Franz von Lodron )
The
Bishop of Basel (
Franz Joseph Sigismund von Roggenbach )
The
Bishop of Münster (Maximilian Francis of Austria, the Elector of Cologne)
The
Bishop of Osnabrück (notable as, after 1648, it alternated between
Protestant and
Roman Catholic incumbents) (
Frederick Augustus of Brunswick-Lüneburg )
The
Bishop of Liège (Prince-Bishop
César-Constantin-François de Hoensbroeck )
The
Bishop of Lübeck (a Protestant bishopric) (
Peter Friedrich Ludwig of Holstein-Gottorp )
The
Bishop of Chur (
Franz Dionysius von Rost )
The
Bishop of Fulda (
Adalbert von Harstall )
The
Abbot of Kempten (
Ruprecht von Neuenstein )
The Provost of
Ellwangen (
Clemens Wenzeslaus of Saxony , the Elector of Trier)
The Grand Master of the
Order of St. John (
Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc )
The
Provost of Berchtesgaden (Joseph Konrad von Schroffenberg-Mös, the Prince-Bishop of Freising and Regensburg)
The Provost of
|Weissenburg (August Philip of Limburg Stirum, the Prince-Bishop of Speyer)
The Abbot of
Prüm (Clemens Wenzeslaus of Saxony, the Elector of Trier)
The Abbot of
Stablo (
Célestin Thys )
The Abbot of
Corvey (
Theodor von Brabeck )
A single vote for the College of the Prelates of
Swabia ; see below
A single vote for the College of the Prelates of the
Rhine ; see below
These last two were groups of lesser abbots, who together had a joint vote. Unlike those who had a full vote, they were not considered fully sovereign.
The Secular Bench
The
Duke of Bavaria (
Charles Theodore , also Elector Palatine)
The Duke of
Magdeburg (
Frederick William II , also King of Prussia)
The Count Palatine of
Kaiserslautern (Charles Theodore, also Elector Palatine)
The Count Palatine of
Simmern (Charles Theodore, also Elector Palatine)
The Count Palatine of
Neuburg (Charles Theodore, also Elector Palatine)
The Duke of
Bremen (
George III , also King of Great Britain and Ireland and Elector of Hanover)
The Duke of
Zweibrücken (
Carl II August )
The Count Palatine of
Veldenz (Charles Theodore, also Elector Palatine)
The Duke of
Saxe-Weimar (
Carl August , also Duke of Saxe-Eisenach)
The Duke of
Saxe-Eisenach (Carl August, also Duke of Saxe-Weimar)
The Duke of
Saxe-Coburg (two branches of the Wettin family split this vote:
The Duke of
Saxe-Gotha (
Ernest II , also Duke of Saxe-Altenburg)
The Duke of
Saxe-Altenburg (Ernest II, also Duke of Saxe-Gotha)
The Margrave of Brandenburg-
Ansbach (Frederick William II, also King of Prussia)
The Margrave of Brandenburg-
Bayreuth (Frederick William II, also King of Prussia)
The Duke of
Brunswick-Celle (George III, also King of Great Britain and Ireland and Elector of Hanover)
The Duke of
Brunswick-Kalenberg (George III, also King of Great Britain and Ireland and Elector of Hanover)
The Duke of
Brunswick-Grubenhagen (George III, also King of Great Britain and Ireland and Elector of Hanover)
The Duke of
Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (
Charles William Ferdinand )
The Prince of
Halberstadt (Frederick William II, also King of Prussia)
The Duke of
Farther Pomerania (Frederick William II, also King of Prussia)
The Duke of
Upper Pomerania (
Gustav III , also King of
Sweden )
The Prince of
Verden (George III, also King of Great Britain and Ireland and Elector of Hanover)
The Duke of
Mecklenburg-Schwerin (
Frederick Francis I )
The Duke of
Mecklenburg-Güstrow (Frederick Francis I, also Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin)
The Duke of
Württemberg (
Karl Eugen )
The Landgrave of
Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) (
William IX )
The Landgrave of
Hesse-Darmstadt (
Louis X )
The Margrave of
Baden-Baden (
Charles Frederick , Margrave of
Baden )
The Margrave of
Baden-Durlach (Charles Frederick, Margrave of Baden)
The Margrave of
Baden-Hachberg (Charles Frederick, Margrave of Baden)
The Duke of
Holstein (
Christian VII , also King of
Denmark )
The Duke of
Saxe-Lauenburg (George III, also King of Great Britain and Ireland and Elector of Hanover)
The Prince of
Minden (Frederick William II, also King of Prussia)
The
Duke of Oldenburg (
Peter Frederick William )
The
Duke of Savoy (
Victor Amadeus III , also King of
Sardinia )
The Landgrave of
Leuchtenberg (Charles Theodore, also Elector Palatine)
The Duke of
Anhalt (4 branches split the vote -
The Princely Count of
Henneberg (this vote was divided among the various branches of the House of
Wettin —
The Prince of
Schwerin (Frederick Francis I, also Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin)
The Prince of
Kammin (Frederick William II, also King of Prussia)
The Prince of
Ratzeburg (
Adolphus Frederick IV , also Duke of
Mecklenburg-Strelitz )
The Prince of
Hersfeld (
William IX , also Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel)
The Prince of
Nomény (to the House of
Lorraine ; Emperor Leopold II, also King of Bohemia, etc.)
