Holy Roman Emperor

Elected overlord of German-speaking cities and principalities which made up the Holy Roman Empire. From 1356, the electors – seven ecclesiastical and secular princes – were firmly established. When, on the death of the previous emperor, a candidate gained a majority vote from the electors and was then crowned at Aachen, he was officially titled King of the Romans. To become Holy Roman Emperor, the ruler had formally to be crowned in Rome by the pope. There was, however, no real change in power after the second coronation and a ruler elected but not yet crowned was still viewed as emperor.

Though the position was elective and any monarch could present themselves as a candidate, the election tended to be dominated by one family: in the late 14th and early 15th century, it was the House of Luxemburg. After the death of Emperor Sigismund, the title effectively passed to his in-laws, the Habsburg family. Despite contested elections, in particular in 1519 when Francis I of France and Henry VIII of England both were candidates, the title continued in the Habsburg family until the 19th century.