Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (Latin: princeps imperii, German: Reichsfürst, cf. Fürst) was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor.
Originally, possessors of the princely title bore it as immediate vassals of the Emperor who held a fief (secular or ecclesiastical) that had no suzerain except the Emperor. However, by the time the Holy Roman Empire was abolished in 1806, there were a number of holders of Imperial princely titles who did not meet these criteria.
Thus, there were two main types of princes: those who exercised Landeshoheit (sovereignty within one's territory while respecting the laws and traditions of the empire) as well as an individual or shared vote in the College of Princes, and those whose title was honorary (the possessor lacking an immediate Imperial fief and/or a vote in the Imperial Diet). The first came to be reckoned as "royalty" in the sense of being treated as sovereigns, entitled to inter-marry with reigning dynasties. The second tier consisted of high-ranking nobles whose princely title did not, however, imply equality with royalty. These distinctions evolved within the Empire, but were codified by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 when it created the German Confederation and recognised a specific, elevated status (Standesherren or Mediatized Houses) for the mediatized princes of the defunct Empire.
The actual titles used by Imperial nobles varied considerably for historical reasons, and included archdukes, dukes, margraves, landgraves, counts palatine, princely counts (Gefürstete Grafen), as well as princes and prince-electors. Moreover, most of the German fiefs in the Empire (except electorships) were heritable by all males of a family rather than by primogeniture, the princely title (or whatever title the family used) being likewise shared by all agnatic family members, male and female.
The estate of imperial princes or Reichsfürstenstand[1] was first established in a legal sense in the Late Middle Ages. A particular estate of "the Princes" was first mentioned in the decree issued by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1180 at the Imperial Diet of Gelnhausen, in which he divested Duke Henry the Lion of Saxony and Bavaria. About fifty years later, Eike of Repgow codified it as an emanation of feudal law recorded in his Sachsenspiegel, where the lay princes formed the third level or Heerschild in the feudal military structure below ecclesiastical princes. Officially the princely states of the Holy Roman Empire had to meet three requirements:
a direct vote (votum virile) and a seat in the Imperial Diet
direct support for the expenses and the military ban of the Empire.
Not all states met all three requirements, so one may distinguish between effective and honorary princes of the Holy Roman Empire.[2][3]
The Princes of the Empire ranked below the seven Prince-electors (Kurfürsten; archaic spelling Churfürsten) designated by the Golden Bull of 1356 (and later electors), but above the Reichsgrafen (imperial counts), Freiherren (barons) and Reichsprälaten (imperial prelates), who formed with them the Imperial Diet assemblies, but held only collective votes. Around 1180, the secular Princes comprised the Herzöge (Dukes) who generally ruled larger territories within the Empire in the tradition of the former German stem duchies, but also the Counts of Anhalt and Namur, the Landgraves of Thuringia and the Margraves of Meissen.
From the 13th century onwards, further estates were formally raised to the princely status by the emperor. Among the most important of these were the Welf descendants of Henry the Lion in Brunswick-Lüneburg, elevated to Princes of the Empire and vested with the ducal title by Emperor Frederick II in 1235, and the Landgraves of Hesse in 1292. The resolutions of the Diet of Augsburg in 1582 explicitly stated that the status was inextricably linked with the possession of a particular Imperial territory. Later elevated noble families like the Fürstenberg, Liechtenstein or Thurn und Taxis dynasties subsequently began to refer to their territory as a "principality" and assumed the awarded rank of a Prince (Fürst) as a hereditary title. Most of the Counts who ruled territories were raised to Princely rank in the decades before the end of the Empire in 1806.
Grave of the Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Johann Siebenhirter (1420–1508) at the parish church in Millstatt, Austria
The honorary status of prince of the Holy Roman Empire might be granted to certain individuals. These individuals included:
Rulers of states of the Empire who did not hold an individual seat in the princely chamber of the Imperial Diet, but held a seat as a count and shared with other counts in the one vote exercised by each of the four regional comital councils or Grafenbanken.
Nobles allowed to bear the princely title, but who had neither a vote nor a seat in the Imperial Diet, individual or shared, such as the House of Kinsky. This included nobles who lacked immediacy, but who were allowed, motu proprio, by the Emperor to enjoy the title and rank of prince of an Imperial state. Although this courtesy tended to become hereditary for families, the right to princely status was called Personalist (personal) and could be revoked by the Emperor.
