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
King of Bohemia (also Archduke of
Austria and King of
Hungary) (Emperor
Leopold II) • The
Archbishop of Mainz (
Frederick Charles Joseph of Erthal) • The
Archbishop of Trier (
Clement Wenceslaus of Saxony) • The
Archbishop of Cologne (
Maximilian Francis of Austria) • The
Count Palatine of the Rhine (also
Duke of Bavaria) (
Charles IV Theodore) • The
Duke of Saxony (
Frederick Augustus III) • The
Margrave of Brandenburg (King of
Prussia) (
Frederick William II) • The Duke of
Brunswick-Lüneburg (Elector of
Hanover, King of
Great Britain) (
George III)
The Council of Princes This is ordered based on the official order of voting in the Diet: • The
Archduke of Austria (also King of Bohemia) (Emperor Leopold II) • The
Duke of Burgundy (also Archduke of Austria) (Emperor Leopold II)
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: •
Ernest Frederick of
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld •
George I of
Saxe-Meiningen) • 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 Prince of
Anhalt (4 branches split the vote - •
Frederick Augustus of
Anhalt-Zerbst •
Leopold III of
Anhalt-Dessau •
Fredrick Albert of
Anhalt-Bernburg •
August Christian of
Anhalt-Köthen) • The Princely Count of
Henneberg (this vote was divided among the various branches of the House of
Wettin— • Frederick Augustus III of the Electorate of Saxony • Carl August of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach • Ernest II of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg • George I of Saxe-Meiningen •
Frederick of
Saxe-Hildburghausen •
Ernst Friedrich of
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld) • 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: •
Constantin Alexander of
Salm-Salm (
de) •
Frederick III of
Salm-Kyrburg) • 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 - •
Christian Günther III of
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen •
Frederick Charles of
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt) • 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 •
Cologne •
Aachen •
Lübeck •
Worms •
Speyer •
Frankfurt am Main •
Goslar •
Bremen •
Hamburg •
Mühlhausen •
Nordhausen •
Dortmund •
Friedberg •
Wetzlar Swabian Bench •
Regensburg •
Augsburg •
Nuremberg •
Ulm •
Esslingen am Neckar •
Reutlingen •
Nördlingen •
Rothenburg ob der Tauber •
Schwäbisch Hall •
Rottweil •
Überlingen •
Heilbronn •
Schwäbisch Gmünd •
Memmingen •
Lindau •
Dinkelsbühl •
Biberach •
Ravensburg •
Schweinfurt •
Kempten •
Windsheim •
Kaufbeuren •
Weil •
Wangen •
Isny •
Pfullendorf •
Offenburg •
Leutkirch •
Wimpfen •
Weißenburg im Nordgau •
Giengen •
Gengenbach •
Zell am Harmersbach •
Buchhorn •
Aalen •
Buchau •
Bopfingen 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 Abbess of
Baindt • The Abbot of
Elchingen • The Abbot of
Gengenbach • The Abbess of
Gutenzell • The Abbess of
Heggbach • The Abbot of
Irsee • The Abbot of
Kaisheim • The Abbot of
Marchtal • The Abbot of
Neresheim • The Abbot of
Ochsenhausen • The Abbot of
Petershausen • The Abbot of
Roggenburg • The Abbot of
Rot • The Abbot of
Rottenmünster • The Abbot of
Salmannsweiler • The Abbot of
Schussenried • The Abbess of
Söflingen • The Abbot of
Ursperg • The Abbot of
Weingarten • The Abbot of
Weissenau • The Abbot of
Wettenhausen • The Abbot of
Zwiefalten The Prelates of the Rhine • The Abbot of
Bruchsal and
Odenheim • The Abbess of
Buchau • The Abbot of
Burtscheid • The Abbot of Ballei of
Koblenz (Grand Master of the
Teutonic Order) • The Abbot of
St. Cornelismünster • The Abbot of Ballei of
Elsass and
Burgundy (Grand Master of the Teutonic Order) • The Abbess of
Essen • The Abbess of
Gandersheim • The Abbot of
St Georg in Isny • The Abbess of
Gernrode • The Abbess of
Herford • The Abbess of
Niedermünster in
Regensburg • The Abbess of
Obermünster in Regensburg • The Abbess of
Quedlinburg • The Abbess of
Thorn • The Abbot of
St. Ulrich and St. Afra in
Augsburg • The Abbot of
Werden The Counts of the Wetterau • The Princes and Counts of
Solms • The Prince of
Nassau-Usingen • The Prince of
Nassau-Weilburg • The Prince of
Nassau-Saarbrücken • The Princes and Counts of
Isenburg • The Counts of
Stolberg • The Princes and Counts of
Sayn-Wittgenstein • The Counts of
Salm • The Princes and Counts of
Leiningen • The Counts of Westerburg • The Counts of
Wetter-Tegerfelden • The Counts of Hoyos • The Counts of
Schönburg • The Count of
Wied-Runkel • The Counts of
Ortenburg • The Counts of
Reuss zu Plauen 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 Prince 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==