The Prince of
Mömpelgard (Montbéliard) (
Charles Eugene , also Duke of Württemberg)
The Duke of
Arenberg (
Louis Engelbert )
The Prince of
Hohenzollern-Hechingen (
Josef Friedrich Wilhelm )
The Prince of
Lobkowitz (
Joseph Franz Maximilian )
The Prince of
Salm (there were two branches of this family, who split the vote:
The Prince of
Dietrichstein -
Tarasp (
Karl Johann )
The Prince of
Nassau-Hadamar (
William V , also
Prince of Orange and
Stadtholder of the
United Provinces )
The Prince of
Nassau-Dillenburg (
William V , also
Prince of Orange and
Stadtholder of the
United Provinces )
The Prince of
Auersperg (
Karl Josef Anton )
The Prince of
East Frisia (
Frederick William II , also King of Prussia)
The Prince of
Fürstenberg (
Joseph Maria Benedict ) (
de )
The Prince of
Schwarzenberg (
Joseph II )
The Prince of
Liechtenstein (
Aloys I )
The Prince of
Thurn und Taxis (
Karl Anselm )
The Prince of
Schwarzburg (there were two branches of this family, who split the vote -
A single vote for the College of the Counts of
Swabia ; see below
A single vote for the College of the Counts of the
Wetterau ; see below
A single vote for the College of the Counts of
Franconia ; see below
A single vote for the College of the Counts of
Westphalia ; see below
The Council of Cities
The Council of
Imperial Free Cities was theoretically equal to the others, but in actuality it was never allowed to cast a deciding vote and in practice its vote was only advisory. In 1792, there were 51 Free Cities, divided amongst two benches.
Rhenish Bench
Swabian Bench
Membership of single-vote colleges
The two benches of the Council of Princes each contained single-vote colleges. The membership of each of these was as follows:
The Prelates of Swabia
The Prelates of the Rhine
The Counts of the Wetterau
The Counts of Swabia
The Prince of Fürstenberg
The Abbess of Buchau (in possession of the Lordship of Straßberg)
The Commander of the Teutonic Knights
The Prince of Oettingen
The Count of Montfort (also King of Bohemia)
The Count of Helfenstein (also Elector of Bavaria)
The Prince of Schwarzenberg
The Count of Königsegg
The Count of Waldburg
The Count of Eberstein (also Margrave of Baden)
The
Count von der Leyen
The Counts of
Fugger
The Lord of Hohenems (also King of Bohemia)
The Prince-Abbot of
St. Blase (in possession of the County of Bonndorf)
The Count of
Pappenheim
The Count of Stadion
The Count of Traun
The Prince of
Thurn und Taxis
the Count of Wetter-Tegerfelden in
Bonndorf
The Count of Khevenhüller
The Count of Kuefstein
The Prince of Colloredo
The Count of Harrach
The Count of Sternberg
The Count of Neipperg
The Counts of Franconia
The Princes and Counts of Hohenlohe
The Counts of Castell
The Counts of Erbach
The Counts of Rothenberg (later the Counts of Rothberg)
The Princes and Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim
The Heirs to the Counts of Limpurg
The Counts of Nostitz-Rieneck
The Prince of Schwarzenberg
The Heirs to the Counts of Wolfstein
The Counts of Schönborn
The Counts of Windisch-Grätz
The Counts Orsini von Rosenberg
The Counts of Starhemberg
The Counts of Wurmbrand
The Counts of Giech
The Counts of Gravenitz
The Counts of Pückler
The Counts of Westphalia
The Lord of Sayn-Altenkirchen (also King of Prussia)
The
Count of Hoya (also King of Britain)
The
Count of Spiegelberg (also King of Britain)
The
Count of Diepholz (also King of Britain)
The Duke of Holstein-Gottorp
The Count of Tecklenburg (also King of Prussia)
The Duke of Arenberg
The Prince of Wied-Runkel
The Prince of Wied-Neuwied
The Count of Schaumburg (shared between the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and the Count of Lippe-Bückeburg)
The Counts of
Lippe
The Counts of
Bentheim
The Princes and Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim
The Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg
The Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
The Count of Toerring
The Count of Aspremont
The Prince of Salm-Salm (as Count of Anholt)
The Count of Metternich-Winnenburg
The Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg
The Counts of
Plettenberg
The Counts of
Limburg-Stirum
The Count of Wallmoden
The Count of Quadt
The Counts of Ostein
The Counts of Nesselrode
The Counts of Salm-Reifferscheidt
The Counts of Platen
The Counts of Sinzendorf
The
Prince of Ligne
See also
Notes
^ This was the vote exercised by the Spanish Habsburgs prior to 1714. The
Duchy of Burgundy was a part of France and the Habsburgs had relinquished it definitively in 1529, but the ducal title was retained. It corresponded to the
Austrian Netherlands . Cf. Gordon E. Sherman (1915), "The Permanent Neutrality Treaties", The Yale Law Journal , 24 (3): 234.
Sources