List of states in the Holy Roman Empire

This is a list of states, which were part of the Holy Roman Empire at any time within its existence between 962 and 1806. It is intended to contain only states that were under direct authority of the Emperor (see Reichsunmittelbarkeit), at least during part of their existence. For a list of Imperial Free Cities see List of Imperial Free Cities.

Contents

1 Table of states 1.1 Key 2 Grouped lists 2.1 Ecclesiastical States 2.2 Livonian territories 2.3 Lands of the Bohemian Crown 2.4 Territories of Old Princely Families 2.5 Territories of New Princely Families 2.6 Territories raised to princely level in 1803 3 See also

Table of states

Warning: The list is in development, and as yet far from complete.

Key

• Abbreviations: Bp. = Bishopric, Abp. = Archbishopric, F.C. = Imperial Free City.
• The second column contains the Imperial circle the state belonged to (see legend table).
• The third column contains the voting status of the state (see Imperial State#Reichstag).

Imperial Circles	Benches
AU: Austrian Circle	EL: Elector
BA: Bavarian Circle	EC: Bench of ecclesiastical princes
BU: Burgundian Circle	PR: Bench of princes
ER: Electoral Rhenish Circle	RP: Bench of Rhenish prelates
FR: Franconian Circle	SP: Bench of Swabian prelates
LR: Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle	FC: Bench of Franconian counts
LS: Lower Saxon Circle	SC: Bench of Swabian counts
UR: Upper Rhenish Circle	WE: Bench of Westphalian counts
US: Upper Saxon Circle	WT: Bench of Wetterau counts
SW: Swabian Circle	RH: Bench of Rhenish free cities
no: Circle free	SW: Bench of Swabian free cities
—: ceased to exist before Imperial Reform

