List of Reichstag participants (1792)
The Holy Roman Empire was a highly decentralized state for most of its history, composed of hundreds of smaller states, most of which operated with some degree of independent sovereignty. Although in the earlier part of the Middle Ages, under the Salian and Hohenstaufen emperors, it was relatively centralized, as time went on the Emperor lost more and more power to the Princes. The membership of the Imperial Diet in 1792, late in the Empire's history but before the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars, gives some insight as to the composition of the Holy Roman Empire at that time.
Structure of the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire in 1792
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 sovereignty enjoyed by the states of the Empire), and had representation in the Reichstag (Imperial Diet). 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 Duchy of Jülich-Kleve-Berg, no longer did so due to the extinction of an old dynasty, or for other reasons.
The Council of Electors
The council included the following eight members:
The Council of Princes
This is ordered based on the official order of voting in the Diet:
The Ecclesiastical Bench
- The Archbishop of Salzburg (Hieronymus von Colloredo)
- The Archbishop of Besançon
- 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) (Friedrich August of Brunswick-Lüneburg)
- The Bishop of Liège (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 Prior 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:
- 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 Lower Pomerania (Frederick William II, also King of Prussia)
- The Duke of Upper Pomerania (Gustav III, also King of Sweden)
- 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 Prince of Verden (George III, also King of Great Britain and Ireland and Elector of Hanover)
- The Margrave of Baden-Hochberg (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 Holstein-Gottorp-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 -
- The Princely Count of Henneberg (this vote was divided among the various branches of the House of Wettin—
- 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 —
- The Prince of Dietrichstein (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 (Ferderick William II, also King of Prussia)
- The Prince of Fürstenberg (Joseph Maria Benedict)
- The Prince of Schwarzenberg (Joseph II)
- The Prince of Liechtenstein (Aloys I)
- The Prince of Thurn and Taxis (Karl Anselm)
- The Prince of Schwarzburg (there were two branches of this family, who split the vote -
- 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 not actually equal to the others — its vote was only advisory. In 1792, there were 51 Free Cities, divided amongst two benches.
Rhenish Bench
Swabian Bench
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 Prelates of the Rhine
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 Stollberg
- 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
- 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 Count of Traun
- The Prince-Abbot of St. Blase
- The Count of Stadion
- The Prince of Thurn and Taxis
- the Count of Wetter-Tegerfelden in Bonndorf
- The Count 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 Elector of Hanover)
- The Count of Spiegelberg (also Elector of Hanover)
- The Count of Diepholz (also Elector of Hanover)
- 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
Sources
See also