electorate · Germany and Central Europe
Electorate of Salzburg
Origins
Archbishop Hieronymus von Colloredo fled Salzburg before French troops in 1800. Under the Imperial Recess of 1803 the prince-archbishopric was secularised and given, together with Berchtesgaden and parts of Passau and Eichstätt, to Ferdinand III, the former Grand Duke of Tuscany, who received an electoral title.
Rule and society
Ferdinand's brief rule brought a reorganised administration and a secular government in place of the archbishops, though the population remained Catholic. The university was continued, and Salzburg's economy still relied on salt mining at Hallein and trade. The electorate had little time to develop before war returned.
Decline and legacy
After Austria's defeat at Austerlitz, the Peace of Pressburg in December 1805 gave Salzburg to the Austrian Empire, and Ferdinand was compensated with Würzburg. Salzburg later passed to Bavaria from 1810 to 1816 before returning permanently to Austria.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Electorate of Salzburg was part of Holy Roman Empire1803 CE – 1805 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Electorate of Salzburg. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/electorate-of-salzburg
- MLA
- “Electorate of Salzburg.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/electorate-of-salzburg. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Electorate of Salzburg.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/electorate-of-salzburg.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Electorate of Salzburg’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/electorate-of-salzburg (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