State	Circle	Bench	Formation (from)	Dissolution (to)	Type	Notes
Anhalt	US	PR	1173 (Duchy of Saxony)	-	County from 1212, Prncipality from 1218	1173-1252 and 1570-1603 unified state, otherwise several partitions: Anhalt-Aschersleben, Anhalt-Bernburg, Anhalt-Dessau, Anhalt-Köthen, Anhalt-Zerbst
Bp. Augsburg	SW	EC	?	1803	Bishopric	to Bavaria
Austria	AU	PR	960	-	Margraviate from 960; Duchy from 1155; Archduchy from 1359 or 1453	Traditionally divided into Upper and Lower Austria
Baden	SW	PR	c.960	-	Margraviate from 1112; Electorate from 1803	1535-1771 divided into Baden-Baden and Baden-Durlach
Baden-Baden	SW	PR	1535	1771	Margraviate	inherited by the Baden-Durlach line
Baden-Durlach	SW	PR	1535	1771	Margraviate
Bp. Bamberg	FR	EC	1007	1802	Bishopric	to Bavaria
Bp. Basel	UR	EC	6th Century	1801	Bishopric	to France and Baden
Bavaria	BA	EL	6th c.	-	Duchy; Elector from 1623
Bentheim	LR	WE	1050	-	County	Divided into Bentheim-Tecklenburg and Bentheim-Bentheim, 1277
Berg	LR	PR	1093	-	County 1093; Duchy 1380; 1614 to Palatinate-Neuburg
Bohemia	no	EL	9th c.	-	Duchy, 845; Kingdom, 1198	1526 to Austria
Brandenburg	US	EL	1134	-	Margraviate of the North Mark 936; Margraviate of Brandenburg 1136; Electorate 1355	union with Prussia since 1618
Bp. Brandenburg	US	EC	949	1569	Bishopric	to the Electorate of Brandenburg
Brandenburg-Ansbach	FR	PR	??	-	Margraviate	1791 to Brandenburg
Brandenburg-Bayreuth	FR	PR	??	-	Margraviate	1791 to Brandenburg
Abp. Bremen	LS	EC	787	1648	Archbishopric 787; Duchy 1648	secularized to Sweden; from 1720 to Hanover
Bp. Brixen	AU	EC	?	1803	Bishopric
Brunswick-Lüneburg	LS	PR	1180 (Duchy of Saxony)	-	Duchy from 12th century; Electorate 1692
Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel	LS	PR	1267 (Brunswick-Lüneburg)	-	Duchy
County of Burgundy	BU	PR	1127	1678 (France)	County	1330 to Duchy of Burgundy; AKA Franche Comté
Burgundian Lands	BU	PR	?	1795 (France)	Not a single polity - included various different Duchies and Counties	included Brabant, Holland, Hainaut, Flanders (from 1530), etc.; 1581 United Provinces independent
Carinthia	AU	PR	10th c.	-	Duchy
Carniola	AU	PR	1040	-	Margraviate, Duchy 1590
Bp. Chur	AU	EC	?	1798	Bishopric	to Helvetic Republic
Cleves	LR	PR	11th c.	-	Duchy	1614 to Brandenburg
Abp. Cologne	ER	EL	?	1803	Archbishopric	to France and Hesse Darmstadt
Bp. Eichstätt	FR	EC	?	1803	Bishopric	to Salzburg
Bp. Fulda	UR	EC	1752	1803	Abbacy 744; Bishopric 1752	to Nassau-Orange
Guelders	BU	PR	11th c.	1795 (France)	County 1096, Duchy 1339	1543 to Burgundy, after 1581 divided between United Provinces and Southern Netherlands
Bp. Halberstadt	LS	EC	?	1648	Bishopric	secularized to Prussia
Hanover	LS	EL	1636 (Brunswick-Lüneburg)	-	Electorate since 1692
Hesse	UR	PR	1264 (Thuringia)	1567	Landgraviate
Hesse-Darmstadt	UR	PR	1567 (Hesse)	-	Landgraviate
Hesse-Kassel	UR	PR	1567 (Hesse)	-	Landgraviate
Hesse-Marburg	UR	PR	1567 (Hesse)	1604 (Hesse-Kassel)	Landgraviate
Hesse-Rheinfels	UR	PR	1567 (Hesse)	1583	Landgraviate
Jülich	LR	PR	11th c.	-	Duchy	1614 to Palatinate-Neuburg
Bp. Konstanz	SW	EC	?	1803	Bishopric	to Baden
(Saxe-)Lauenburg	LS	EL	1260 (Duchy of Saxony)	-	Duchy	1689 to Hanover
Bp. Liège	LR	EC	10th c.	1795 (France)	Bishopric
Lippe	LR	WE	1528	-	County, then Principality
Bp. Lübeck	LS	EC	?	1803	Bishopric	to Oldenburg
Abp. Magdeburg	LS	EC	?	1648	Archbishopric	secularized to Prussia
