Group

Cologne, Electorate of

Substate Defunct 953 CE – 1288 CE Capital Cologne > Köln Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany

The Electorate of Cologne is an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire and exists from the 10th to the early 19th century.

It consistsof the temporal possessions of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne.

It is ruled by the Archbishop in his capacity as prince-elector.

There are only two other ecclesiastical prince-electors in the Empire: the Electorate of Mainz and the Electorate of Trier, among which Mainz ranks first.The capital of the electorate is Cologne until the Elector moves to Bonn (after the 1288 defeat) to avoid jurisdiction conflicts with the authorities of the Free City of Cologne, who largely escape its authority.

The Electorate is secularized in 1803 during the German Mediatization.The territory of the Electorate of Cologne is smaller than the Archdiocese of Cologne, which includes suffragant bishoprics such as Liège and Munster.

Member Cities

Moran, J. (n.d.). Cologne, Electorate of. History Atlas. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://www.historyatlas.com/groups/cologne-electorate-of/

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