Electoral Rhenish Circle
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The Electoral Rhenish Circle (German: Kurrheinischer Reichskreis) was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire, created in 1512.[1]
The circle derived its name from four of the seven prince-electors whose lands along the Middle Rhine comprised the vast majority of its territory.
Composition
[edit]The circle was made up of the following states:
| Name | Type of entity | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Beilstein | Lordship | Held by the Counts of Nassau-Dillenburg from 1343 |
 Cologne
|
Prince-bishopric | (Re-)established by King Otto I in 953, Prince-elector and Archchancellor of Italy in 1356; including Vest Recklinghausen and the Duchy of Westphalia |
 Koblenz
|
Bailiwick | An administrative grouping of lands including the immediate Lordship of Elsen, held by the Teutonic Knights, 2nd Rhenish Prelate |
 Mainz
|
Prince-bishopric | Archbishopric established in 781 by Pope Adrian I, Prince-elector and Archchancellor of Germany in 1356; including Eichsfeld, Erfurt, and Aschaffenburg |
 Nieder-Isenburg
|
County | Emerged from Isenburg-Isenburg in 1199, partitioned in 1502 into Isenburg-Grenzau and Isenburg-Neumagen (to Sayn-Wittgenstein in 1554), extinct in 1664 |
.svg){kind=small} Palatinate
|
County palatine | Arose from the allodium of the Count palatine of Lower Lorraine in 1085 under Henry of Laach, held by the House of Wittelsbach from 1214, Prince-elector and Truchsess in 1356 |
 Rheineck
|
Burgraviate | Fiefdom of Cologne around Rheineck Castle, held by the Freiherren of Varsberg from 1576 |
 Thurn und Taxis
|
Barons | Briefadel without territory, Freiherren from 1608, Counts from 1624, raised to Princely Counts in 1695 |
 Trier
|
Prince-bishopric | Established in 902, Prince-elector and Archchancellor of Burgundy (Arles) in 1356 |
References
[edit]- ^ Pavlac, Brian A.; Lott, Elizabeth S. (2019-06-01). The Holy Roman Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-4408-4856-8.
Sources
[edit]- The list of states making up the Electoral Rhenish Circle is based on that in the German Wikipedia article Kurrheinischer Reichskreis.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Electoral Rhenish Circle at Wikimedia Commons- Imperial Circles in the 16th Century – Historical Maps of Germany
| Created in 1500 | -en.png) | |
|---|---|---|
| Created in 1512 | ||
| and | ||
| Electorates | | |
|---|---|---|
| Other territories | ||
Circles est. 1500: Bavarian, Swabian, Upper Rhenish, Lower Rhenish–Westphalian, Franconian, (Lower) Saxon Circles est. 1512: Austrian, Burgundian, Upper Saxon, Electoral Rhenish · Unencircled territories | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
