ELECTORS, in the German empire, were those great princes who had the right of electing the emperor or king. In the earliest times under the Carlovingians, the crown was hereditary; afterwards, Germany became formally an elective monarchy, but the election was practically almost limited to the reigning family. Under the emperor Charles IV., the right of election became limited to the holders of the highest ecclesi astical and civil offices, some of which gradually became hereditary, and connected with territorial principalities, as in the case of the Holienstaufens and of the dukes of Bavaria, Saxony, Swabia, etc. Thus there arose seven E., those of Mayence, Treves, and Cologne (as being the chief primates and chancellors of the empire), the E. of the Palatinate and of Bavaria long exercising the right by turns„ and the E. of Brandenburg, Saxony, and Bohemia. From 1400 to 1708, the right was never exercised on the part of Bohemia, but otherwise no change took place from the middle of the 14th c. to the peace of Westphalia. By the peace of Westphalia, an eighth electorate was established, Bavaria and the palatinate being each allowed the full right; and in 1692, a ninth was added, that of Brunswick-Lfineburg, but not without resistance by the E. and states of the empire, so that the new electorate was not fully recog
nized till 1710. In 1777, the number was again reduced to eight, the elector palatine inheriting Bavaria. The E. held a high and very peculiar position in the German empire. The Golden Bull describes them as " the seven pillars and lamps of the holy empire." They had certain important rights and privileges. They were leagued from the year 1338 for the maintenance of their freedom of election against the pope. They had royal dignities, only not the title of majesty. The territories belonging to their electorates were indivisible.
The peace of Luneville, in 1801, made a great change in the German empire, and subsequent changes took place during the times of French ascendency, which issued in the dissolution of the ancient German empire. The title of E., used by the prince of Hesse-Cassel, an electorate which was added along with other new electorates in 1802, was the last relic of the old dignities, and was merely nominal even before 1866.