Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Electoral monarchy
(1,256 words)

1. Introduction and Holy Roman Empire

The European monarchies of the Late Middle Ages and early modern period included not only the great hereditary kingdoms, such as France and England/Great Britain (see below, 2), and Castile, but also many electoral monarchies. Here, the crown was assigned by a vote of either a small circle of ecclesiastical and secular dignitaries, or the estates of the realm as a whole, or sometimes the entire nobility.

Without doubt, the most important electoral mo…

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Asch, Ronald G., “Electoral monarchy”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_029945>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170626



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