Elector - Kurfürst (German)

Great secular and religious princes who were eligible to elect the medieval German king, the Holy Roman Emperor. They were also called electors. In the law book "Sachsenspiegel" from the first half of the 13th century, the archbishops of Mainz, Trier, and Cologne, the Counts of the Rhine, the Grand Duke of Saxony, and the Margrave of Brandenburg were listed as electors, and later the King of Bohemia was added, making them known as the Seven Great Electors. The majority rule principle was introduced at the Council of Electors of Lenze (1338), which was established in the Golden Bull (1356) and the election procedures were also finalized, while the electors were given many privileges, including the right not to appeal. After the Hussite Wars in the early 15th century, the kings of Bohemia were removed from the position of elector (restored after 1708), and from 1623 onwards the Rhine counts were replaced by the Bavarian grand dukes as electors, but in 1654 the position was restored and continued until the Rhine counties were integrated into Bavaria in 1777. During the rule of Napoleon I, the Archbishopric of Mainz was transferred to Regensburg by the "Major Acts of the Imperial Council" (1803) and the four electoral principalities of Württemberg, Baden, Hesse-Kassel and Salzburg (Würzburg after 1805) were created in place of Cologne and Trier, which had been annexed to France. With the creation of the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806, the electoral council was finally abolished.

[Shosuke Hirajo]

"Study of the Principle of Majority Rule" by Hidemi Machida (1958, Yuhikaku)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中世ドイツ国王＝神聖ローマ皇帝を選挙する資格をもつ聖俗の大諸侯。選挙侯ともいう。13世紀前半の法書『ザクセンシュピーゲル』では、マインツ、トリール、ケルンの各大司教、ライン宮廷伯、ザクセン大公およびブランデンブルク辺境伯が選帝侯としてあげられ、のちベーメン王が加わって七大選帝侯といわれた。レンゼの選帝侯会議（1338）で多数決原理が導入され、金印勅書（1356）で確立されるとともに選挙手続も確定され、他方選帝侯には不上訴特権その他多くの特権が与えられた。15世紀初めのフス戦争以降ベーメン王は選帝侯から外され（1708年以後復活）、1623年以降ライン宮廷伯にかわりバイエルン大公が選帝侯となったが、1654年に宮廷伯は復活、1777年宮廷伯領がバイエルンに統合されるまで続いた。ナポレオン1世の支配時代には、「帝国代表者会議主要決議」（1803）により、マインツ大司教領はレーゲンスブルクに移され、フランスに合併されたケルンとトリールにかわって、ウュルテンベルク、バーデン、ヘッセン・カッセル、ザルツブルク（1805年以降はウュルツブルク）の四選帝侯領が新設された。1806年ライン同盟の成立により、選帝侯会議は最終的に消滅した。

［平城照介］

『町田秀実著『多数決原理の研究』（1958・有斐閣）』

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