Institution

Prince-elector

Also known as electors

A prince-elector was one of the princes entitled to elect the King of the Romans, the future Holy Roman Emperor. The Golden Bull of 1356 fixed their number at seven: the archbishops of Mainz, Trier and Cologne, the King of Bohemia, the Count Palatine, the Duke of Saxony and the Margrave of Brandenburg. The electoral system institutionalised the elective character of the Holy Roman Empire.

Prince-elector
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Mentioned in 8 profiles

Holy Roman EmpireGovernanceElectoral PalatinateSocioeconomy, Military, Governance, Decline, SummaryMargraviate of BrandenburgMilitary, Governance, Impact, Decline, SummaryKingdom of BohemiaGovernance, SummaryState of the Teutonic OrderImpactElectorate of SaxonyFoundationKingdom of PrussiaFoundationGrand Duchy of HesseFoundation

Mentioned in 16 state histories

Electorate of MainzElectorate of TrierPrince-Bishopric of HavelbergElectorate of CologneKingdom of GermanyPrince-Bishopric of MeissenKingdom of BohemiaPrince-Bishopric of LebusWaaloUpper PalatinateElectorate of SaxonyDuchy of Prussiaand 4 more

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Prince-elector. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/prince-elector
MLA
“Prince-elector.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/prince-elector. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Prince-elector.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/prince-elector.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Prince-elector’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/prince-elector (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