Prince-elector

The prince-electors or electoral princes of the Holy Roman Empire — German: Kurfürst ({{Audio|De-Kurfürst-pronunciation.ogg|listen}} - singular), Kurfürsten (plural) — were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Emperors of Germany. During and after the 15th century they often merely formalised the elective monarchy into what was in fact a dynastic succession. Formally, they elected a King of the Romans, who became Holy Roman Emperor only when crowned by the pope. Charles V was the last to be actually crowned; all of his successors were merely "Emperors-Elect". Electors were among the princes of the Empire, but they had several privileges (in addition to electoral ones) which were disallowed to their non-electoral brethren.

References

• The Avalon Project. (2003). "The Golden Bull of the Emperor Charles IV 1356 A.D."
• Bryce, J. (1887). The Holy Roman Empire, 8th ed. New York: Macmillan.
• "Germany." (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed. London: Cambridge University Press.
• Oestreich, G. and Holzer, E. (1973). "Übersicht über die Reichsstände." In Gebhardt, Bruno. Handbuch der Deutschen Geschichte, 9th ed. (Vol. 2, pp. 769-784). Stuttgart: Ernst Ketler Verlag.
• Velde, F. R. (2003). "Royal Styles."
• Velde, F. R. (2004). "The Holy Roman Empire."