Abp. Mainz	ER	EL	?	Archbishopric	1803
Mark	LR	PR	1160 (Berg)	-	County	1666 to Brandenburg
Mecklenburg	LS	PR	?	1621 (M.-Schwerin and M.-Güstrow)	Duchy
Mecklenburg-Güstrow	LS	PR	1621 (Mecklenburg)	1701 (M.-Schwerin and M.-Strelitz)	Duchy
Mecklenburg-Schwerin	LS	PR	1621 (Mecklenburg)	-	Duchy
Mecklenburg-Strelitz	LS	PR	1701 (M.-Güstrow)	-	Duchy
Bp. Minden	LR	EC	?	1648 (Minden)	Bishopric	1648 secularized to Prussia
Minden	LR	PR	1648 (Bi. Minden)	-	Principality	to Brandenburg
Bp. Münster	LR	EC	1180	1803	Bishopric
Nassau	-	?	1160	1255	County	split into Ottonian branch and Walramian branch
Nassau (Ottonian branch)	LR	?	1255	-	County	After 1290 several partitions, incl.: Nassau-Beilstein, Nassau-Diez, Nassau-Dillenburg, Nassau-Hadamar, Nassau-Siegen
Nassau (Walramian branch)	UR	?	1255	-	County	After 1355 several partitions, incl.: Nassau-Idstein, Nassau-Saarbrücken, Nassau-Usingen, Nassau-Weilburg
Oldenburg	LR	PR	?	-	County, then Duchy
Bp. Osnabrück	LR	EC	?	1803	Bishopric
Bp. Paderborn	LR	EC	?	1803	Bishopric
Palatinate (Kurpfalz)	ER	EL	10th c.	1803	County Palatine; Electorate from 1356
Palatinate-Neuburg	BA	PR	1505	-	County Palatine
Palatinate-Simmern	UR	PR	1444 (P.-Simmern-Zweibrücken)	1793 (France)	County Palatine
Palatinate-Sulzbach	BA	PR	1614 (P.-Neuburg)	-	County Palatine
Palatinate-Zweibrücken	UR	PR	1444 (P.-Simmern-Zweibrücken)	1793 (France)	County Palatine
Bp. Passau	BA	EC	?	1803	Bishopric	to Bavaria
Prussia see Brandenburg						Prussia proper was not part of the Holy Roman Empire
Bp. Regensburg	BA	EC	?	1806	Bishopric; Archbishopric 1803	Joined with the Archbishopric of Mainz to form the Archbishopric of Regensburg in 1803.
Abp. Salzburg	BA	EC	?	1806	Archbishopric to 1803; then Duchy and Electorate	Secularized as a Duchy for the former Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1803.
Saxe-Wittenberg	-	EL	1260 (Duchy of Saxony)	1423 (Saxony)	Duchy
Duchy of Saxony	-	?	8th c.	1260 (Saxe-Wittenberg and Saxe-Lauenburg)	Duchy
Saxony	US	EL	1423 (Saxe-Wittenberg and Meißen)	1485	Duchy and Electorate	split into Ernestine (Thuringia) and Albertine (Saxony) branch
Saxony (Albertine branch)	US	PR/EL	1485 (Saxony)	-	Duchy; Electorate from 1547	After 1547 elector instead of Ernestine branch
Saxony (Ernestine branch)	US	EL/PR	1485 (Saxony)	-	Duchy; Electorate 1485-1547	After 1572 several partitions: Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg, Saxe-Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenberg, Saxe-Gotha, Saxe-Hildburghausen, Saxe-Jena, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Saalfeld, Saxe-Römhild, Saxe-Weimar
Schaumburg	LR	WE	12th c.	-	?	1640 partly to Hesse-Kassel
Schaumburg-Lippe	LR	WE	1640	-	County, then Principality
Bp. Speyer	UR	EC	?	1803	Bishopric	to France and Baden
Steinfurt	LR	WE	1454 (Bentheim)	-	?	1804 to Bentheim
Bp. Strassburg	UR	EC	?	1803	Bishopric	to Baden
Styria	AU	PR	11th c.	-	Margraviate 1056, Duchy 1180
Tecklenburg	LR	WE	?	-	?	1707 to Brandenburg-Prussia
Bp. Trent	AU	EC	?	1803	Bishopric
Abp. Trier	ER	EL	?	1803	Archbishopric
Tyrol	AU	PR	?	-	Princely County
Bp. Utrecht	BU	EC	1024	?	Bishopric	1524 to Burgundy
Bp. Verden	LR	EC	?	1648	Bishopric	secularized to Sweden; from 1720 to Hanover
Bp. Worms	UR	EC	?	1803	Bishopric	to Hesse-Darmstadt and France
Württemberg	SW	PR	1089	-	County 1089, Duchy 1495, Electorate 1803
Bp. Würzburg	FR	EC	?	1803	Bishopric	to Bavaria

