The counts palatine of Lotharingia /counts palatine of the Rhine /electors of the Palatinate (german: Kurfürst von der Pfalz) ruled some part of Rhine area in the Kingdom of Germany and the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
from 915 to 1803. The title was a kind of
count palatine
A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...
. Since 1261 (formally 1356), the title holder had become a member of the small group of
prince-elector
The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
From the 13th century onwards, the prince ...
s who elected the
emperor of the Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperator ...
. Since then, the title had been also called as
Elector Palatinate
Counts palatine of Lotharingia 915–1085
The Palatinate emerged from the County Palatine of
Lotharingia
Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...
which came into existence in the 10th century.
*
Wigeric of Lotharingia Wigeric or Wideric (german: Wigerich; french: Wigéric or ; died before 923) was a Frankish nobleman and the count of the Bidgau (''pagus Bedensis'') and held the rights of a count within the city of Trier. He received also the advocacy of the Abbe ...
, count of the Bidgau ( 915/916–922)
*
Godfrey Godfrey may refer to:
People
* Godfrey (name), a given name and surname
* Godfrey (comedian), American comedian, actor
Places In the United States
* Godfrey, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Godfrey, Illinois, a village
* Godfrey, Kansas, an ...
, count of the Jülichgau (c. 940)
House of Ezzonen
During the 11th century, the Palatinate was dominated by the
Ezzonian dynasty, which governed several counties on both banks of the Rhine. These territories were centered around
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
-
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...
, but extended south to the rivers
Moselle
The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...
and
Nahe. The southernmost point was near
Alzey
Alzey () is a ''Verband''-free town – one belonging to no ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fifth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, Germany, Worms, Ingelheim am Rhein ...
.
*
Hermann I of Lotharingia 945–996
*
Ezzo of Lotharingia 996–1034
*
Otto I of Lotharingia 1034–1045 (
Duke of Swabia
The Dukes of Swabia were the rulers of the Duchy of Swabia during the Middle Ages. Swabia was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most notable family ...
1045–1047)
*
Henry I of Lotharingia 1045–1060/1061
*
Hermann II of Lotharingia 1061/1064–1085 (in tutelage to
Anno II, archbishop of Cologne
Anno II ( – 4 December 1075) was Archbishop of Cologne from 1056 until his death. From 1063 to 1065 he acted as regent of the Holy Roman Empire for the minor Emperor Henry IV. Anno is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church.
Life
He was b ...
until 1064)
Counts palatine of the Rhine 1085–1214
From 1085, after the death of the last Ezzonian count palatine,
Herman II of Lotharingia, the Palatinate lost its military importance in Lotharingia. The territorial authority of the count palatine was reduced to his counties along the Rhine, henceforth called the County Palatine of the Rhine.
*
Heinrich II of Laach
Henry of Laach (in German: ''Heinrich von Laach'') was the first count palatine of the Rhine (1085/1087–1095). Henry was the son of Herman I, count of Gleiberg. Henry was a follower of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. He had lands in the southeast ...
1085–95
*
Siegfried of Ballenstedt
Siegfried I of Ballenstedt ( – 9 March 1113), was the son of Adalbert II of Ballenstedt, and a member of the House of Ascania. He was count palatine of the Rhineland (r.1095/7-1113), and count of Weimar-Orlamünde (r.1112-1113).
Life
Siegfri ...
1095–1113
*
Gottfried of Kalw
Gottfried is a masculine German given name.
It is derived from the Old High German name , recorded since the 7th century.
The name is composed of the elements (conflated from the etyma for 'God' and 'good', and possibly further conflated with ) a ...
1113–29
*
William of Ballenstedt
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
1129–39
*
Henry IV Jasomirgott 1139–42
*
Hermann III of Stahleck Hermann or Herrmann may refer to:
* Hermann (name), list of people with this name
* Arminius, chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe in the 1st century, known as Hermann in the German language
* Éditions Hermann, French publisher
* Hermann, Miss ...
1142–55
Hohenstaufen counts palatine
The first hereditary count palatine of the Rhine was
Conrad of Hohenstaufen
Conrad of Hohenstaufen ( – 8 November 1195) was the first hereditary Count Palatine of the Rhine.
His parents were Frederick II of Swabia (1090–1147), Duke of Swabia, and his second wife Agnes of Saarbrücken, daughter of Frederick, Count ...
, who was the younger brother of Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...
. The territories attached to this hereditary office began with those held by the
Hohenstaufen
The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...
s in
Franconia
Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch'').
