List of counts palatine of the Rhine facts for kids

Imagine a powerful ruler in old Germany, like a special count! This article tells you about the Counts Palatine of Lotharingia, the Counts Palatine of the Rhine, and the Electors of the Palatinate (German: Kurfürst von der Pfalz). These were important titles for rulers in the Rhine region of Germany. They ruled from about 915 to 1803.

From 1261, and officially from 1356, these rulers became part of a small group. This group was called the prince-electors. Their job was to choose the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. After this, the title "Elector Palatine" became very well known.

Counts Palatine of Lotharingia (915–1085)

The Palatinate region started as the County Palatine of Lotharingia in the 10th century.

• Wigeric of Lotharingia, Count of Bidgau (around 915–922)
• Godfrey, Count of Jülichgau (around 940)

The Ezzonen Family

In the 11th century, the Ezzonian family became very powerful. They controlled many areas on both sides of the Rhine River. Their main lands were near Cologne and Bonn. These lands stretched south to the Moselle and Nahe rivers. The southernmost point was near Alzey.

• Hermann I of Lotharingia (945–996)
• Ezzo of Lotharingia (996–1034)
• Otto I of Lotharingia (1034–1045)
• Henry I of Lotharingia (1045–1060/1061)
• Hermann II of Lotharingia (1061/1064–1085)

Counts Palatine of the Rhine (1085–1214)

Around 1085, after Hermann II died, the Palatinate changed. It lost its military importance in Lotharingia. The count's power was limited to his lands along the Rhine. This area became known as the County Palatine of the Rhine.

• Heinrich II of Laach (1085–1095)
• Siegfried of Ballenstedt (1095–1113)
• Gottfried of Kalw (1113–1129)
• William of Ballenstedt (1129–1139)
• Henry IV Jasomirgott (1139–1142)
• Hermann III of Stahleck (1142–1155)

Hohenstaufen Counts Palatine

Conrad of Hohenstaufen was the first hereditary Count Palatine of the Rhine. He was the younger brother of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. The lands tied to this important position came from his family. These included lands in Franconia and the Rhineland. Some land came from his imperial ancestors, the Salian Emperors. Other parts came from his mother's family, the Saarbrücken. This mix of lands formed the Upper and Rhenish Palatinate later on.

• Conrad of Hohenstaufen (1156–1195)

Welf Counts Palatine

In 1195, the Palatinate went to the House of Welf. This happened when Agnes, who was the heir, married into the Welf family.

• Henry V of Welf (1195–1213)
• Henry VI of Welf (1213–1214)

The Palatinate under the Wittelsbach Family: The Electoral Dignity (1214–1803)

In the early 13th century, the Welf heiress Agnes married. Her lands then passed to the Wittelsbach family. They were also dukes of Bavaria and counts palatine of Bavaria.

Later, in 1294, the lands were divided among the heirs of Duke Louis II of Upper Bavaria. The older branch of the Wittelsbachs received the Rhenish Palatinate. They also got lands in Bavaria north of the Danube River. This area was called the Nordgau and was centered around Amberg. Because this region was linked to the Rhenish Palatinate, it became known as the Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz). This helped tell it apart from the Lower Palatinate along the Rhine.

The Golden Bull of 1356 was a very important document. It officially recognized the Palatinate as one of the secular electorates. This meant the Count Palatine could help choose the Holy Roman Emperor. The count also received important hereditary jobs. He was the archsteward of the Empire and Imperial Vicar for parts of Germany. From then on, the Count Palatine of the Rhine was usually called the Elector Palatine (Kurfürst von der Pfalz). The idea of prince-electors existed before this, but the Golden Bull made it formal.

By the early 16th century, the Wittelsbach family divided their lands. Younger branches of the Palatine Wittelsbachs came to rule in places like Simmern, Kaiserslautern, and Zweibrücken in the Lower Palatinate. They also ruled in Neuburg and Sulzbach in the Upper Palatinate. The Elector Palatine, who lived in Heidelberg, changed his religion. He adopted Lutheranism in the 1530s and Calvinism in the 1550s.

House of Wittelsbach Rulers

Here are some of the most important rulers from the Wittelsbach family. They held the title of Count Palatine of the Rhine or Elector Palatine.

