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List of German Kings and Emperors

(Redirected from List of Holy Roman Emperors)

The following list of German Kings and Emperors is one of several Wikipedia lists of incumbents.

1 List of emperors of the German Empire

Contents
1 Notes
2 Conrad I
3 Ottonian Saxon Dynasty
4 Franconian Dynasty
5 Supplinburger
6 Staufen or Hohenstaufen
7 Welfs (Guelphs)
8 Staufen (Hohenstaufen)
9 Interregnum
10 Miscellaneous Houses
11 House of Habsburg
12 House of Wittelsbach
13 Habsburg-Lorraine

Notes

The relationship between the title of "king" and "emperor" in the area that is today called Germany is just as complicated as the history and the structure of the Holy Roman Empire itself. The following remarks may or may not clarify things a little (for details, refer to the Holy Roman Empire article):

  1. The Holy Roman Empire (although only titled as such much later) started out as the eastern section of the Frankish kingdom, which was split by the Treaty of Verdun in 843 (while the western section eventually became France). The first rulers of the eastern area thus called themselves reges Francorum, kings of the Franks. A reference to the "Germans", indicating the emergence of a German nation of some sort, did not appear until the 11th century.
  2. For most of the time, at least until 1508, becoming king was a prerequisite for becoming emperor. The kingdom was never entirely hereditary; instead, ancestry was only one of the factors that determined the succession of kings. The king was formally elected by the leading nobilty in the realm, continuing the Frankish tradition. With the Golden Bull of 1356, a collegiate of Electors was formally established which elected the king. Following an election, a King did not assume the title "Holy Roman Emperor" until crowned by the Pope.
  3. In 1508 Maximilian I, who had not yet been crowned by the Pope, announced that henceforth he would use the title of "Emperor-Elect", which was used by all succeeding emperors. His successor, Charles V, was the last emperor to be crowned by the Pope - henceforth, all Holy Roman Emperors were merely "Emperors-Elect," although they were normally referred to as "the Emperor." At the same time, the chosen successors of the Habsburg emperors began to be elected as "King of the Romans" during their father's lifetime.

Conrad I

With the death of the last Carolingian king of East Francia, Louis the Child, the East Frankish nobles elected a replacement. Conrad came from a family as old as the Carolingians, and which had established substantial connections in East Francia.

Ottonian Saxon Dynasty

Franconian Dynasty

Supplinburger

Staufen or Hohenstaufen

Welfs (Guelphs)

Staufen (Hohenstaufen)

Interregnum

Miscellaneous Houses

House of Habsburg

Interregnum (1740-1742)

House of Wittelsbach

Habsburg-Lorraine

In 1806, the Holy Roman Empire collapsed under the military pressure from Napoleon I of France. From 1806 until the foundation of the 1871 German Empire, there was no single leader of a united German territory.

List of emperors of the German Empire

Last updated: 05-23-2005 05:40:46
 
 
     
 
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