Subjects of the Empire who were given a princely title by an Emperor, but who held no territory or sovereignty at all. This status was occasionally granted to the morganatic wives and children of electoral and immediate families, allowing them to share in the husband/father's princely title, but not his princely rank and privileges (e.g., Frederick William von Hessenstein).
^Arnold, Benjamin (1991). Princes and territories in medieval Germany, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York, pp. 24-25, ISBN0-521-52148-3.
^Fra Cyril Toumanoff, "Genealogical Imperialism" (1985) vol 6 (no 134) (NS) Coat of Arms pp. 145, 147.
^Duke and Prince Jean Engelbert d'Arenberg, "The Lesser Princes of the Holy Roman Empire in the Napoleonic Era" dissertation, Washington, DC, 1950, published as Les Princes du St-Empire à l'époque napoléonienne (Louvain, 1951) 15ff, quoted in Almanach de Gotha (Almanach de Gotha, London, 1998) pp. 275–286.
^Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (Reichsfürst) 1607, cf in 1620, Austrian prince (His Serene Highness) 27 December 1880, cf 1889 and 1905. Most Eminent Highness by Italian royal decree 1927 (long by usage). Papal Cardinal-rank 1630.
^The Princes of Orsini and Rosenberg were members of the comital council (personaliter) 1683, made a prince 1724, 1790]. Male primogeniture 1629, Prince Assistant to the Papal Throne 1735–1958.
^Fra Cyril Toumanoff, "Genealogical Imperialism" (1985) vol 6 (no 134) (NS) Coat of Arms 145, 151 n7.
External linksedit
Structure of Princes of The Holy Roman Empire
January 01, 1970
prince, holy, roman, empire, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, possibly, contains, original, research, please, improve, verifying, claims, . This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed July 2020 Learn how and when to remove this message This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations July 2020 Learn how and when to remove this message Learn how and when to remove this message Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Latin princeps imperii German Reichsfurst cf Furst was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor Heraldic crown of a prince of the Holy Roman Empire Mantle and princely hat Princely hat Furstenhut de Contents 1 Definition 2 Imperial state 3 Honorary title 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksDefinition editOriginally possessors of the princely title bore it as immediate vassals of the Emperor who held a fief secular or ecclesiastical that had no suzerain except the Emperor However by the time the Holy Roman Empire was abolished in 1806 there were a number of holders of Imperial princely titles who did not meet these criteria Thus there were two main types of princes those who exercised Landeshoheit sovereignty within one s territory while respecting the laws and traditions of the empire as well as an individual or shared vote in the College of Princes and those whose title was honorary the possessor lacking an immediate Imperial fief and or a vote in the Imperial Diet The first came to be reckoned as royalty in the sense of being treated as sovereigns entitled to inter marry with reigning dynasties The second tier consisted of high ranking nobles whose princely title did not however imply equality with royalty These distinctions evolved within the Empire but were codified by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 when it created the German Confederation and recognised a specific elevated status Standesherren or Mediatized Houses for the mediatized princes of the defunct Empire The actual titles used by Imperial nobles varied considerably for historical reasons and included archdukes dukes margraves landgraves counts palatine princely counts Gefurstete Grafen as well as princes and prince electors Moreover most of the German fiefs in the Empire except electorships were heritable by all males of a family rather than by primogeniture the princely title or whatever title the family used being likewise shared by all agnatic family members male and female Imperial state editSee also Imperial state The estate of imperial princes or Reichsfurstenstand 1 was first established in a legal sense in the Late Middle Ages A particular estate of the Princes was first mentioned in the decree issued by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1180 at the Imperial Diet of Gelnhausen in which he divested Duke Henry the Lion of Saxony and Bavaria About fifty years later Eike of Repgow codified it as an emanation of feudal law recorded in his Sachsenspiegel where the lay princes formed the third level or Heerschild in the feudal military structure below ecclesiastical princes Officially the princely states of the Holy Roman Empire had to meet three requirements territorial rule and the jura regalia i e sovereign rights over an immediate fief of the Empire a direct vote votum virile and a seat in the Imperial Diet direct support for the expenses and the military ban