ELECTORS

the Ger. princes (Kurfursten), originally seven, who elected Ger. kings and Holy Rom. emperors— royal titles almost invariably held by one and the same man. The Ger. kingship, like that of other countries, was partly elective, partly official, though for several reasons the elective element came to predominate, partly because the Rom. Imperial tradition was maintained, and the old Empire had always been elective. By the XII. cent. the usual e’s were the three Rhenish abp’s (Koln, Mainz, and Trier) and the great dukes. Golden Bull of Charles IV. 1356 recognised as lay e’s the Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Saxony, Margrave of Brandenburg, and King of Bohemia; two other votes were cr. for Bavaria 1623 and Hanover 1708.