Holy Roman Empire Index

The Holy Roman Empire in 1789; Credit – By Robert Alfers, kgberger – Source of Information: Putzger – Historischer Weltatlas, 89. Auflage, 1965; Westermanns Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte, 1969; Haacks geographischer Atlas. VEB Hermann Haack Geographisch-Kartographische Anstalt, Gotha/Leipzig, 1. Auflage, 1979; dtv-Atlas zur Weltgeschichte Band 1: Von den Anfängen bis zur Französischen Revolution; 23. Aufl. 1989, ISBN 3-423-03002-X, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4179496

(Use the following link to see the above map larger: Map of the Holy Roman Empire in 1789)

What was the Holy Roman Empire?

The 18th-century French philosopher Voltaire once said: “The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.” The Holy Roman Empire was a limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, and Free Imperial Cities in central Europe. It was not really holy since, after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, no emperors were crowned by the Pope. It was not Roman but rather German because it was mainly in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria. It was an empire in name only – the territories it covered were mostly independent each with its own rulers. The Holy Roman Emperor directly ruled over only his family territories, and could not issue decrees and rule autonomously over the Holy Roman Empire. A Holy Roman Emperor was only as strong as his army and alliances, including marriage alliances, made him, and his power was severely restricted by the many sovereigns of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire.

Charlemagne, King of the Franks and King of the Lombards was crowned the Emperor of the Romans on December 25, 800 by Pope Leo III in Rome. Some historians say that was the start of the Holy Roman Empire. However, when Charlemagne died his empire was given to his sons and divided into three different countries: West Francia which eventually became France, Lotharingia which eventually became Italy, Lorraine, and Burgundy, and East Francia which eventually became Germany.

Most historians say that the Holy Roman Empire started with Otto (the Great) I who was King of Italy, King of East Francia, and Duke of Saxony. In 962, following the example of Charlemagne’s coronation as Emperor of the Romans in 800, Otto was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 962 by Pope John XII in Rome.

From the 13th century, prince-electors, or electors for short, elected the Holy Roman Emperor from among the sovereigns of the constituent states. Common practice was to elect the deceased Emperor’s heir. The House of Habsburg held the title from 1440 until the death of Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI In 1740. Throughout his reign, Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI expected to have a male heir and never really prepared his daughter Maria Theresa of Austria for her future role as sovereign. Upon her father’s death in 1740, Maria Theresa became the sovereign ruler of the Habsburg territories of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma in her own right, and she was the only female to hold the position.

However, Maria Theresa was unable to be elected the sovereign of the Holy Roman Empire because she was female. Maria Theresa’s right to succeed to her father was the cause of the eight-year-long War of the Austrian Succession. In 1742, Karl Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria and Prince-Elector of Bavaria from the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach was elected Holy Roman Emperor Karl VII. He died in 1745 and via a treaty Maria Theresa arranged for her husband Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine to be elected Holy Roman Emperor as Franz I. Despite the snub, Maria Theresa wielded the real power and Francis Stephen was content to leave the act of reigning to his wife. Until the demise of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Holy Roman Emperor was from the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg.

Until the 13th century, the Holy Roman Empire was powerful. As time went on the constituent states of the started to obtain more power. Even before the reign of Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor began in 1792, the Holy Roman Emperors had little real power. Franz II, the grandson of Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen, also had Habsburg family titles and territories. He was King of Hungary, King of Croatia, King of Bohemia, and Archduke of Austria. During the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, Franz II feared that Napoleon could take over the personal, hereditary Habsburg lands within the Holy Roman Empire, so in 1804, he proclaimed himself Emperor Franz I of Austria. As it turned out, Franz’s move was a wise one because the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806.

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This series of articles will focus on the Holy Roman Emperors and their consorts from the House of Habsburg and its cadet branch the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Except for one short period, 1742 – 1745, the House of Habsburg and its cadet branch the House of Habsburg-Lorraine held the throne of the Holy Roman Empire from 1440 until the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806. Note that Holy Roman Emperor Franz I (Francis Stephen), the husband of Maria Theresa of Austria, was from the House of Lorraine. His marriage to Maria Theresa resulted in the formation of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.

