Consort of a Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire
An Electress (German : Kurfürstin , Latin : electrix ) was the consort of a Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire , one of the Empire's greatest princes.[ 1]
The Golden Bull of 1356 established by Emperor Charles IV settled the number of Electors at seven. However, three of these were Roman Catholic archbishops, and so had no consorts; while of the four secular Electors, one was King of Bohemia , and his consort was always known by the more prestigious title of "Queen of Bohemia ". The consorts usually referred to as Electresses, therefore, were:
To these were added, in 1623 and 1692 respectively:
In the final years of the Empire, several Electors were added, who only held their offices for less than three years before the Empire's final dissolution. The consorts of these last Electors were:
There was also an Elector of Baden , but the only ruler to use this title was married morganatically and so his spouse did not share his title.
The rulers of Hesse-Kassel continued to use the title of "Elector" until the annexation of the principality by Prussia in 1866.
Persons using or entitled to use the title of "Electress" are listed below. Spouses of Electors in morganatic or unequal marriages are given in a separate table at the bottom of the page.
Electresses
Electresses of the Palatinate
Name
Image
Father
Born
Married
Became Electress
Ceased to be Electress
Died
Husband
Wittelsbach Dynasty
Elizabeth
John I, Marquis of Namur
1340
1350
1356
1382
Rupert I
Beatrice
William I, Duke of Berg
1360
1385
16 Feb 1390
1395
Elizabeth
Frederick V, Burggrave of Nuremberg
1358
27 Jun 1374
6 Jan 1398
18 May 1410
26 Jul 1411
Rupert III
Matilda
Amadeo, Prince of Achaea
1390
30 Nov 1417
30 Dec 1436
14 May 1438
Louis III
Margaret
Amadeus VIII of Savoy
7 Aug 1420
18 Oct 1445
13 Aug 1449
30 Sep 1479
Louis IV
Margaret
Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria -Landshut
7 Nov 1456
21 Feb 1474
12 Dec 1476
25 Feb 1501
Philip
Sibylle
Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria
16 Jun 1489
23 Feb 1511
18 Apr 1519
Louis V
Dorothea
Christian II of Denmark
10 Nov 1520
26 Sep 1535
16 Mar 1544
26 Feb 1556
20 Sep 1580
Frederick II
Line of Simmern
Marie
Casimir, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
13 Oct 1519
12 Jun 1537
12 Feb 1559
31 Oct 1567
Frederick III
Amalia
Gumprecht IV, Count of Neuenahr
c. 1540
25 Apr 1569
26 Oct 1576
10 Apr 1602
Elisabeth
Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse
13 Feb 1539
8 Jul 1560
26 Oct 1576
14 Mar 1582
Louis VI
Anne
Edzard II, Count of East Frisia
26 June 1562
12 Jul 1583
22 Oct 1583
21 Apr 1621
Louise Juliana
William I of Orange
31 Mar 1576
12 Jun 1593
19 Sep 1610
15 Mar 1644
Frederick IV
Elizabeth Queen of Bohemia
James I of England
19 Aug 1596
14 Feb 1613
23 Feb 1623 deposition
14 Feb 1662
Frederick V
House of Wittelsbach – Bavaria
Elisabeth Renata
Charles III of Lorraine
9 Oct 1574
6 Feb 1595
23 Feb 1623
4 Jan 1635
Maximilan I
Maria Anna
Emperor Ferdinand II
13 Jan 1610
15 Jul 1635
1648
25 Sep 1665
Name
Image
Father
Born
Married
Became Electress
Ceased to be Electress
Died
Husband
Electresses of Saxony
Name
Image
Father
Born
Married
Became Electress
Ceased to be Electress
Died
Husband
Ascanian Dynasty
Elizabeth
Otto I, Landgrave of Hesse
?
?
?
6 Dec 1370
15 Nov 1373
Rudolph II
Caecilia
Francis of Carrara, Duke of Padua
?
23 Jan 1367 or 1376
15 May 1388
1430–1434
Wenceslaus I
Anna
Balthasar, Landgrave of Thuringia
?
1387/1389
?
4 Jul 1395
Rudolph III
Barbara
Rupert, Duke of Silesia-Liegnitz
?
6 Mar 1396
11 Jun 1419
17 May 1435
Euphemia
Conrad II of Silesia
?
14 Jan 1402
11 Jun 1419
12 Nov 1422
1444
Albert
Wettin Dynasty
Katharine
Henry II of Brunswick-Lüneburg
1395
8 Feb 1402
6 Jan 1423
4 Jan 1428
1442
Frederick I
Margaret
Ernest, Duke of Austria
1416/17
3 Jun 1431
7 Sep 1464
12 Feb 1486
Frederick II
Elizabeth
Albert III, Duke of Bavaria
2 Feb 1443
19 Nov 1460
7 Sep 1464
5 Mar 1486
Ernest
Sybille
John III, Duke of Cleves
17 Jan 1512
9 Feb 1527
16 Aug 1532
4 Jun 1547 husband deposed
21 Feb 1554
John Frederick I
Agnes
Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse
31 May 1527
9 Jan 1541
4 Jun 1547
9 Jul 1553
4 Nov 1555
Maurice
Anna
Christian III of Denmark
22 Nov 1532
7 Oct 1548
11 Jul 1553
1 Oct 1585
Augustus
Agnes Hedwig
Joachim Ernest of Anhalt-Dessau
1573
3 Jan 1586
11 Feb 1586
1616
Sophia
John George, Elector of Brandenburg
6 Jun 1568
25 Apr 1582
11 Feb 1586
25 Sep 1591
7 Dec 1622
Christian I
Hedwig
Frederick II of Denmark
5 Aug 1581
12 Sep 1602
23 Jun 1611
26 Nov 1641
Christian II
Magdalena Sibylla (1)
Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia
31 Dec 1586
19 Jul 1607
23 Jun 1611
8 Oct 1656
12 Feb 1659
John George I
Magdalena Sibylla (2)
Christian of Brandenburg-Kulmbach-Bayreuth
1 Nov 1612
13 Nov 1638
8 Oct 1656
22 Aug 1680
20 Mar 1687
John George II
Anna Sophia
Frederick III of Denmark
1 Sep 1647
9 Oct 1666
22 Aug 1680
12 Sep 1691
1 Jul 1717
John George III
Eleonore Erdmuthe Luise
John George I, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach
13 Apr 1662
17 Apr 1692
27 Apr 1694
9 Sep 1696
John George IV
Christiane Eberhardine Queen of Poland
Christian Ernest, Margrave of Bayreuth
29 Dec 1671
20 Jan 1693
27 Apr 1694
4 Sep 1727
Frederick Augustus I
Maria Josepha Queen of Poland
Emperor Joseph I
8 Dec 1699
20 Aug 1719
1 Feb 1733
17 Nov 1757
Frederick Augustus II
Maria Antonia Walpurgis Symphorosa
Emperor Charles VII
18 July 1724
20 Jun 1747
5 Oct 1763
17 Dec 1763
23 Apr 1780
Frederick Christian
Maria Amalia Augusta
Frederick Michael of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
10 May 1752
29 January 1769
20 Dec 1806 became Queen of Saxony
15 November 1828
Frederick Augustus III
Name
Image
Father
Born
Married
Became Electress
Ceased to be Electress
Died
Husband
Electresses of Brandenburg
Name
Image
Father
Born
Married
Became Electress
Ceased to be Electress
Died
Husband
Wittelsbach Dynasty
Cunigunde
Casimir III of Poland
1334-5
1 Jan 1352
1356
1357
Louis
Ingeborg
Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg
1340
15 Feb 1360
17 May 1365
1395
Catherine
Emperor Charles IV
19 Aug 1342
19 Mar 1366
1373
26 Apr 1395
Otto
Luxemburg Dynasty
Joan
Albert I, Duke of Bavaria
1362
29 Sep 1370
1373
1378
31 Dec 1386
Wenceslaus
Mary
Louis I of Hungary
1371
Oct 1385
1388
17 May 1395
Sigismund
Agnes
Bolko II of Opole
1360?
1374
1388
18 Jan 1411
1413?
Jodocus
Barbara
Hermann II, Count of Celje
1390–1395
1406–1408
18 Jan 1411
30 Apr 1415
11 Jul 1451
Sigismund
Hohenzollern Dynasty
Elizabeth
Frederick, Duke of Bavaria
1383
18 Sep 1401
30 Apr 1415
20 Sep 1440
13 Nov 1442
Frederick I
Catherine
Frederick I, Elector of Saxony
1421
11 June 1441
10 Feb 1470
23 Aug 1476
Frederick II
Anne
Frederick II, Elector of Saxony
7 Mar 1437
12 Nov 1458
10 Feb 1470
11 Mar 1486
31 Oct 1512
Albert III
Margaret
William III, Duke of Luxembourg
1449
25 Aug 1476
11 Mar 1486
9 Jan 1499
13 Jul 1501
John Cicero
Elizabeth
John of Denmark
24 Jun 1485
10 Apr 1502
9 Jan 1499
11 Jul 1535
10 Jun 1555
Joachim I Nestor
Hedwig
Sigismund I of Poland
15 Mar 1513
1 Sep 1535
3 Jan 1571
7 Feb 1573
Joachim II Hector
Sabina
George of Ansbach
12 May 1529
12 Feb 1548
3 Jan 1571
2 Nov 1575
John George
Elizabeth
Joachim Ernest of Anhalt-Dessau
15 Sep 1563
6 Oct 1577
8 Jan 1598
8 Nov 1607
Catherine
John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Küstrin
10 Aug 1549
8 Jan 1570
8 Jan 1598
10 Oct 1602
Joachim Frederick
Eleanor
Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia
21 Aug 1583
2 Nov 1603
9 Apr 1607
Anne
3 Jul 1576
30 Oct 1594
18 Jul 1608
23 Dec 1619
30 Aug 1625
John Sigismund
Elizabeth Charlotte
Frederick IV, Elector Palatine
19 Nov 1597
24 Jul 1616
23 Dec 1619
1 Dec 1640
26 Apr 1660
George William
Louise Henriette Duchess of Prussia
Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
7 Dec 1627
7 Dec 1646
18 Jun 1667
Frederick William I
Sophia Dorothea Duchess of Prussia
Philip of Holstein
28 Sep 1636
14 Jun 1668
29 Apr 1688
6 Aug 1689
Sophia Charlotte Queen in Prussia
Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover
30 Oct 1668
8 Oct 1684
29 Apr 1688
1 Feb 1705
Frederick III (I)
Sophia Louise Queen in Prussia
Frederick, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
6 May 1685
28 Nov 1708
25 Feb 1713
29 Jul 1735
Sophia Dorothea Queen in Prussia
George I of Great Britain
16 Mar 1687
28 Nov 1706
25 Feb 1713
31 May 1740
28 Jun 1757
Frederick William II (I)
Elizabeth Christine Queen of Prussia
Ferdinand Albert II of Brunswick
8 Nov 1715
12 Jun 1733
31 May 1740
17 Aug 1786
13 Jan 1797
Frederick IV (II)
Frederica Louise Queen of Prussia
Ludwig IX of Hesse
16 Oct 1751
14 Jul 1769
17 Aug 1786
16 Nov 1797
25 Feb 1805
Frederick William III (II)
Louise Augusta Wilhelmina Amalie Queen of Prussia
Charles II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
10 Mar 1776
24 Dec 1793
16 Nov 1797
1806
9 Jul 1810
Frederick William IV (III)
Name
Image
Father
Born
Married
Became Electress
Ceased to be Electress
Died
Husband
Electresses Palatine (junior line)
Electresses of Bavaria
Electresses of Hanover
Electresses of Württemberg and Hesse
Morganatic spouses of Electors
Name
Father
Born
Married
Died
Husband
Clara Tott
?
?
1471
29 Apr 1520
Frederick I, Elector Palatine
Maria Susanna Loysa , Raugravine
Christoph Martin von Degenfeld
28 Nov 1634
6 Jan 1658
18 Mar 1677
Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine
Elizabeth Höllander von Bernau
?
1659
11 Dec 1679
8 Mar 1702
Violante Maria Theresa, Countess of Thurn and Taxis
Count Philipp-Wilhelm of Thurn and Taxis
1 Apr 1683
1729
2 Nov 1734
Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine
Louise Caroline, Countess of Hochberg
Ludwig Heinrich Philipp Geyer von Geyersberg
26 May 1768
24 Nov 1787
23 Jun 1820
Charles Frederick of Baden
Emilie Ortlöpp , Countess of Reichenbach
Johann Christian Ortlöpp
13 May 1791
8 July 1841
12 Feb 1843
William II, Elector of Hesse
Caroline of Berlepsch , Baroness of Bergen
Hermann Ludwig von Berlepsch
1820
28 Aug 1843
1877
Gertrude, Princess of Hanau
Johann Gottfried Falkenstein
1805
26 June 1831
1882
Frederick William, Elector of Hesse
Notes