of the Empire Not all states met all three requirements so one may distinguish between effective and honorary princes of the Holy Roman Empire 2 3 The Princes of the Empire ranked below the seven Prince electors Kurfursten archaic spelling Churfursten designated by the Golden Bull of 1356 and later electors but above the Reichsgrafen imperial counts Freiherren barons and Reichspralaten imperial prelates who formed with them the Imperial Diet assemblies but held only collective votes Around 1180 the secular Princes comprised the Herzoge Dukes who generally ruled larger territories within the Empire in the tradition of the former German stem duchies but also the Counts of Anhalt and Namur the Landgraves of Thuringia and the Margraves of Meissen nbsp Coat of arms of Hieronymus von Colloredo Prince Archbishop of Salzburg From the 13th century onwards further estates were formally raised to the princely status by the emperor Among the most important of these were the Welf descendants of Henry the Lion in Brunswick Luneburg elevated to Princes of the Empire and vested with the ducal title by Emperor Frederick II in 1235 and the Landgraves of Hesse in 1292 The resolutions of the Diet of Augsburg in 1582 explicitly stated that the status was inextricably linked with the possession of a particular Imperial territory Later elevated noble families like the Furstenberg Liechtenstein or Thurn und Taxis dynasties subsequently began to refer to their territory as a principality and assumed the awarded rank of a Prince Furst as a hereditary title Most of the Counts who ruled territories were raised to Princely rank in the decades before the end of the Empire in 1806 nbsp Grave of the Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Johann Siebenhirter 1420 1508 at the parish church in Millstatt Austria Ecclesiastical Princes were the Prince Bishops including the Prince Archbishops of Besancon Bremen Magdeburg and Salzburg as well as the actual Prince abbots They comprised a number of political entities which were secularized and mediatized after the 1648 Peace of Westphalia Honorary title editThe honorary status of prince of the Holy Roman Empire might be granted to certain individuals These individuals included Rulers of states of the Empire who did not hold an individual seat in the princely chamber of the Imperial Diet but held a seat as a count and shared with other counts in the one vote exercised by each of the four regional comital councils or Grafenbanken Sovereigns outside the Empire such as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta 4 Nobles allowed to bear the princely title but who had neither a vote nor a seat in the Imperial Diet individual or shared such as the House of Kinsky This included nobles who lacked immediacy but who were allowed motu proprio by the Emperor to enjoy the title and rank of prince of an Imperial state Although this courtesy tended to become hereditary for families the right to princely status was called Personalist personal and could be revoked by the Emperor Foreigners of note such as the Princes of Belmonte the Princes Chigi the Princes Orsini 5 the Princes of Broglie the Princes Orloff the Princes Potemkin the Princes Lubomirski or the Princes Radziwill 6 Subjects of the Empire who were given a princely title by an Emperor but who held no territory or sovereignty at all This status was occasionally granted to the morganatic wives and children of electoral and immediate families allowing them to share in the husband father s princely title but not his princely rank and privileges e g Frederick William von Hessenstein See also editList of states in the Holy Roman Empire List of Imperial Diet participants 1792 German mediatizationReferences edit Arnold Benjamin 1991 Princes and territories in medieval Germany Cambridge University Press Cambridge and New York pp 24 25 ISBN 0 521 52148 3 Fra Cyril Toumanoff Genealogical Imperialism 1985 vol 6 no 134 NS Coat of Arms pp 145 147 Duke and Prince Jean Engelbert d Arenberg The Lesser Princes of the Holy Roman Empire in the Napoleonic Era dissertation Washington DC 1950 published as Les Princes du St Empire a l epoque napoleonienne Louvain 1951 15ff quoted in Almanach de Gotha Almanach de Gotha London 1998 pp 275 286 Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Reichsfurst 1607 cf in 1620 Austrian prince His Serene Highness 27 December 1880 cf 1889 and 1905 Most Eminent Highness by Italian royal decree 1927 long by usage Papal Cardinal rank 1630 The Princes of Orsini and Rosenberg were members of the comital council personaliter 1683 made a prince 1724 1790 Male primogeniture 1629 Prince Assistant to the Papal Throne 1735 1958 Fra Cyril Toumanoff Genealogical Imperialism 1985 vol 6 no 134 NS Coat of Arms 145 151 n7 External links editStructure of Princes of The Holy Roman Empire Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Prince of the Holy Roman Empire amp oldid 1141306676, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