Below is an indexed listing with links to biographical articles about the Holy Roman Emperors and their families at Unofficial Royalty. If it says “Notable Issue” before a name, that means not all of the children for the parent of that person are listed.

House of Habsburg (1440 – 1740)

The Holy Roman Emperor was an elected position but the Holy Roman Emperors also held inherited titles and territories which are indicated below.

Family of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor

  • Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1452 – 1493), Duke of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola (reigned 1424–1493), Archduke of Austria (reigned 1457–1493)
  • Eleanor of Portugal, wife of Friedrich III
    • Notable Issue: Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (see below)

Family of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor

Family of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Family of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor

Family of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor

Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (unmarried)

  • Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1576 – 1612) also King of Bohemia
    (reigned 1576 – 1611), King of Hungary and Croatia, Archduke of Austria, Margrave of Moravia (reigned 1576 – 1608), unmarried

Family of Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor

  • Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1612 – 1619) also King of Bohemia (reigned 1611 – 1617), Archduke of Austria (reigned 1608 – 1619), Archduke of Further Austria, (reigned 1608 – 1619), King of Hungary and Croatia (reigned 1608 – 1618)
  • Anna of Tyrol, wife of Matthias, no children

Family of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor

  • Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1619 – 1637) also Archduke of Inner Austria
    (reigned 1590 – 1637), King of Bohemia (1st reign 1617 – 1619, 2nd reign 1620 – 1637), King of Hungary and Croatia (reigned 1618 – 1637)
  • Maria Anna of Bavaria, 1st wife of Ferdinand II
    • Notable Issue: Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (see below)
  • Eleonora Gonzaga of Mantua, 2nd wife of Ferdinand II, no children

Family of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor

Family of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

  • Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1658 – 1705) also King of Hungary (reigned 1655 – 1705), King of Bohemia (reigned 1656 – 1705), Archduke of Austria (reigned 1657 – 1705), King of Croatia (reigned 1657 – 1705), Duke of Teschen (reigned 1657 – 1705), King of the Romans (reigned 1658 – 1705), Archduke of Further Austria (reigned 1665 – 1705), Prince of Transylvania (reigned 1692–1705)
  • Margarita Teresa of Spain, 1st wife of Leopold I, had four children, only one survived childhood
  • Claudia Felicitas of Austria, 2nd wife of Leopold I, had two children, both died in childhood
  • Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg, 3rd wife of Leopold I

Family of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor

Family of Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor

  • Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1711 – 1740) also King of Hungary, King of Croatia, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria (reigned 1711 – 1740), King of Naples (reigned 1707–1735), King of Sardinia (reigned 1708–1720), Duke of Teschen (reigned 1711- 1722), Duke of Brabant, Duke of Limburg, Duke of Lothier, Duke of Milan, Count of Namur, Count of Flanders, Count of Hainaut, Duke of Luxembourg (reigned 1714–1740), King of Serbia (reigned 1718-1739), King of Sicily (reigned 1720–1735), Duke of Parma and Piacenza (reigned 1735–1740), Duke of Guastalla (reigned 1735–1740)
  • Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, wife of Karl VI

House of Wittelsbach (1742 – 1745)

Family of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor

House of Lorraine (1745 – 1765)

Family of Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor

  • Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1745 – 1765) also Duke of Lorraine (reigned 1729 – 1737), Grand Duke of Tuscany (reigned 1737 – 1765)
  • Maria Theresa, in her own right Queen of Bohemia (reigned 1740 – 1741 and 1743 – 1780), Queen of Hungary, Queen of Croatia, Archduchess of Austria (reigned 1740 – 1780) along with a number of other titles of Habsburg hereditary lands (wife of Franz I)

House of Habsburg-Lorraine (1765 – 1806)

Family of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor

Family of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor

Family of Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor

Descendants of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine