List of states in the Holy Roman Empire
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This is a list of states which were part of the Holy Roman Empire at any time within the empire's existence between 962 and 1806.
1700's: The Holy Roman Empire consisted of over 1800 separate immediate territories governed by distinct authorities.
1792: There were approximately 150 secular territorial rulers with the status of Imperial Estate.
Table of contents
* Table of states
o Key
o Table
* Grouped lists
o Ecclesiastical orders
o Livonian territories
o Territories of Old Princely Families
o Italian territories
o Territories of New Princely Families
* See also
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Table of states
Warning: The list is in development, and as yet far from complete.
Whilst any such list could never be truly definitive, nevertheless the list below attempts to be as comprehensive as possible.
It is not limited to feudal entities that possessed Reichsunmittelbarkeit, that is, under direct authority of the Holy Roman Emperor, but includes quite some other lordships, sous-fiefs and allodial fiefs.
There is also a separate list of Imperial Free Cities, as well as a list of participants in the Reichstag as of 1792.
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Key
* The "Circle" column shows the Imperial Circle (Reichskreis) that the state belonged to.
* The "Bench" column shows where the state was represented in the Imperial Diet (Reichstag).
Circles Benches
Aust Austrian Circle EL College of Electoral Princes, the exclusive elite formally electing the Holy Roman Emperor
Bav Bavarian Circle EC Spiritual Bench of the College of Princes (individual voice)
Burg Burgundian Circle PR Secular Bench of the College of Princes (individual voice)
El Rhin Electoral Rhenish Circle RP Rhenish prelates (College of Princes)
Franc Franconian Circle SP Swabian prelates (College of Princes)
Low Rhen Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle FC Franconian counts (College of Princes)
Low Sax Lower Saxon Circle SC Swabian counts (College of Princes)
Upp Rhin Upper Rhenish Circle WE Westphalian counts (College of Princes)
Upp Sax Upper Saxon Circle WT Wetterau counts (College of Princes)
Swab Swabian Circle RH Rhenish Bench of the College of Imperial Cities
None "Circle-free" SW Swabian Bench of the College of Imperial Cities
Note that in the "Circle" column, "n/a" denotes a state that had ceased to exist before the Reichsreform.
Other abbreviations used in the list are:
Abp. Archbishopric
Bp. Bishopric
Co. Countship (sometimes also called county)
D. Duchy
Ldg. Landgraviate
Mrg. Margraviate
Pr. Principality
RA Reichsabtei (Imperial abbacy, a monastery enjoying Reichsumitelbarkeit)
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Definition of Terms
Imperial Abbey Reichsabt: A Reichsabt, literally 'Imperial Abbot' or 'Abbot of the Empire', was an Abbot whose abbey was granted within the Holy Roman Empire the status of Reichsabtei (or Reichskloster), literally 'Imperial Abbey' (or - Monastery), meaning that it enjoyed Reichsfreiheit, like an Imperial City, making him a prince of the church, with the rank of a Prince of the Empire, like a prince-bishop.
Imperial Circle: An Imperial Circle (in German Reichskreis, plural Reichskreise) was a regional grouping of states of the Holy Roman Empire, primarily for the purpose of organising a common defence and of collecting imperial taxes, but also as a means of organisation within the Reichstag (Imperial Diet).
Imperial Diet Reichstag (institution): The Reichstag was the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, the North German Confederation, and Germany until 1945.
Imperial Estate: An Imperial State or Imperial Estate (German singular: Reichsstand, plural: Reichsstände) was an entity in the Holy Roman Empire with a vote in the Reichstag or Imperial Diet. Several states had no seats in the Empire, while some officials (such as the Hereditary Usher) were non-voting members; neither qualified as Imperial States.
Imperial Free City: In the Holy Roman Empire, an imperial free city (in Dutch: vrije rijksstad, German: freie Reichsstadt) was a city formally responsible to the emperor only — as opposed to the majority of cities in the Empire, which belonged to a territory and were thus governed by one of the many princes (Fürsten) of the Empire, such as dukes or prince-bishops. Free cities also had independent representation in the Reichstag of the Holy Roman Empire.
Imperial Immediacy Reichsfreiheit: The Reichsfreiheit or Reichsunmittelbarkeit (adjectives reichsfrei, reichsunmittelbar) was a privileged feudal and political status, a form of statehood, which a city, religious entity or feudal principality of minor lordship could attain within the Holy Roman Empire. It is translated as ==imperial immediacy==. A reichsfrei city, abbey or territory was under the direct authority of the Holy Roman Emperor and the Imperial Diet, without any intermediary Liege lord(s). Advantages were that reichsfrei regions had the right to collect taxes and tolls themselves, and held juridical rights (including the Blutgericht, 'high' justice including capital punishment) themselves. De facto Reichsfreiheit corresponded to a semi-independence with a far-reaching autonomy.
Imperial Reform: In 1495, an attempt was made at a Reichstag in the city of Worms to give the disintegrating Holy Roman Empire a new structure, commonly referred to as Imperial Reform (in German: Reichsreform).
Imperial State: An Imperial State or Imperial Estate (German singular: Reichsstand, plural: Reichsstände) was an entity in the Holy Roman Empire with a vote in the Reichstag or Imperial Diet.
Mediatization: Mediatization, defined broadly, is the annexation of one monarchy by another monarchy in such a way that the ruler of the annexed state keeps his or her noble title, and sometimes a measure of power. Thus, for example, when a sovereign county is annexed to a larger principality, its reigning count might find himself subordinated to a prince, but would nevertheless remain a count, rather than be stripped of his title.
Prince of the Empire: A Prince of the Empire is any ruling Prince whose territory is a member of the Holy Roman Empire (not only German-speaking countries, but also many bordering and extensive neighbouring regions) and entitled to a voting seat (or in a collective voting unit, such as the Grafenbank) in Imperial Diet or "Reichstag".
Prince-abbot: A Prince-abbott is a cleric who is a prince of the church (like a prince-bishop) in the sense of an ex-offico temporal lord of a feudal entity, known as prince-abbacy or abbey-principality, in an area that is ruled by the head of an abbey. The designated abbey may be a monastery or a convent. Thus, because of the possibility of it being a convent, an abbey-principality is one of the only cases in which the rule can be restricted to female incumbents, styled princess-abbess. In many cases they were prince of the empire of a Reichsabtei in or near Germany, with a seat in the Reichstag (imperial diet).
Prince-Bishop: A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial prince of the church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent nobiliary titles held concurrently with their inherent clerical office. If the see is an archbishopric, the correct term is prince-archbishop; the equivalent in the regular clergy is a prince-abbot.
Prince-elector: The prince-electors or electoral princes of the Holy Roman Empire (German: singular, Kurfürst, plural, Kurfürsten) were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors.
Secularization: Secularization is a process of transformation as a society slowly migrates from close identification with the local institutions of religion to a more clearly separated relationship.
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Notes Column
In the "Notes" column, it is interesting to show, in capsule form, the a) territorial development of the different states or polities (acquisition or loss of possessions, union of rulers or dynasties, etc.); b) royal or noble dynasties, including their various branches, which ruled over territories or polities; c) transmission of succession rights (marriage, female succession, conquest, cession, pledge, etc.); d) attributes of "statehood" (right to mint coins, holding markets and fairs, entering into treaties and pacts, appointment of civil officials, etc.) and e) the size of territory and population of the various polities whenever data is available.
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State of the Empire (Reichsstand)
The following excerpt from Francois Velde's "Unequal and Morganatic Marriages in German Law" provides an excellent overview on what a "State of the Empire" is. He has other very informative and well-researched articles in his "Heraldica" web site.
"The special status of these families manifested itself in the constitution of the Empire as it evolved in the 16th c. (Please see first a general presentation of the constitution of the Holy Roman Empire.) To the status of territorial ruler corresponded a seat and vote in one of the colleges of the Reichstag, the Imperial Diet. In the late 16th c., the multiplication of votes due to territorial fragmentation led to reforms. After the Diet held at Augsburg in 1582, the list of votes remained fixed, notwithstanding further territorial divisions. Furthermore, the right to vote became attached to a land, rather than to a person or family (of course, land was inheritable within families). A member of the Diet with seat and vote (individual or shared) was called a Reichsstand, or state of the Empire.