The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...
and Rhineland. (Other branches of the Hohenstaufen dynasty received territories including lands in
Swabia
Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.
The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...
and
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; frp, Franche-Comtât; also german: Freigrafschaft; es, Franco Condado; all ) is a cultural and historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of Doubs, ...
). Part of this land derived from their imperial ancestors, the
Salian Emperors, and part from Conrad's maternal ancestors, the
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is S ...
. This explains the composition of the inheritance that comprised the Upper and Rhenish Palatinate in the following centuries.
*
Conrad of Hohenstaufen
Conrad of Hohenstaufen ( – 8 November 1195) was the first hereditary Count Palatine of the Rhine.
His parents were Frederick II of Swabia (1090–1147), Duke of Swabia, and his second wife Agnes of Saarbrücken, daughter of Frederick, Count ...
1156–95
Welf counts palatine
In 1195, the Palatinate passed to the
House of Welf
The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconia, Franconian family from ...
through the marriage of Agnes, heir to the Staufen count.
*
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
of Welf 1195–1213
*
Henry VI of Welf 1213–14
The Palatinate under the Wittelsbach: the Electoral dignity (1214–1803)
On the marriage of the Welf heiress Agnes in the early 13th century, the territory passed to the
Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate o ...
dukes of Bavaria
The following is a list of rulers during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1949, Bavaria has been a democratic state in the Federal Republic of Germa ...
, who were also counts palatine of
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
.
During a later division of territory among the heirs of Duke
Louis II of Upper Bavaria in 1294, the elder branch of the Wittelsbachs came into possession of both the Rhenish Palatinate and the territories in Bavaria north of the Danube river (the ''Nordgau'') centred around the town of
Amberg
Amberg () is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate, roughly halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. In 2020, over 42,000 people lived in the town.
History
The town was first mentioned in 1034, at that time under t ...
. As this region was politically connected to the Rhenish Palatinate, the name Upper Palatinate (''Oberpfalz'') became common from the early 16th century, to contrast with the Lower Palatinate along the Rhine.
The
Golden Bull of 1356
The Golden Bull of 1356 (, , , , ) was a decree issued by the Imperial Diet at Nuremberg and Metz ( Diet of Metz, 1356/57) headed by the Emperor Charles IV which fixed, for a period of more than four hundred years, important aspects of the con ...
, in circumvention of
inner-Wittelsbach contracts and thus bypassing
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
, the Palatinate was recognized as one of the secular
electorates. The count was given the hereditary offices of archsteward (''Erztruchseß'') of the Empire and
Imperial Vicar
An imperial vicar (german: Reichsvikar) was a prince charged with administering all or part of the Holy Roman Empire on behalf of the emperor. Later, an imperial vicar was invariably one of two princes charged by the Golden Bull with administering ...
(''
Reichsverweser
A ''Reichsverweser'' (German pronunciation: ) or imperial regent represented a monarch when there was a vacancy in the throne, such as during a prolonged absence or in the period between the monarch's death and the accession of a successor. The t ...
'') of
Franconia
Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch'').
The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...
,
Swabia
Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.
The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...
, the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
and southern Germany. From that time forth, the Count Palatine of the Rhine was usually known as the Elector Palatine (''Kurfürst von der Pfalz''). The position of prince-elector had existed earlier (for example, when two rival
kings of Germany
This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (''Regnum Teutonicum''), from the division of the Frankish Empire in 843 and the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 until the collapse of the German Emp ...
were elected in 1257:
Richard of Cornwall
Richard (5 January 1209 – 2 April 1272) was an English prince who was King of the Romans from 1257 until his death in 1272. He was the second son of John, King of England, and Isabella, Countess of Angoulême. Richard was nominal Count of Po ...
and
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, es, el Sabio; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Germ ...
), though it is difficult to determine exactly the earliest date of the office.
By the early 16th century, owing to the practice of dividing territories among different branches of the family, junior lines of the Palatine Wittelsbachs came to rule in
Simmern
Simmern (; officially Simmern/Hunsrück) is a town of roughly 7,600 inhabitants (2013) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, the district seat of the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis, and the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Simmern-Rheinböllen. In the Rhinelan ...
,
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern (; Palatinate German: ''Lautre'') is a city in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfur ...
and
Zweibrücken
Zweibrücken (; french: Deux-Ponts, ; Palatinate German: ''Zweebrigge'', ; literally translated as "Two Bridges") is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river.
Name
The name ''Zweibrücken'' means 'two bridges'; olde ...
in the Lower Palatinate, and in
Neuburg and
Sulzbach in the Upper Palatinate. The Elector Palatine, now based in
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
, adopted Lutheranism in the 1530s and
Calvinism
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...
in the 1550s.
House of Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...
Partitions of Palatinate under Wittelsbach rule
Table of rulers
}, la, Comes Palatinus Rheni). Left no descendants, and the Electorates passed to Zweibrücken line.
, - style="background:#eee"
, rowspan="3",
Charles Theodore''(Karl IV Theodor)''
, rowspan="3",
![Workshop of Batoni - Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Workshop_of_Batoni_-_Charles_Theodore%2C_Elector_of_Bavaria.png)
, rowspan="3", 11 December 1724
, style="background:#cfc", 1733-1742
, rowspan="3", 16 February 1799
, style="background:#cfc",
Palatinate-Sulzbach Palatinate-Sulzbach was the name of two separate states of the Holy Roman Empire located in modern Amberg-Sulzbach, Bavaria, Germany, ruled by a branch of the House of Wittelsbach.
Palatinate-Sulzbach (1569–1604)
Palatinate-Sulzbach was pa ...
, rowspan="3",
Elisabeth Auguste of Palatinate-Sulzbach17 January 1742
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
one child
Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este15 February 1795
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
no children
, - style="background:#eee"
, , 31 December 1742 - 30 December 1777, ,
Electoral Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...
, - style="background:#eee"
, , 30 December 1777 - 16 February 1799, ,
Electoral Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...
and
Electorate of Bavaria
The Electorate of Bavaria (german: Kurfürstentum Bayern) was an independent hereditary electorate of the Holy Roman Empire from 1623 to 1806, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Bavaria.
The Wittelsbach dynasty which ruled the Duchy of Ba ...
, - style="background:#f99"
,
Charles August
Charles J. August (January 28, 1919 – November 3, 2009) was an American businessman who founded Monro Muffler Brake.
Biography
August's career in automotive maintenance and repair began as a Midas Muffler franchisee in 1957 in Rochester, Ne ...
, ,
![Charlesaugustzweibruecken](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Charlesaugustzweibruecken.jpg)
, , 29 October 1746, , 1775–1795, , 1 April 1795, ,
Palatinate-Zweibrücken, ,
Maria Amalia of Saxony
es, María Amalia Cristina Francisca Javiera Flora Walburga
, spouse = Charles III of Spain
, issue =
, issue-link = #Issue
, house = Wettin
, father = Augustus III of Poland
, mother = Maria Josepha of ...
12 February 1774
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
no children, , Son of
Frederick Michael, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken
Frederick Michael, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (Ribeauvillé, Alsace, 27 February 1724 – 15 August 1767 in Schwetzingen) was a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty. He was the son of Christian III of Palatinate-Zweibrücken and Ca ...
, brother of Christian IV. Succeeded his uncle, but left no descendants. He was succeeded by his brother.
, - style="background:#cbf"
,
Charles John, , , , 13/18 September 1745, , 1780–1789, , 31 March 1789, ,
Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen
Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen was a state of the Holy Roman Empire seated in Gelnhausen in the south of modern Hesse, Germany.
Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen was partitioned from Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler in 1654. It was a mediate st ...
, , ''Unmarried'', , Left no male descendants. He was succeeded by his brother William.
, - style="background:#cbf"
,
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, ,
![Herzog Wilhelm in Bayern](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Herzog_Wilhelm_in_Bayern.jpg)
, , 10 November 1752, , 1789–1799, , 8 January 1837, ,
Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen
Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen was a state of the Holy Roman Empire seated in Gelnhausen in the south of modern Hesse, Germany.
Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen was partitioned from Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler in 1654. It was a mediate st ...
, ,
Maria Anna of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld30 January 1780
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
three children, , In 1799 his lands were annexed to Bavaria.
, - style="background:#cbf"
, colspan="8" style="text-align:center;", ''Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen definitely annexed to the
Electorate of Bavaria
The Electorate of Bavaria (german: Kurfürstentum Bayern) was an independent hereditary electorate of the Holy Roman Empire from 1623 to 1806, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Bavaria.
The Wittelsbach dynasty which ruled the Duchy of Ba ...
''
, - style="background:#eee"
, rowspan="3",
Maximilian Joseph''(Maximilian I. Joseph)''
, rowspan="3",
![Hornöck Maximilian I von Bayern um 1810](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Horn%C3%B6ck_Maximilian_I_von_Bayern_um_1810.jpg)
, rowspan="3", 27 May 1756
, style="background:#f99", 1795-1799
, rowspan="3", 13 October 1825
, style="background:#f99",
Palatinate-Zweibrücken
, rowspan="3",
Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt
Augusta may refer to:
Places Australia
* Augusta, Western Australia
Brasil
* Rua Augusta (São Paulo)
Canada
* Augusta, Ontario
* North Augusta, Ontario
* Augusta Street (Hamilton, Ontario)
France
* Augusta Suessionum ("Augusta of the Sues ...
30 September 1785
Darmstadt
Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...
five children
Caroline of Baden
Caroline of Baden (german: Friederike Karoline Wilhelmine von Baden; 13 July 1776 – 13 November 1841) was by marriage an Electress of Bavaria and later the first Queen consort of Bavaria by marriage to Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria.
Life E ...
9 March 1797
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
eight children
, rowspan="3", Charles Theodore's heir, Maximilian Joseph, Duke of
Zweibrücken
Zweibrücken (; french: Deux-Ponts, ; Palatinate German: ''Zweebrigge'', ; literally translated as "Two Bridges") is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river.
Name
The name ''Zweibrücken'' means 'two bridges'; olde ...
(on the French border), brought all the Wittelsbach territories under a single rule in 1799. The Palatinate was dissolved in the
Wars of the French Revolution
The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...
. First, its left bank territories were occupied (and then annexed) by France starting in 1795; then, in 1803, its right bank territories were taken by the Margrave of
Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...
. The Rhenish Palatinate, as a distinct territory, disappeared. In 1806, the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
was abolished, and all the rights and responsibilities of the electors with it.
, - style="background:#eee"
, , 16 February 1799 - 27 April 1803, ,
Electoral Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...
and
Electorate of Bavaria
The Electorate of Bavaria (german: Kurfürstentum Bayern) was an independent hereditary electorate of the Holy Roman Empire from 1623 to 1806, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Bavaria.
The Wittelsbach dynasty which ruled the Duchy of Ba ...
, - style="background:#eee"
, , 27 April 1803 - 1 January 1806, ,
Electorate of Bavaria
The Electorate of Bavaria (german: Kurfürstentum Bayern) was an independent hereditary electorate of the Holy Roman Empire from 1623 to 1806, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Bavaria.
The Wittelsbach dynasty which ruled the Duchy of Ba ...
, - style="background:#f99"
, colspan="8" style="text-align:center;", ''Palatinate-Zweibrücken was definitely annexed to the
Electorate of Bavaria
The Electorate of Bavaria (german: Kurfürstentum Bayern) was an independent hereditary electorate of the Holy Roman Empire from 1623 to 1806, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Bavaria.
The Wittelsbach dynasty which ruled the Duchy of Ba ...
''
, - style="background:#eee"
, colspan="8" style="text-align:center;", ''Electoral Palatinate was definitely annexed to the
Electorate of Bavaria
The Electorate of Bavaria (german: Kurfürstentum Bayern) was an independent hereditary electorate of the Holy Roman Empire from 1623 to 1806, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Bavaria.
The Wittelsbach dynasty which ruled the Duchy of Ba ...
''
Electors of Bavaria and Counts Palatine of the Rhine, 1777–1803
Later history
Following the great restorations of 1815, the Lower Palatinate (albeit without any
prince-elector
The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
From the 13th century onwards, the prince ...
role) was restored as one of eight Bavarian Districts. After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the American Military Government of Germany took the Lower Palatinate from Bavaria and merged it with neighbouring territories to form a new state called
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
(German: ''Rheinland-Pfalz'') with Mainz as the state capital. The people had felt neglected by the governments in Munich for generations and later approved the merger in a plebiscite.
The present head of the House of
Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate o ...
,
Franz, Duke of Bavaria
Franz Bonaventura Adalbert Maria Herzog von Bayern (born 14 July 1933), commonly known by the courtesy title Duke of Bavaria, is the head of the House of Wittelsbach, the former ruling family of the Kingdom of Bavaria. His great-grandfather Ki ...
(born 1933), is still traditionally styled as ''His Royal Highness the
Duke of Bavaria
The following is a list of rulers during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and Monarch, kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1949, Bavaria has been a democratic States of Germany, state in th ...
, Duke of
Franconia
Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch'').
The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...
and in
Swabia
Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.
The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...
, Count Palatine of the Rhine''.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Counts Palatine of the Rhine
Lists of counts
Lists of German nobility
Lists of office-holders in Germany
Holy Roman Empire-related lists
et:Pfalzi kuurvürstkond#Pfalzi kuurvürstkonna valitsejate loend