Grouped lists

The following lists are going to be included into the table above.

Ecclesiastical States

• Archbishopric of Mainz (moved to Regensburg 1803, its left bank territories, including Mainz itself, having already been annexed by France)
• Archbishopric of Cologne (secularized 1803, to Hesse-Darmstadt, its left bank territories having already been annexed by France)
• Archbishopric of Trier (secularized 1803, to Nassau, its left bank territories having already been annexed by France)
• Archbishopric of Salzburg (secularized 1803, became secular Electorate as the Duchy of Salzburg)
• Archbishopric of Bremen (secularized 1648, to Sweden as the Duchy of Bremen)
• Archbishopric of Magdeburg (secularized 1648, to Brandenburg as the Duchy of Magdeburg)
• Archbishopric of Besançon (annexed to France by 1792)
• Archbishopric of Regensburg (created from old Bishopric of Regensburg and Archbishopric of Mainz, 1803)
• The Teutonic Order
• Bishopric of Bamberg (secularized 1803, to Bavaria)
• Bishopric of Würzburg (secularized 1803, to Bavaria)
• Bishopric of Worms (secularized 1803, to Hesse-Darmstadt, its left bank territories having already been annexed by France)
• Bishopric of Eichstädt (secularized 1803, to Salzburg)
• Bishopric of Speyer (secularized 1803, to Baden, its left bank territories having already been annexed by France)
• Bishopric of Strassburg (secularized 1803, to Baden)
• Bishopric of Konstanz (secularized 1803, to Baden)
• Bishopric of Augsburg (secularized 1803, to Bavaria)
• Bishopric of Hildesheim (secularized 1803, to Prussia)
• Bishopric of Paderborn (secularized 1803, to Prussia)
• Bishopric of Freising (secularized 1803, to Bavaria)
• Bishopric of Regensburg (became an Archbishopric in 1803)
• Bishopric of Passau (secularized 1803, to Bavaria and Salzburg)
• Bishopric of Trent (secularized 1803, to Austria)
• Bishopric of Brixen (secularized 1803, to Austria)
• Bishopric of Basel (secularized 1803, to Baden)
• Bishopric of Münster (secularized 1803, to Prussia)
• Bishopric of Osnabrück (secularized 1803, to Hanover)
• Bishopric of Liège (annexed by France 1795)
• Bishopric of Lübeck (secularized 1803, to Oldenburg)
• Bishopric of Chur (secularized 1798, to the Helvetic Republic)
• Bishopric of Fulda (an abbacy to 1752, secularized 1803, to Nassau-Orange)
• Bishopric of Halberstadt (secularized 1648, to Brandenburg as the Principality of Halberstadt)
• Bishopric of Verden (secularized 1648, to Sweden)
• Bishopric of Minden (secularized 1648, to Brandenburg)
• Bishopric of Schwerin (secularized in 16th century, to Mecklenburg-Schwerin)
• Bishopric of Kammin (secularized in 16th century, to Pomerania)
• Bishopric of Ratzeburg (secularized 1648, to Mecklenburg-Schwerin)
• Bishopric of Meissen (secularized in 16th century, to Saxony)
• Bishopric of Naumburg-Zeitz (secularized in 16th century, to Saxony)
• Bishopric of Merseburg (secularized in 16th century, to Saxony)
• Bishopric of Lausanne (secularized 1536, to Bern)
• Bishopric of Metz (secularized 1648, to France)
• Bishopric of Toul (secularized 1648, to France)
• Bishopric of Verdun (secularized 1648, to France)
• Abbacy of Kempten (secularized 1803, to Bavaria)
• Abbacy of Ellwangen (secularized 1803, to Württemberg)
• The Order of St. John
• Abbacy of Berchtesgaden (secularized 1803, to Salzburg)
• Abbacy of Weissenberg
• Abbacy of Kaisersheim (secularized 1803, to Bavaria)
• Abbacy of Prüm
• Abbacy of Stablo
• Abbacy of Korvey
• Abbacy of Baindt
• Abbacy of Elchingen
• Abbacy of Gengenbach
• Abbacy of Gutenzell
• Abbacy of Heggbach
• Abbacy of Irsee
• Abbacy of Kaisheim
• Abbacy of Marchtal
• Abbacy of Neresheim
• Abbacy of Ochsenhausen
• Abbacy of Petershausen
• Abbacy of Roggenburg
• Abbacy of Roth
• Abbacy of Rottenmünster
• Abbacy of Salmansweiler
• Abbacy of Schussenried
• Abbacy of Söflingen
• Abbacy of Ursperg
• Abbacy of Weingarten (secularized 1803, to Nassau-Orange)
• Abbacy of Weissenau
• Abbacy of Wettenhausen
• Abbacy of Zwiefalten
• Abbacy of Bruchsal and Odenheim
• Abbacy of Buchau
• Abbacy of Burtscheid
• Abbacy of St. Kornelimünster
• Abbacy of Essen
• Abbacy of Gandersheim
• Abbacy of St. Georg in Isny
• Abbacy of Gernrode
• Abbacy of Herford (secularized 1803, to Prussia)
• Abbacy of Niedermünster in Regensburg
• Abbacy of Obermünster in Regensburg
• Abbacy of Quedlinburg
• Abbacy of Thorn
• Abbacy of St. Ulrich and St. Afra in Augsburg
• Abbacy of Werden

Livonian territories

• Livonian Order (secularized 16th century, to Poland)
• Archbishopric of Riga in Livonia (secularized in 16th century, to Poland)
• Bishopric of Dorpat (conquered by Russia in 1558)
• Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek (sold 1560 to Denmark)
• Bishopric of Courland (sold 1560 to Denmark)

Lands of the Bohemian Crown

• Bohemia (Kingdom)
• Moravia (Margraviate)
• Silesia (Duchy)
  • Upper Silesia
  • Lower Silesia
• Lusatia (Margraviate)
  • Upper Lusatia
  • Lower Lusatia