"At some point (Abt 1911, 103 n2 cites various possible dates, from the turn of the 16th c. to 1653 to the 18th c.), the definition of Hochadel became congruent with being a Reichsstand (adjective: reichsständisch). The reason is that the Emperor, as 'fons nobilitatium,' had the power to create new princes, counts and barons of the Empire, a power which he began to use more frequently. The existing princes, counts and barons were obviously loathe to see the value of their title diminished. The members of the Diet complained and, after 1582, it became the rule that such new princes and counts would not of right have a seat at the Diet. Furthermore, in 1653 the Electoral Capitulation included strict rules on the process by which the Emperor could create new states of the Empire. In particular, any new member had to possess an immediate territory of sufficient size, and had to be accepted by his peers (princes or counts).
"Thus a distinction emerged between families that were part of the Diet in 1582 : the 'old princely' and 'old comital' (altfürstliche, altgräfliche) families -- families who were admitted to the Diet between 1582 and 1803:
the 'new princely' (neufürstliche) and 'new comital' (neugräfliche) families -- families or individuals who received the title of Reichsfreiherr, Reichsgraf or Reichsfürst but were not admitted to the Diet.
"Only the first two groups were part of the Hochadel. Those in the third group were titular counts and princes but in no way accepted as part of the Hochadel.
"Thus it would seem that having a seat and vote in the Reichstag would be a clear criterion for belonging to the Hochadel. But there were further complications:
"In principle, the possession of a territory was a pre-condition for admission in the Diet. However, in the second half of the 18th century a number of counts sat on the counts' benches without any such territory. They were called "personalists" because they had been admitted on a personal basis (ad personam), and some jurists did not consider them to be part of the upper nobility (for example, Pütter 1795, 143).
"Possession of a large immediate territory was a condition for entry, but not a condition for remaining in the Diet. It happened that territories became subjected to another state of the Empire, thus losing immediate status; yet the owner remained in the Diet. Examples include XXX.
"Consequently, whereas, in the 16th century, it was fairly easy to say who was in the upper nobility and who wasn't, it had become more difficulty by the turn of the 19th century.
"Three concepts came into play:
immediate status (Reichsunmittelbarkeit),
sovereignty over a territory (Landeshoheit),
seat and vote at the Diet (Reichsstandschaft).
"The three were 'usually' related, in that the sovereign of a territory was a state of the Empire, and a state of the Empire usually had sovereignty over an immediate territory; but there were exceptions both ways. Various authors emphasized one or a combination of these elements. Thus, Runde (1791) required all three; Pütter emphasized sovereignty; Gönner and Leist emphasized seat and vote at the Diet (in distinction with the imperial knighthood, see below). Among 19th century authors, the main division was between those who required all three criteria , and those who considered Reichsstandschaft to be the sole criterion (Hohler, Klüber, Zoepf, Rehm).
"Using the second, slightly broader concept, at the end of the 18th century the high nobility consisted of those families which had seat and vote at the Imperial Diet, with title of either prince or count (the last baronial family died out in 1775), numbering about 25 princely (fürstliche) and 80 comital (gräfliche) families."
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Table
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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A
Name
Type
Circle
Bench
Formed
Notes
Aach Lordship
Aachen Imperial City 1306 1500: Westphalian Circle
1801: Annexed to France
Aalen 1360: Imperial City SW 1500: To Swabian Circle
1803: Annexed to D. of Württemberg
Aalst
(Imperial Flanders) County out of the Brabantgau imperial fief to County of Flanders (under the French crown) from 1056/1059
Aarberg
Aarburg HRE County To Berne
Abensberg-Traun 1653: County of Abensberg and Traun Acquired Egloff
Adendorf 1554: Lordship
1653: Barony
1711: County 1554: Partitioned from Saffig-Olbrück 1806: Raised to a principality as Pr. of the Leyen
Ahr County n/a n/a 1107 1210: Annexed to Co. of Nürburg
Aichen Lordship n/a n/a 1323: Partitioned from Lordship of Hohenrechberg To Lords of Allmut
To Lords of Lupfen
1352: Pledged to Dietheim of Mundelfingen
1450: To Lords of Heudorf
1466: Parts to Barons of Reischach and Dietrich of Rumelang
1501: To Abbey of St. Blasien
1738: Remaining partitions were annexed to Lordship of Osterberg
Albeck Lordship n/a n/a 1383: Annexed to Ulm
Aldenburg
HRE Count of Aldenburg, Lord of the Free Lordship of Knyphausen, Noble Lord of Varel 1646: HRE Nobility
1651: immediate Lords of Knyphausen and Varel
1651: HRE Barony<br1653: HRE County
Aletzheim County 1439: Partitioned from Lordship of Pappenheim 1697: Annexed to Co. of Pappenheim
Allersberg Lordship n/a 1343: Partitioned from Lordship of Wolfstein 1474: Annexed to Lordship of Sulzburg
Alpheim County 1465: Partitioned from Co. of Neuenahr 1589: Annexed to Co. of Moers
Alsace
(German: Elsaß) Duchy 640 Partitioned into Lower Alsace and Upper Alsace
1469: Duke of Austria sold Upper Alsace to Duke of Burgundy
1477: Austria regained full control of Upper Alsace
1648: Upper Alsace annexed to France
1679: Lower Alsace annexed to France
Alsace and Burgundy Bailiwick (Ballei) of Teutonic Order 1793: Council of Princes
Alt-Bruchhausen County n/a n/a 1234: Partitioned from Co. of Bruchhausen 1338: Annexed to Co. of Hoya
Alt-Eberstein County n/a n/a 1207: Partitioned from the Usgau 1283: Annexed to Co. of Neu-Eberstein
Alt-Katzenelnbogen County n/a n/a 1245: Partitioned from Ldg. of Katzenelnbogen 1403: Annexed to Co. of Neu-Katzenelnbogen
Altena County n/a n/a 10th century 1160: Merged with parts of Co. of Berg and became known as Altena-Berg
1180: Known as Altena again
1249: Merged with Co. of Mark
1367: Altena granted a charter by Count Engelbert III of Mark
1609: To Brandenburg
44.3 sq. km.
Altena-Berg County n/a n/a 1160: Formed by merger of Altena with parts of Co. of Berg 1180: Became known as Altena
Altensteig Lordship 1100: 1st mention of Altensteig
To Lords of Berneck
To Lords of Gultlingen
1390: Sold to Margraves of Baden
1603: To Wurttemberg
An der Etsch
"On the Adige" Bailiwick (Ballei) of the Teutonic Order c1260: Bailiwick founded
1512: Austrian Circle
Andechs 1132: County Advocate (Vogt) of Bishopric of Brixen
c1130: Acquired County of Plassenburg
1173: Acquired Margraviate of Istria
1180: Acquired Duchy of Meran
1248/51: Line died out
Andechs-Meran Duchy
Andelfingen Lordship
Anhalt 1212: County
1218: HRE Prince
1250: Principality
1863:Duchy of Anhalt
1918: Free State of Anhalt Upp Sax PR 1173: Split off from D. of Saxony 1252: Partitioned into Principalities of Anhalt-Aschersleben, Anhalt-Bernburg, and Anhalt-Zerbst;
1570: Reunified
1582: HRE Council of Princes
1603: Partitioned into Principalities of Anhalt-Bernburg, Anhalt-Dessau, Anhalt-Köthen, Anhalt-Plötzkau, and Anhalt-Zerbst
1582: HRE Council of Princes
Anhalt-Aschersleben Principality Upp Sax PR 1252: Created on partition of Pr. of Anhalt 1322:Annexed to Bp. of Halberstadt
Anhalt-Bernburg
Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg, Duke of Saxony, Angaria & Westphalia, Count of Ascania, Lord of Bernburg & Zerbst 1603: Principality
1806: Duchy Upp Sax PR 1252: Created on partition of Pr. of Anhalt 1468: Annexed to Pr. of Anhalt-Zerbst
1603: Re-established on partition of Pr. of Anhalt
1834: To Anhalt-Dessau
1863: To Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen
Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym Principality Upp Sax PR 1727: Created on merger of Co. of Holzapfel and Pr. of Anhalt-Zeitz-Hoym
Anhalt-Dessau
Duke of Anhalt(-Dessau), Duke of Saxony, Angaria & Westphalia, Count of Ascania, Lord of Bernburg, Zerbst & Gröbzig 1603: Principality
1807: Duchy Upp Sax PR 1396: Created on partition of Pr. of Anhalt-Zerbst 1561: Annexed back to Pr. of Anhalt-Zerbst
1603: Re-established on the partition of the Pr. of Anhalt
1853: Merges with Anhalt-Köthen to form Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen
Anhalt-Dornburg Principality Upp Sax PR 1667: Partitioned from Pr. of Anhalt-Zerbst 1742: Re-annexed to Pr. of Anhalt-Zerbst
Anhalt-Harzgerode Principality Upp Sax PR 1635: Partitioned from Pr. of Anhalt-Bernburg 1709: Annexed to Pr. of Anhalt-Bernburg
Anhalt-Köthen
Anhalt-Kothen
Anhalt-Cothen
Duke of Anhalt-Köthen, Duke of Saxony, Angaria & Westphalia, Count of Ascania, Lord of Bernburg & Zerbst 1603:Principality
1807: Duchy of Anhalt-Köthen Upp Sax PR 1396: Partitioned from Pr. of Anhalt-Zerbst 1552: Annexed to Pr. of Anhalt-Dessau
1603: Re-established on the partition of the Pr. of Anhalt
1847: To Anhalt-Dessau
Anhalt-Mühlingen Principality Upp Sax PR 1667: Partitioned from Pr. of Anhalt-Zerbst 1714: Re-annexed to Pr. of Anhalt-Zerbst
Anhalt-Pless Principality Upp Sax PR 1755: Partitioned from Pr. of Anhalt-Köthen
Anhalt-Plötzkau
Anhalt-Plotzkau Principality Upp Sax PR 1544: Partitioned from Pr. of Anhalt-Dessau 1049: 1st mention of Plotzkau
Count of Plotzkau inherited County of Walbeck
1133: Counts of Plotzkau died out
1435: Anhalt inherited Plotzkau
1553: Annexed to Pr. of Anhalt-Zerbst
1603: Re-established on the partition of the Pr. of Anhalt
1665: Annexed to Pr. of Anhalt-Köthen
Anhalt-Zeitz-Hoym Principality Upp Sax PR 1718: Partitioned from Pr. of Anhalt-Bernburg 1727: Merged with Co. of Holzapfel to form Pr. of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym
Anhalt-Zerbst Principality Upp Sax PR 1252: Partitioned from Pr. of Anhalt 1396: Partitioned into Principalities of Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Köthen
1544: Re-established on the partition of Pr. of Anhalt-Dessau
1796: Annexed to Pr. of Anhalt-Dessau
Anholt 1169: HRE Lordship
1621: HRE County Low Rhen WF 1169: Anholt castle built by William I, Prince-Bishop of Utrecht
1234: Ruled by Lords of Zuylen-Anholt
1300's: Granted immediate status during rule of Stephen I, Lord of Anholt, 1317-1343
1346: Lords of Anholt first minted money
1349: Granted city rights by Theodoric of Anholt
1380: Death of last male of Lord of Anholt; his daughter and heiress Herberga married Hermann III of Gemen died
1399: To Gemen
1402-1641: To Bronchhorst-Batenburg through marriage of Margaret of Gemen
1431: Emperor Sigismund confirmed Bronchhorst-Batenburgs as Lords of Anholt with the rights to mint coinage and hold festivals and immediate status
1641-1810: Inherited by the Princes of Salm-Salm through marriage to the heiress of Count Theodoric IV (d.1641)
1653: Imperial Estate of Bench of Counts of Westphalia
1738: Line of Salm-Salm died out; Anholt passed to the line of Salm-Hoogstraten (renamed Salm-Salm in 1739)
?-1813: French occupation
1815: To Prussia
Ansbach Margraviate 1500: Franconian Circle
Antwerp
Antwerpen Margraviate Burg 1512: Burgundian Circle
Aosta 1310: Duchy 1539-1563: French occupation
Appenzell Imperial valley 1507: Split off from Abbey of St. Gall 1597: Partitioned into Appenzell Innerrhoden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Appenzell Ausserrhoden Imperial valley 1597: Partitioned from Appenzell 1648: Left Empire as member of Swiss Confederation
Appenzell Innerrhoden Imperial valley 1597: Partitioned from Appenzell 1648: Left Empire as member of Swiss Confederation
Arenberg
Aremberg ?: County
1576: HRE Princely County
1644: Duchy El Rhin PR c1177 1512: To Electoral Rhenish Circle
1580: HRE Council of Princes
1810: Mediatized
Arlon County
c1167: Margraviate n/a 950 1214: United with County of Luxemburg
1221: Annexed to D. of Limburg
Arnsberg County
Artois 1237: County Burg 1512: Burgundian Circle
Asch Lordship
Aschaffenburg 1803: Principality 1803 900's: Imperial Chancellor and Archbishop Willigis of Mainz acquired ownership of Aschaffenburg
1803: Granted to the Chancellor, Karl Theodor von Dalberg
1806: Annexed to the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt
1814: To Bavaria
Aspremont-Lynden 1590: Imperial Barony
Imperial County 1590: immediate Barons of Reckheim
1623: Imperial Estate
Auersperg
HRE Prince of Auersperg, Duke of Gottschee, Princely Count of Thengen, Count of Wels, Lord of Schönberg & Seissenberg, etc. 1550: HRE Barony
1630: HRE County
1653: HRE Prince
1664: HRE Princely County 1795: Partitioned into itself, Pr. of Auersperg-Schönfeldscher and Auersperg-Zweig 1654: Imperial Estate
1654: HRE Council of Princes
1654-1791: Non-immediate Dukes of Silesia-Munsterberg and Frankestein
1663: Became immediate Lords of Thengen
1664: To Swabian Circle, Princes' Bench
1791: Non-immediate Dukes of Gottschee (in the Austrian hereditary lands)
Acquired non-immediate Princely County of Wels
Auersperg-Schönfeldscher 1795-1806: Principality 1795: Partitioned from Pr. of Auersperg
1806: Mediatised to Austria
Auersperg-Zweig Principality 1795: Partitioned from Pr. of Auersperg
1806: Mediatised to Austria
Augsburg 1203: Bishopric
Prince-Bishopric EC c888 1500: To Swabian Circle
1793: Council of Princes
1802: Annexed to Bavaria
1803: Secularized to Bavaria
Augsburg 1276: Imperial Free City SW 1276 14 B.C.: Founded by Augustus
1488-1534: Joined Swabian League
1500: To Swabian Circle
1632-1635: Swedish occupation
1806Annexed to Bavaria
Austria
Emperor of Austria, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Galicia, odomeria, & Illyria, King of Jerusalem, etc., Archduke of Austria, Grand Duke of Tuscany & Crakow, Duke of Lorraine, Salzburg, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola & the Bukovina, Grand Prince of Transylvania, Markgrave of Moravia, Duke of the Upper & Lower Silesia, Modena, Parma, Piacenza & Guastalla, Auschwitz & Zator, Teschen, Friaul, Raguse & Zara, Princely Count of Habsburg, Tyrol, Kyburg, Goritia & Gradisca, Prince of Trient & Brixen, Markgrave of Upper and Lower Lusatia & in Istria, Count of Hohenems/Hohenembs, Feldkirch, Bregenz, Sonnenberg, etc., Lord of Triest, Cattaro, the Slavic [Wendischen] Mark, Grand Voyvode of the Voyvodina of Serbia c960: Margraviate
1156: Duchy
1359: Archduke
1453: Archduchy
1804: Empire of Austria Aust PR 960 833: Margraviate of Austria created
976: Austria separated from Duchy of Bavaria
1192: Inherited Styria
1379-1457: Partition into Austria (Albertine Line) and "Inner Austria" (Duchies of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola, County of Tyrol and the "Vorlande", to Leopoldine Line))
1457: Albertine line died out; Austria to Leopoldine line
1512: Austrian Circle
1520-1534: Administered Duchy of Wurttemberg
1582: HRE Council of Princes
Austria Bailiwick (Ballei) of the Teutonic Order 1512: Austrian Circle
1793: Council of Princes
[edit]
B
Name
Type
Circle
Bench
Formed
Notes
Baar Landgraviate Swab 1500: To Swabian Circle
Babenhausen Lordship
1803: HRE Principality 1237: 1st mention of Babenhausen
1100's: Babenhausen and Schonegg part of Lordship of Kellmunz
1200-1300's: To Lords of Schonegg
1378: To Lords of Rechberg
1539: Anton Fugger bought Lordship of Babenhausen
1803: Lordships of Babenhausen, Boos and Kettershausen erected into Principality of Babenhausen for Fugger family
1806: To Bavaria
Area: 52 sq. km.; Pop. 11,000
Babenhausen-Mindelheim-Cellmünz Lordship 1432: Partitioned from Staufeneck-Babenhausen 1487: Divided into Frundsburg and Kronburg
Baden
Grand Duke of Baden, Duke of Zähringen, Landgrave of Nellenburg, etc, Overlord & Hereditary Lord[Ober- und Erbherr] in the Baar & of Stühlingen, Heiligenberg, Hausen, Möskirch, Hohenhöwen, Wildenstein & Waldsberg, Mosbach & Dürn, Bischofsheim, Hardheim & Lauda, the Klettgau, Krautheim, Wertheim, Neudenau & Billigheim, Count of Salem, Petershausen & Hanau 1112: Margraviate
1362: HRE Margrave
1803: Electorate
1806: Grand Duchy PR c960 1190: Partitioned into Baden-Baden and Baden-Hachberg
1387: Received a part of the County of Eberstein
1500: To Swabian Circle
1535: Partitioned into Upper Margraviate of Baden (Baden-Baden) and Lower Margraviate of Baden (Baden-Durlach)
1582: HRE Council of Princes
1771: Baden-Baden line extinct; Baden reunited
1806: Joined Confederation of the Rhine
1871: Joined the German Empire
1849: Republic of Baden
1918: Republic of Baden
Baden-Baden Margraviate Swab PR 1190: Partitioned from Baden 1291: Partitioned into Baden-Baden, Baden-Eerstein and Baden-Pforzheim
1335: Divided between Baden-Eberstein and Baden-Pforzheim
1348: Partitioned from Baden-Pforzheim
1515: Partitioned into itself, Baden-Durlach and Baden-Sponheim
1536: Partitioned into itself and Baden-Rodemachern
1588: Annexed to Baden-Rodemachern
1622: Partitioned from Baden-Durlach
1771: United to form Baden
Baden-Durlach Margraviate Swab PR 1515: Partitioned from Baden-Baden 1577: Partitioned into itself, Baden-Hachberg and Baden-Sausenburg
1771: United to form Baden
Baden-Eberstein Margraviate 1291: Partitioned from Baden-Baden 1353: Annexed to Baden-Pforzheim
Baden-Hochberg
Baden-Hachberg Margraviate Swab PR 1190: Partitioned from Baden 1290: Partitioned into itself and Baden-Sausenburg
1415: Annexed to Baden-Baden
1482: Partitioned from Baden-Baden
1488: Annexed to Baden-Baden
1577: Partitioned from Baden-Durlach
1591: Annexed to Baden-Durlach
Baden-Pforzheim Margraviate n/a n/a 1291: Partitioned from Baden-Baden 1315: Partitioned into itself and Baden-Baden
1361: Annexed to Baden-Baden
Baden-Rodemachern Margraviate Swab 1537: Partitioned from Baden-Baden 1575: Partitioned into itself and Baden-Rodenheim
1596: Annexed to Baden-Durlach
1622: Partitioned from Baden-Durlach
1666: Annexed to Baden-Baden
Baden-Rodenheim Margraviate Swab 1575: Partitioned from Baden-Rodemachern 1620: Annexed to Baden-Durlach
Baden-Sausenberg Margraviate Swab PR 1290: Partitioned from Baden-Hachberg 1503: Annexed to Baden-Baden
1577: Partitioned from Baden-Durlach
1604: Annexed to Baden-Durlach
Baden-Sponheim Margraviate Upp Rhen 1515: Partitioned from Baden-Baden 1533: Annexed to Baden-Baden
Badenweiler Lordship
Baindt Abbacy Swab 1793: Council of Princes
Bamberg 1007: Bishopric
c1242: Prince-Bishopric Franc EC 1007 1500: Franconian Circle
1793: Council of Princes
1802: Annexed to Bavaria
1803: Secularized to Bavaria
Bar
Bar-le-Duc
Barrois 951: County
1354: Duchy Upp Rhen 951 959-1033: Under Lorraine (Lotharingia)
1197-1214: Union of Bar and Luxemburg
1301: Vassal of King of France for the Western part of his territory (Barrois Mouvant) and a vassal of the Holy Roman Emperor for the easter part
1354: Emperor Charles IV granted title of Margrave of Pont-a-Mousson and rank of Prince to Duke of Bar
1399: Bar inherited Lordship of Cassel
1473:
Union of Duchy of Bar and Duchy of Lorraine
1480: Permanently united with the Duchy of Lorraine
1508: Inherited by Lorraine
1582: HRE Council of Princes
1634-1659, 1670-1697, 1702-1714: French occupation
1766: Together with Lorraine, permanently annexed to France
Barby 1497: HRE County Upp Sax 1497 961: 1st mention of Barby
974: Emperor gave Barby to his sister, Mathilde, Abbess of Quedlinburg
1050: To Lords of Arnstein as an imperial fief
Partitioned into: Barby-Arnstein (1209-1284), Barby-Barby (1213-1651), Barby-Lindow (1211-1372), Barby-Mühlingen (1565-1659) and Barby-Ruppin
1524: Barby-Rupin to Brandenburg
1651: Barby-Barby to Barby-Mühlingen (1360-1524)
1659: Barby-Mühlingen to Saxe-Weissenfels
1372: Barby-Lindow to Anhalt
1659: To Elector of Saxony
Barmstedt Acquired by Rantzau
Basel Bishopric Upp Rhen EC 999 1579: Allied to the Swiss Confederation
1792: Annexed to the Rauracian Republic
1793: Council of Princes
1801: Mediatised to Baden and France
Basel 1386: Free City n/a 374: 1st mentioned as "Basilea"
To Bishops of Basel
1356: Acquired sovereign rights (own currency, customs and judiciary)
1501: Joined Swiss Confederation
1648: Left the Empire
Bassenheim 1729: HRE Lordship to Waldbott of Bassenheim
Bavaria
King of Bavaria, Count-Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, Franconia & in Swabia, etc. 888: Duchy
1623: Electorate
1805: Kingdom Bav EL 6th century 888: Bavaria a stem duchy
889-1180: Ruled by the Welfs
1180-1918: Ruled by the Wittelsbachs
1185: Inherited lands of Burgraves of Regensburg
1214: Invested with County Palatinate of the Rhine
1238: Inherited lands of Counts of Valai
Incorporated lands of Counts of Bogen
Incorporated lands of Counts of Wassenburg
1255: First division into Upper (including Palatinate and Regensburg) and Lower Bavaria
1310: Division of Upper Bavaria into Bavaria-Munich and Bavaria-Ingolstadt
1314: Division into Palatinate (including Upper Palatinate) and Bavaria
1340: Lower Bavaria line died out
1349: Partition of Wittelsbach patrimony into: Upper Bavaria and Brandenburg; Bavaria-Munich; Lower Bavaria; and Holland, Zeeland, Frisia and Hainaut
1392: Division into Bavaria-Ingolstadt (extinct 1447), Bavaria-Landshut (extinct 1503) and Bavaria-Munich
1500: Bavarian Circle
1545: Bavaria reunited after many divisions
1582: HRE Council of Princes
1618: Acquired Mundelheim from Barons of Maxlrain
Acquired Landgraviate of Leuchtenberg
1623: Electoral vote of Palatinate transferred to Bavaria
1623: Acquired Upper Palatinate
1806: Joined Confederation of the Rhine
Bavaria-Ingolstadt Duchy 1392: Partitioned from Bavaria-Landshut 1445: Annexed to Bavaria-Munich
Bavaria-Landshut Duchy 1353: Partitioned from Lower Bavaria 1503: Annexed to Bavaria-Munich
Bavaria-Munich Duchy 1392: Partitioned from Bavaria-Landshut 1505: Became D. of Bavaria
Bavaria-Straubing Duchy 1353: Partitioned from Lower Bavaria 1425: Divided between Bavaria-Ingolstadt, Bavaria-Landshut and Bavaria-Munich
Bayer-Naumburg Lordship 1316: Partitioned from Querfurt 1496: Annexed to Mansfeld
Bayreuth