Territories of Old Princely Families

• Anhalt
  • Anhalt-Zerbst
  • Anhalt-Dessau
  • Anhalt-Köthen
  • Anhalt-Bernburg
• Arenberg
• Austria (Margraviate 960–1155; Duchy 1155–1453; Archduchy 1453–1806)
  • Upper Austria
  • Lower Austria
• Baden
  • Baden-Baden
  • Baden-Durlach
  • Baden-Hochberg
  • Baden-Saussenberg
• Bavaria (Duchy, Electorate from 1623)
  • Upper Bavaria
  • Lower Bavaria
  • Bavaria-Ingolstadt
  • Bavaria-Landshut
  • Bavaria-Munich
• Berg
• Brabant
• Brandenburg
  • Brandenburg-Ansbach
  • Brandenburg-Bayreuth
  • Brandenburg-Kulmbach
• Brunswick-Lüneburg
  • Brunswick-Calenberg
  • Brunswick-Celle
  • Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
  • Brunswick-Grubenhagen
  • Brunswick-Göttingen
• Carinthia
• Carniola
• Cilli
• Gelders
• Gorizia
• Henneberg
• Hesse
  • Hesse-Kassel
  • Hesse-Darmstadt
  • Hesse-Marburg
  • Hesse-Rheinfels
• Holstein
  • Holstein-Gottorp
    • Holstein-Gottorp-Oldenburg
  • Holstein-Glückstadt
• Jülich
• Jülich-Kleve-Berg
• Kleve
• Leuchtenberg
• Limburg
• Lorraine
• Luxembourg
• Mantua
• Mecklenburg
  • Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Mecklenburg-Güstrow
  • Mecklenburg-Strelitz
• Meissen
• Milan
• Modena
• Palatinate (County Palatine, Electorate)
  • Palatinate-Simmern
  • Palatinate-Kaiserlautern
  • Palatinate-Neuburg
  • Palatinate-Sulzbach
  • Palatinate-Veldenz
  • Palatinate-Zweibrücken
  • Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
• Pomerania
  • Hither Pomerania
  • Further Pomerania
• Savoy
• Saxony (Duchy, Electorate)
  • Saxe-Wittenberg
  • Saxe-Lauenburg
  • Saxe-Coburg
  • Saxe-Gotha
  • Saxe-Altenburg
  • Saxe-Eisenach
  • Saxe-Eisenberg
  • Saxe-Zeitz
  • Saxe-Merseburg
  • Saxe-Römhild
  • Saxe-Jena
  • Saxe-Meiningen
  • Saxe-Hildburghausen
  • Saxe-Saalfeld
• Styria (Duchy)
• Thuringia
• Tirol (Princely County)
• Württemberg
  • Württemberg-Mömpelgard

Territories of New Princely Families

• Hohenzollern-Hechingen (1653)
• Eggenberg, held Gradisca (1653, extinct 1717)
• Lobkowitz, held Sternstein (1653)
• Salm (1654)
  • Salm-Salm
  • Salm-Kyrburg
• Dietrichstein, held Trasp (1654)
• Piccolomini, no immediate territories (1654, extinct 1656)
• Nassau
  • Nassau-Hadamar and Nassau-Siegen (1654)
  • Nassau-Dillenburg and Nassau-Dietz (1654)
• Auersperg, held Thengen (1654)
• Portia, no immediate territories (1664, extinct 1665)
• East Frisia (1667, to Brandenburg 1744)
• Fürstenberg (1667)
• Schwarzenberg (1674)
• Waldeck-Eisenberg (1686, extinct 1692)
• Churchill-Marlborough, held Mindelheim (1705, extinct 1714)
• Lamberg, held Leuchtenberg (1709, extinct 1714)
• Liechtenstein, held Schellenberg-Vaduz (1713)
• Thurn und Taxis, held Eglingen and Sheer-Friedberg (1754)
• Schwarzburg (1754)

Territories raised to princely level in 1803

Some terroritories were raised to princely level by a Reichsdeputationshauptschluss in 1803:

• Ortenau (for the House of Modena-Este)
• Nassau-Usingen
• Nassau-Weilburg
• Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
• Waldeck
• Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
• Öttingen
  • Öttingen-Spielberg
  • Öttingen-Wallerstein
• Solms-Braunfels
• Hohenlohe
  • Hohenlohe-Neuenstein
  • Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
  • Hohenlohe-Bartenstein
• Isenburg-Birstein
• Kaunitz-Rietberg
• Reuss-Greiz
• Leiningen
• Ligne
• Looz-Corswarem

See also

• Holy Roman Empire
• Imperial State
• Imperial Circle Estates
• [[List of Reichstag participants (1792)]]
• Reichstag (institution)
• Prince-elector
• Prince-Bishop

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