Prince and Margrave of Bayreuth 1398: Principality 1194: 1st mention of Bayreuth
1248: To Counts of Zollern & Burgraves of Nuremberg
1363: Counts of Zollern as HRE Princes
1420-1440: Under Nuremberg
1457-1486: Administered by Ansbach
1495-1515: Administered by Ansbach
1500: Franconian Circle
1557-1603: Administered by Ansbach
1791: Integrated into Prussia
1806: French administration
1810: To Bavaria
Beckenried HRE Abbey
Bedburg County 1465: Partitioned from Neuenahr 1519: Annexed to Mörs
Beichlingen Lordship 1144 1275: Partitioned into Beichlingen-Beichlingen and Beichlingen-Rothenburg
1567: Annexed to Gleichen
Beilstein Lordship
1679: County (for House of Metternich) ?? 1500: Westphalian Circle
1512: Electoral Rhenish Circle
To Prince Metternich
Belfort Jurisdiction 1200's: To Counts of Montbeliard
1307: Granted a charter
To Austria
1648: Ceded to France
Louis XIV of France gave it to Cardinal Mazarin
Benevento 576: Duchy 576 899: Atenulf I of Capua conquered Benevento and united the 2 duchies
1053: To Papal States
Bentheim
Count of Bentheim, Tecklenburg, Steinfurt & Limburg, Lord of Rheda, Wevelinghoven, Hoya, Alpen, Helpenstein, Baron of Lennep, Hereditary Advocate[Erbvogt] of Köln 1182: County
1486: HRE County Low Rhen WE 1050 1115: Passed to Count Otto of Salm
Marriage of Otto's heiress, Sophia (d.1176), Countess of Rheineck, Salm and Bentheim to Dirk VI, Count of Holland
1146-1182: A fief of Bishopric of Utrecht
1176: Passed to Counts of Holland
1263: Annexed County of Tecklenburg
1277: Partitioned into Bentheim-Tecklenburg and Bentheim-Bentheim
1421/1468: Bentheim became an immediate fief of the Empire
1500: Westphalian Circle
1530-1643: To County of Steinfurt
1606/1610: Division into Bentheim-Tecklenburg (with Rheda and Hohenlimburg) and Bentheim-Steinfurt
1752: Bentheim mortgaged to and was seized by Elector of Hanover
1804: Annexed to Steinfurt
1806: Bentheim mediatised to Berg
1810: Annexed to France
1815: To Hanover
Bentheim-Alpen 1606-1629: County
Bentheim-Bentheim 1277-1530, 1643-1753, 1753-1803: County 1277: Partitioned from Bentheim (like Bentheim-Tecklenburg) 1530: Line of Bentheim-Bentheim became extinct; Bentheim granted to Arnold II of Bentheim-Steinfurt
1753-1803: Seized by the Elector of Hanover
1803: Bentheim reunited with Bentheim-Steinfurt
Bentheim-Limburg 1606-1632: County
Bentheim-Lingen 1450-1555: County
Bentheim-Steinfurt 1454-1803: County
Prince of Bentheim-Steinfurt in Prussia Low Rhen WE 1454: Split off from Co. of Bentheim-Bentheim 1643: Partitioned into Bentheim-Steinfurt and Bentheim-Bentheim
1806: Mediatised to Berg (which obtained Bentheim) and Prussia (which obtained Steinfurt)
Bentheim-Tecklenburg 1277-1557: County
1817: Prince of Bentheim-Tecklenburg in Prussia 1277: Partitioned from Bentheim (like Bentheim-Bentheim)
Bentheim-Tecklenburg-Rheda 1606-1806: County 1606: Partitioned from Bentheim-Steinfurt 1806: Mediatised to Prussia
Bentinck
HRE Count of Bentinck and Aldenburg, Lord of the free Lordship of Knyphausen, Noble Lord of Varel 1732: HRE Counts 1733/1800 immediate Lords of Knyphausen & Varel
Aug 1806-1807 sovereign Lords of Knyphausen & Varel
1814/15 Lords of Knyphausen & Varel under the overlordship of Oldenburg
Berchtesgaden
Prince, Provost and Lord of Berchtesgaden 1108: Abbey
1486/1491: HRE Prince-Abbot
Provostry Bav 1491 1500: Bavarian Circle
1803:Annexed to Salzburg
1793: Council of Princes
1803: Annexed to Salzburg
1805: Annexed to Austria
1809: Annexed to Bavaria
Berg 1101: County
1380: Duchy Low Rhen PR 1093 1437: To Duchy of Julich
1511: To Duchy of Cleves
1521: United with Mark and Cleves
1609: War of Successions
1582: HRE Council of Princes
1609: To Palatinate-Neuburg
1614: To Palatinate-Neuburg
1685: To Electoral Palatinate
1799: To Bavaria
1801: Annexed to France
1803: To Bavaria
1811: To France
1815: To Prussia
Bern
Berne 1218: Imperial Free City 1218: Split off from Zähringen 1191: Founded by Duke Berthold V of Zahringen
1353: Joined the Swiss Confederation
1415: Invaded and acquired Aargau
1536: Invaded and acquired Vaud
1648: Left the Empire
1798: French occupation
Besançon
Besancon Archbishopric EC 1512: Burgundian Circle
1792: Annexed to France
1793: Council of Princes
Besançon
Besancon 1184: Imperial City Burg 1300's: Taken by Dukes of Burgundy
1477-1674: Passed to Habsburgs
1648: Annexed by Free County (a special Co.) of Burgundy ("Franche-Comté")
1674: Ceded to France
Biberach an der Riß Imperial City Swab SW 1180 1803: Annexed to Württemberg
Billungenmark Margraviate 928 983: Conquered by the Bodriches
Bilstein County 1073 1145: 1st mention of "Counts of Bilstein"
1301: Line of counts died out; Bilstein sold to Hesse
1303: Annexed to Hesse
Birkenfeld 1569: County
1817: Principality 1444: Part of Zweibrucken
1801: Annexed by France
1816: Prussian rule
1817: Principality of Birkenfeld in personal union with Oldenburg
Bitburg Abbacy
Bitsch Lordship To Zweibrucken
Blamont Lordship
Blankenburg Principality Low Sax c1082 1368: Annexed to Regenstein
Blankenheim 1112: Lordship
1380: County
1461: HRE County of Manderscheid and Blankenheim 1149: Partitioned from Blankenheim-Schleiden 1112: 1st mention of Lord of Blankenheim
Acquired Lordships of Kronenburg, Junkerath, Dollendorf, Gerolstein, Erp, Neuerburg, Oberkail, Falkenstein, Betttingen, Manderscheid, Osann-Monzel
1406: Counts of Blankenheim died out; passed by female succession to Lords of Heinsberg
To Counts of Manderscheid
1699: Imperial Estate
Counts of Manderscheid-Blankenheim died out; passed by marriage to Counts of Sternberg
1803: Annexed to France
1816: To Prussia
Blankenheim and Gerolstein County Low Rhen 1488: Partitioned from Blankenheim 1533: Partitioned into Blankenheim and Gerolstein and Bettingen
Blankenheim-Schleiden Lordship c1115 1149: Partitioned into Blankenheim and Schleiden
Bludenz County 1394: To Austria
Blumenegg Lordship
1396: Imperial County 1804: Lordship of Blumenegg-Sankt Gerold to Austria
Bohemia 845: Principality
Duchy
1198: Kingdom None EL c890: Joined the Empire 1356: Prince-Elector
1526: Passed to Austria
Bomelburg 1800: Barony 1806: Dissolved
Bonndorf County Swab
Boos Lordship 1803: To Principality of Babenhausen for Fugger house
Bopfingen Imperial Free City Swab SW c1250 1803: Annexed to Württemberg
Bouillon County
Duchy 959; 1496; 1559 1095, 1522: Annexed to Prince-Bishopric of Lüttich (Liége)
1552, 1676: Annexed to France
Brabant 1085/1086: Landgraviate
1090: Duchy1183/1184: Duchy
Claimed status of archduchy Burg PR 1000's: Emerged from division of the Duchy of Lower Lorraine into several feudal states 1283: John I of Brabant bought the Duchy of Limburg from Adolph V of Berg
1430: Passed to D. of Burgundy
1477: Passed to the House of Habsburg
1512: Burgundian Circle
1556: Passed to the Spanish Habsburgs
1582: HRE Council of Princes
1609: northern Brabant awarded to the United Provinces; southern portion remain part of Spanish (later Austrian) Netherlands
Brakel Imperial City Low Rhen RH Held by Bp. of Paderborn
Brandenburg Margraviate
1356: HRE Prince-Elector Upp Sax EL 1157: Originally created as the "Northern March" 1415: Hohenzollerns purchase Brandenburg from HRE
Brandenburg Bishopric Upp Sax EC 949 1569: Annexed to the secular Electorate of Brandenburg
Brandenburg-Ansbach Margraviate Franc PR 1440 as a partition of Bgv. Nuremberg 1582: HRE Council of Princes
1791: Passed to Brandenburg
Brandenburg-Bayreuth Margraviate Franc PR 1440 as a partition of Bgv. Nuremberg 1582: HRE Council of Princes
1769: Passed to Brandenburg-Ansbach
Brandenburg-Kulmbach Margraviate 1655: Partitioned from Brandenburg-Bayreuth 1726: Re-annexed to Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Brandenburg-Küstrin Margraviate 1535: Partitioned from Brandenburg 1571: Re-annexed to Brandenburg
Brauneck County 1230 as a partition of Hohenlohe Partitioned several times.
1340, 1391, 1448: All re-annexed to Hohenlohe
Breda Barony 1000's: A direct fief of the Holy Roman Emperor
1327: Adelheid of Gaveren sold Breda to John III, Duke of Brabant
1350: Breda sold to John II of Wassenaar (d.1377)
1403: To Counts of Nassau by the marriage of Johann of Polanen, heiress of Breda, to Engelbert I of Nassau
Bregenz County Swab SW 950 802: 1st mention of Bregenz castle
926: 1st mention of Ulrich VI as "Count of Bregenz"
970: Division of the House of Bregenz (Pfullendorf, Lustenau)
Annexed to Tübingen
1152/1160: Line of Counts of Bregenz died out
1171: Marriage of Hugo II (d.1182), Count Palatine of Tubingen with Elizabeth (d.1216), heiress of Montfort and Bregenz
1180: Annexed to Montfort
1451/1458: Annexed to Austria
1782: Annexed to Bavaria
Brehna County
Breisgau County
Landgraviate n/a SW 771 1077: Annexed by Zähringen
1512: Austrian Circle
Breisgau Duchy Aust SW 1801 1803: Reconstituted as Breisgau-Modena
Breisgau-Modena Duchy Aust SW 1803 1805: Divided between Baden andWürttemberg
Breitenbrunn HRE Lordship
Breiteneck
Breitenegg 1631: HRE Lordship Bav 1129: Breitenegg castle and Lordship of Breitenbrunn owned by Lords of Breitenbrunn
1247-1289: 1st certain owner was Werner V of Laaber
1500: Bavarian Circle
Sold to Counts of Hirschberg
1302: Sold to Hadamar II of Laaber
1433: Bought by Heinrich of Gumppenberg
1463: Reddemed by Ulrich of Laaber
1465: Sold to Konrad of Pappenheim
1473>: Sold to Martin and Ludwig of Wildenstein
1583: Wildenstein line died out
1592: Lordship divided between Neuburg and Bavaria
1624: Given by Maximilian I to Tilly (extinct, 1724) as a gift<br1744: Inherited by Lords of Gumppenberg
1792: Sold to Karl Theordor of Bavaria in personal union
Bremen 1072: Archbishopric
1100's: HRE Prince-Archbishopric
1648: Duchy Low Sax EC 787 805: Bishopric founded
848-1072: In personal union with Bishopric of Hamburg
1648: To Sweden; secularized as Duchy of Bremen and Principality of Verden
1712: Danish occupation
1715: Sold to Hanover
1719: Incorporated into Hanover
1810: Annexed to France
Bremen 1646: Imperial City Low Sax RH 1202 1358: Joined Hanseatic League
1810: Annected by France
1815: Free City
Brena Barony 1156 1290: Annexed by Saxe-Wittenburg
Breslau Bishopric Bishop bought Duchy of Grottkau from Duke of Silesia-Brieg and added it to the episcopal territory of Neisse
Prince of Neisse and Duke of Grottkau
Bretzenheim
HRE Prince of Bretzenheim and Count of Lindau 1774: HRE Count of Bretzenheim
1790: HRE Principality Upp Rhen 1790 for the Wittelsbach-Bretzenheim branch 1769: Counts of Heydeck
To Velen
1780: immediate Lord of Bretzenheim
1790: Imperial estate
1802: Central German territories annexed by Hesse-Darmstadt
1803: Prince granted County of Lindau am Bodensee
1804: Southern German territories annexed by Austria
Brixen 1027: Bishopric
1179: Prince-Bishopric Aust EC 1179 1512: Austrian Circle
1793: Council of Princes
1803: Secularized and annexed by Austria to Krain (Carniola)
1805: To Bavaria
1814: To Austria
1918: To Italy
Broich Lordship 1093: 1st mention of Lords of Broich 883: Broich castle for defense against Viking attacks
Under overlordship of Dukes of Berg
Freed from Dukes of Berg
1372: Line of Lords of Broich became extinct; passed to Counts of Limburg-Styrum
1413: Dukes of Berg regained overlordship after decline of Counts of Limburg
1432: Dukes of Cleves conquered Broich
1439: Start of new line called Counts of Limburg-Broich
1508: To Counts of Dhaun-Falkenstein
1682: To Counts of Leiningen
1806: Lordship of Broich abolished.
Bruchhausen County 1199 1234: Partitioned
1338, 1388: Annexed by Co. ofHoya
Bruchsal and Odenheim Abbacy 1793: Council of Princes
Brunswick Duchy n/a n/a 1267: Division into Brunswick and Luneburg
Brunswick-Bevern Duchy 1666: Partitioned from Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 1735: Annexed to Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
1735: Partitioned from Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Brunswick-Calenberg Duchy Low Sax PR 1495: Partitoned from Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 1584: Annexed to Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Brunswick-Calenberg-Göttingen Duchy Low Sax PR 1641: Partitioned from Brunswick-Lüneburg 1692: Became the Electorate of Hanover
Brunswick-Celle Duchy Low Sax PR 1527: Partitioned from Brunswick-Lüneburg 1569: Partitioned into Brunswick-Dannenburg and Brunswick-Lüneburg
Brunswick-Celle Duchy Low Sax PR 1641: Partitioned from Brunswick-Lüneburg 1705: Annexed to Hanover
Brunswick-Göttingen Duchy n/a n/a 1279: Partitioned from Brunswick 1345: Partitioned into itself and Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
1442: Annexed to Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Brunswick-Grubenhagen Duchy Low Sax PR 1279: Partitioned from Brunswick 1322: Partitioned into itself and Brunswick-Osterode
1526: Annexed to Brunswick-Osterode
Brunswick-Lüneburg
Duke of Brunswick and Luneburg 1235: Duchies of Brunswick and Luneburg Low Sax PR 1235: Emperor Frederick II created duchies of Brunswick and Luneburg
1267: Division into Brunswick and Luneburg
1285: Duchy of Brunswick divided into Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, Brunswick Gottingen and Brunswick-Grubehnagen
1292: Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel line died out
1345: New line of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel founded
1369: Line of dukes of Luneburg died out
1369: To Saxony
1388: Luneburg incorporated into Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel
1432: Brunswick divided into Brunswick-Calenberg and Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel
1463: Elder Brunswick-Gottingen died out
1396: Brunswick-Grubenhagen line died out
1527: Partitioned
1582: Inherited 1/2 of County of Hoya
1585: Inherited County of Diepholz
1633: Inherited Principlaity of Grubenhagen
1689: Inherited Duchy of Launeburg
Inherited by Calenberg (personal union)
Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Duchy Low Sax PR 1345: Partitioned from Brunswick-Göttingen 1373: Partitioned into itself, Brunswick-Einbeck and Brunswick-Lüneburg
1495: Partitioned into itself and Brunswick-Calenberg
1666: Partitioned into itself and Brunswick-Bevern
1735: Partitioned into itself and Brunswick-Bevern
Buchau c770: Abbacy
1447: HRE Princess-Abbess Swab 1625: Acauired Lordship of Strassberg
1793: Council of Princes
1803: Secularized and given to Prince of Thurn und Taxis
1806: Annexed to Wurttemberg; Strassberg to Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Buchau Imperial City Swab SW c1250 1803: Mediatized
Buchhorn Imperial City Swab SW 1089 1803: Mediatized
Burgau Margraviate 1301: Acquired by Austrian Habsburgs
1304: Imperial fief of Burgau invested in sons of King Albert I
Burgbrohl Lordship 1451: Partitioned from Saffig 1533: Annexed to Saffig-Olbrück
Burgundy
Franche-Comte 915: "Free" County
County Palatine Burg PR 1127 1330: Passed to D. of Burgundy
1405-1556: To Dukes of Burgundy
1556: To Habsburg Kings of Spain
1678: Annexed to France
Burgundy Duchy 1582: HRE Council of Princes
Bürresheim
Burresheim Lordship
Burtscheid Abbacy 1793: Council of Princes
Butzweiler Lordship
Buxheim Abbacy
[edit]
C
Name
Type
Circle
Bench
Formed
Notes
Calvelage County 1072 1170: Annexed to Ravensberg
Calw County 1075: 1st mention of Calw
1155: Acquired Lowenstein
1189: Acquired Vaihingen
Division into Calw-Lowenstein and Calw-Vaihingen
1277: Counts of Calw-Lowenstein died out; territories purchased by an illegitimate branch of the Habsburgs
1282: Counts of Calw died out; territories inherited by Counts of Tubingen
1361: Counts of Calw-Vaihingen died out; territories inherited by Counts of Wurttemberg
Cambrai Bishopric Low Rhen
Cambrai Imperial City Burg 1677: Annexed to France
Cappenberg
Carinthia 970: Margraviate
1180: Duchy Aust PR 876; 927; 976; 995 1286: To Counts of Gorizia
1335: To Habsburg Austria
1512 Austrian Circle
1804: To Kingdom of Illyria
Carniola 1002: Margraviate
1364: Duchy Aust PR 1040 1054: Emperor Henry II creates a separate Carniola as a fief Duchy of Carinthia
1071-1090: To Aquileia
1237-1251: Imperial Administration
1259-1269: To Aquileia
1270-1918: To Habsburgs
1512: Austrian Circle
1803: Imperial Estate in Bench of Princes
1805-1806: French occupation
Castell 1200: County Franc 1200 1254: Partitioned into Elder and Younger lines
1347: Elder branch extinct; Castell reunited
1500: Franconian Circle
1597: Partitioned into Castell-Remlingen and Castel-Rüdenhausen
Castell County 1709: Partitioned from Castell-Castell 1772: Re-annexed to Castell-Castell
Composed of 3 territories and 28 villages
Castell-Castell 1668: County 1668: Partitioned from Castell-Remlingen 1709: Division into Castell-Castell and Castell>br>1772: Annexed Castell
1806: Mediatised to Bavaria
Castell-Remlingen 1597: County 1597: Partitioned from Castell 1668: Division ito Castlell-Remlingen and Castell-Castell
1762: Re-annexed to Castell
Castell-Rüdenhausen County 1597: Partitioned from Castell
Castels High Jurisdiction
Chablais 1310: Duchy
Chatelot Lordship
Chiemsee Bishopric
Chur Bishopric Aust EC 1170 1512: Austrian Circle
1793: Council of Princes
1798: Annexed to the Helvetic Republic
Churwalden Jurisdiction
Cilli
Cilly 1341: County
1436: HRE Principality of Cilli and Ortenburg 1456: Counts of Cilli died out; estates inherited by Habsburgs
Cläven Lordship 909 Partitioned in 950
Clemont Lordship
Cleves
Kleve 1000's: County
1417: Duchy Low Rhen PR 719 1368: United with County of Mark
1521: United with Julich, Berg, Cleves and Mark
1582: HRE Council of Princes
1609: War of Succession
1614 to Brandenburg
?-1672: Occupied by United Provinces
To Prussia
1795: French occupation
1815: To Prussia
Colloredo Principality (personalist) n/a FR 1763 1788: Renamed to Colloredo-Mansfeld
Colloredo-Mansfeld Principality (personalist) n/a FR 1788: Renamed from Colloredo 1803: Purchased a portion of Limpurg, and Rieneck
Colmar Imperial City Upp Rhen 1648: Annexed to France
Cologne
Köln (in German) Archbishopric
1356: HRE Prince-Elector El Rhin EL 954 1512: Electoral Rhenish Circle
1803: Annexed to Ldg. of Hesse-Darmstadt
Cologne Free City Low Rhen RH 1288 1794: Annexed to France
Comburg Imperial Abbey
Corvey
(Korvey) 877: Abbey
c1582: Prince-Abbot
1783: Prince-Bishopric
Principality Low Rhen 877 1793: Council of Princes
1803: Secularized as a principality to Nassau-Dillenburg
Cottbus Lordship 1156: 1st mention of Cottbus
1199-1445: To Lords of Cottbus
1462: To Prince-Electors of Brandenburg
Croy
Dukes of Croÿ, HRE Prince Duchy
1767: HRE Prince 1590: non-immediate Counts of Solre in the Spanish Low Countries
1677: Prince of Solre in the Spanish Low Countries
1767 non-immediate Dukes of Croÿ in France
1803: immediate Lords of Dülmen
[edit]
D
Name
Type
Circle
Bench
Formed
Notes
Dagstuhl
Dachstuhl Lordship Upp Rhen 1290-1375: To Lords of Dagstuhl
1375-1625: To Lords of Flenkenstein, Kriechingen, Rollingen and Brucken
1625-1696: To Lords of Sotern
1696-1802: To Counts of Oettingen-Baldern and Sotern
1802-1803: To Princes of Oettingen-Wallerstein
Dannenberg Principality
Danzig 1454: Imperial Free City
Dauphine 1335: To France
Davos High Jurisdiction
Degenberg HRE County 1602: Line died out
To Bavaria
Delmenhorst County Low Rhen 1278; 1440; 1577 Younger partition of Oldenburg
1438, 1482, 1647: Re-annexed to Oldenburg
Diepholz Barony
1524: County Low Rhen 1278 1583: Annexed to Brunswick
Line died out
Diessen HRE County c1326: To Bavaria
Diessenhofen Imperial city 1415 to 1442
Dietrichstein
HRE Prince of Dietrichstein in Nikolsburg/Nicolsburg, Count of Proskau, Lord of Trasp 1514: HRE Barony
1612: HRE County
1631: HRE Principality
1654: HRE Princes of Dietrichstein 1654: HRE Council of Princes
1654: Imperial Estate
1684: immediate Lords of Tarasp
1802: Acquired County of Leslie
1803: Lost Tarasp to Swiss Confederation
Diez County 1101 1522: Divided between Eppstein-Königstein and Hesse-Cassel
Diez-Birstein County 1189: Partitioned from Diez 1322: Annexed to Diez-Weilnau
1438: Passed to Isenburg
Diez-Weilnau County 1234: Partitioned from Diez 1438: Annexed to Nassau-Dillenburg
Dinkelsbühl Imperial City Swab SW 1274 1802: Annexed to Bavaria
Disentis HRE Abbey in Switzerland c. 720 part of Grey League
Donauwörth Imperial City c. 1250 1714: Annexed to Bavaria (also between 1606 and 1705)
Donzdorf Lordship
1699: County 1605: Partitioned from Aichen 1738: Annexed to Osterberg
Dornbirn Lordship
Dortmund Imperial City Low Rhen RH 1220 1803: Annexed to Nassau-Orange
Dreis HRE Lordship
Drenthe County 1512: Burgundian Circle
1579: To United Provinces
Duisburg Imperial City n/a 1290: Annexed to Cleves
Düren Imperial City n/a Annexed to Jülich
Dyck Lordship
[edit]
E
Name
Type
Circle
Bench
Formed
Notes
East Frisia
East Friesland
Prince and Lord of East Frisia, Lord of Esens, Stadesdorf and Wittmund 1465: County
1654: HRE Prince
1662: Principality Low Rhen 1667: HRE Council of Princes
1744: Inherited by Prussia
1807: Ceded to France
1807: Incorporated into Kingdom of Holland
1810: French occupation
1813: Russian occupation
1813: To Prussia
1815: To Hanover
Eberstein 1196: County Swab 1574: Partitioned from Neu-Eberstein 1085: 1st mention of Eberstein
1196: 1st use of "Count of Eberstein"
1387: Portion of Eberstein went to the Margraves of Baden
1660: Line of counts extinct; divided between Baden,Speyer and Württemberg
Echternach Abbacy 698: Echternach was built
859-871: Possessed by secular canons from Trier
1236: Granted city charter
1797: Abbey suppressed; monks dispersed
Edelstetten
HRE Prince Esterházy of Galántha, Princely Count of Edelstetten, Count of Forchtenstein Lordship
1804: HRE Princely County 1804: To Princes Esterházy of Galántha
Eggenberg
HRE Prince of Eggenberg, Duke of Krummau, Princely Count of Gradisca, Count of Adelsberg, Lord of Aquileja Principality Aust PR 1647: Acquired Gradisca
1653: HRE Council of Princes 1717: Extinct
Eglingen Lordship Swab To Counts of Gravenegg
1723: To Thurn und Taxis
Eglofs
Egloff Lordship
County Swab To Abensberg-Traun
To Windisch-Gratz
Ehrenburg Lordship
Ehrenfels Lordship 1500: Bavarian Circle
Eichstätt
Eichstatt
Eichstadt 741:Bishopric
908-1802: Imperial Prince-Bishopric Franc EC 908 1500: Franconian Circle
1793: Council of Princes
1802: Annexed by Bavaria
1803: Annexed to Salzburg
Eilenburg Countyy 976 1017: Annexed to Meißen
Einsiedeln Abbacy
965: Prince-Abbot
1274: HRE Principality 1798: Annexed to Confederatio Helvetica
Elchingen 1128: Abbacy Swab 1128: Abbey founded by Counts of Dillingen
1793: Council of Princes
1802: Dissolved and secularized
1803: Annexed to Bavaria
Elbing Imperial Free City 1457: To Poland
Ellwangen Abbacy
1460: Provostry
1215: Imperial Prince-Provostry
1460: "College of Secular Canons" Swab 1011 1793: Council of Princes
1803: Secularized and annexed to Prussia
Elten Abbacy
Eltz Lordship
Engadin and Winterthur Lordship 950: Partitioned from Cläven 1095: Extinct
Engelberg 1124: Priory
1128: Abbacy 1124 1425: Associated member of Swiss Confederation
1798: Annexed to Helvetica
To Nidwalden
1815: To Obwalden
Enzberg Lordship
Eppstein 1505: HRE County 1172 c1100: Eppstein built as an imperial castle
1114: 1st mention of Eppstein
1200's: Inherited 1/2 of County of Wied and Lordship of Kleeberg
1300's: Acquired 1/2 of Lordship of Breuberg and Trimberg
1400's: Acquired 1/2 of Lordship of Falkenstein and 1/2 of County of Diez
1425: Sold Steinheim for 38,000 guldens to Mainz
1433: Partitioned into Eppstein-Königstein (extinct 1535) and Eppstein-Münzenberg (extinct 1522)
Eppstein-Königstein County 1391: Partitioned from Eppstein 1535: Annexed to Stolberg
Eppstein-Münzenberg County 1391: Partitioned from Eppstein 1522: Annexed to Eppstein-Königstein
Erbach
HRE Count of Erbach, Lord of Breuberg & Wildenstein Lordship
1532: HRE County Franc 1213 1532: Imperial estate
1717: Division into Erbach-Furstenau, Erbach-Erbach and Erbach-Schonberg
1500: Franconian Circle
1806: Mediatised
Erbach-Breuburg 1532: HRE County 1647: Partitioned from Erbach 1653: Annexed to Erbach-Erbach
Erbach-Erbach 1532: HRE County 1647: Partitioned from Erbach
1818: Inherited County of Wartenberg-Roth
Erbach-Fürstenau 1532: HRE County 1647: Partitioned from Erbach
Erbach-Schonberg 1532: HRE County 1903: Granted title of Prince
Erbach-Wildenstein 1532: HRE County 1647: Partitioned from Erbach 1669: Annexed to Erbach-Erbach
Ermland 1251: Sovereign HRE Principality 1243: Hochstift
1454: To Poland as part of Royal Prussia
1466: Under direct Plisch Crown
1479: Autonomous Prince-Bishopric under Polish Crown
1777: Abolished at Prussian annexation
Essen c850: Abbacy
1661: HRE Princess-Abbacy Low Rhen 1041 874/947: Imperial immediate status
1228: Abbess called HRE Princess
1793: Council of Princes
1802: Annexed to Prussia
1806: Joint condominium of Prussia and Berg
1806 Annexed to Berg
1815: To Prussia
Esslingen am Neckar Imperial City Swab SW c1250 1803: Annexed to Württemberg
Esterau Lordship 1643: To County of Holzapfel
Esterházy von Galántha Principality Bav PR 1804: Purchased Edelstetten from Ligne (College of Princes)
[edit]
F
Name
Type
Circle
Bench
Formed
Notes
Fagnolle
Fagnolles Lordship
1770: HRE County Low Rhen To House of Ligne
Falkenstein County Upp Rhen 1255: Inherited territories of extinct Hagen-Munzenberg
1418: Line died out; passed to Lords of Eppstein and Counts of Solms
Solms portion passed to Isenburg-Budingen by female inheritance
Feldkirch Lordship
County 1375/1379: To Austria (Leopoldine line)
Finstingen Lordship
County 1458: To Lorraine
Fischbach ?
Flanders 862: County Burg PR 862 1405: To D. of Burgundy; fief of France (except 'Imperial Flanders', mainly the former countship of Aalst)
1512: Burgundian Circle
1529: Ceded to Habsburg
Fleckenstein 1467: HRE Barony 1250:L Division into Fleckenstein-Dagstuhl, Fleckenstein-Soultz-sous-Forêts and Fleckenstein-Bickenbach
Franconia Stem Duchy 8th Century 1196: Discontinued
Franconia Duchy 1633: Created for the Duke of Saxe-Weimar 1639: Abolished
Frankfurt 1220: Imperial City Upp Rhen RH 1372 1806: Included in Principality of Regensburg and Aschaffenburg
1810: Grand Duchy
1815: Free City
1866: Annexed to Prussia
Franzenheim Lordship 1813: Prussian occupation
1866: Annexed to Prussia
Frauenalb Abbacy
Frauenchiemsee RA
Fraumünster 853: Imperial Abbacy
Imperial Duchess-Abbey 853: Founded by Emperor Louis the German for his daughter, Hildegard, endowed it with lands and placed under the emperor's direct authority
1045: Emperor Henry III granted it right to hold markets, collect tolls and mint coins
1524: Abolished by Zürich
Freiburg
Fribourg 1218: Imperial Free City 1157: Freiburg town founded 1277: To Habsburgs
1452: To Savoy
1478: Imperial Free City
1481: Joined Swiss Confederation
1648: Left the Empire
Freiburg im Breisgau County 1368: To Austria (Leopoldine Line)
Freising 738: Bishopric
1220: Prince-Bishopric Bav EC 724: Founded as a monastery 1500: Bavarian Circle
1793: Council of Princes
1803: Secularized to Bavaria
Freudenberg 962: Imperial Abbacy 1801: Annexed to France
;1815: Annexed to Prussia
Freudenberg 1250: HRE Lordship To Counts of Wertheim
1803: To Lowenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg
Friedberg County
1785: Princely County of Friedberg and Scheer To Thurn und Taxis
Friedberg Imperial City Upp Rhen RH 1217 1803: Mediatized
Friedrichshafen
See Buchhorn
Friesland Lordship Burg 1512: Burgundian Circl