Ruler		Born	Reign	Died	Ruling Part	Notes
Louis I the Kelheimer	Louis I, Duke of Bavaria	23 December 1173	1214–1231	15 September 1231	County Palatine of the Rhine	Louis became Count Palatine of the Rhine in 1214. He was assassinated in 1231.
Otto II the Illustrious	Otto II Wittelsbach	7 April 1206	1231–1253	29 November 1253	County Palatine of the Rhine	Otto II was also Count Palatine of the Rhine. After he died, his son Louis received the Palatinate.
Louis II the Strict	Louis II, Duke of Bavaria	13 April 1229	1253–1294	2 February 1294	County Palatine of the Rhine	His heirs later divided the territory in 1294. The older branch got the Rhenish Palatinate.
Rudolph I the Stammerer	Rudolph I, Duke of Bavaria	4 October 1274	1296–1317	12 August 1319	County Palatine of the Rhine	He ruled jointly. In 1317, Rudolph gave up his rights to his son.
Rudolph II the Blind	Rudolph II, Count Palatine of the Rhine	8 August 1306	1327–1353	4 October 1353	County Palatine of the Rhine	Son of Rudolph I. The Golden Bull of 1356 confirmed the Count Palatine's right to elect the Holy Roman Emperor.
Robert I the Red	Robert I, Elector Palatine	9 June 1309	1353–1356	16 February 1390	County Palatine of the Rhine	Son of Rudolph I. In January 1356, he was recognized as the First Elector Palatine.
			10 January 1356 – 16 February 1390		Electoral Palatinate
Robert II the Hard	Robert II, Elector Palatine	12 May 1325	16 January 1390 – 6 January 1398	6 January 1398	Electoral Palatinate	Son of the claimant count Adolf.
Robert III the Righteous	Robert III, King of the Romans	5 May 1352	6 January 1398 – 18 May 1410	18 May 1410	Electoral Palatinate	He was also King of Germany from 1400 to 1410.
Louis III the Bearded	Louis III, Elector Palatine	23 January 1378	18 May 1410 – 30 December 1436	30 December 1436	Electoral Palatinate	Son of Robert III. His brothers received other lands, like Simmern and Neumarkt.
Louis IV the Meek		1 January 1424	30 December 1436 – 13 August 1449	13 August 1449	Electoral Palatinate
Frederick I the Victorious	Frederick I, Elector Palatine	1 August 1425	13 August 1449 – 12 December 1476	12 December 1476	Electoral Palatinate	Brother of Louis IV. He had no legitimate heirs to the Electorate. His nephew succeeded him.
Philip I the Upright	Philip I, Elector Palatine	14 July 1448	12 December 1476 – 28 February 1508	28 February 1508	Electoral Palatinate
Louis V the Pacific	Louis V, Elector Palatine	2 July 1478	28 February 1508 – 16 March 1544	16 March 1544	Electoral Palatinate	He had no descendants. His brother succeeded him.
Frederick II the Wise	Frederick II, Elector Palatine	9 December 1482	16 March 1544 – 26 December 1556	26 December 1556	Electoral Palatinate	He had no descendants. His cousin succeeded him.
Otto Henry the Magnanimous	Otto Henry, Elector Palatine	10 April 1502	1505-1557	12 February 1559	Palatinate-Neuburg	He had no descendants. The main line of the family ended with his death. The Simmern line took over the Electorate.
			26 December 1556 – 12 February 1559		Electoral Palatinate
Frederick III the Pious	Frederick III, Elector Palatine	14 February 1515	1557–1559	26 October 1576	Palatinate-Simmern	When the main family line died out in 1559, Frederick III of Simmern became Elector. He was a strong Calvinist. The Palatinate became a major center for Calvinism in Europe.
			12 February 1559 – 26 October 1576		Electoral Palatinate
Louis VI the Careless	Louis VI, Elector Palatine	4 July 1539	26 October 1576 – 22 October 1583	22 October 1583	Electoral Palatinate	Son of Frederick III. His brother John Casimir received a portion of land.
Frederick IV the Righteous	Frederick IV, Elector Palatine	5 March 1574	22 October 1583 – 19 September 1610	19 September 1610	Electoral Palatinate	With his advisor, he founded the Evangelical Union of Protestant states in 1608.
Frederick V the Winter King	Frederick V of the Palatinate	26 August 1596	19 September 1610 – 23 February 1623	29 November 1632	Electoral Palatinate	In 1619, he became King of Bohemia. He was defeated in the Battle of White Mountain in 1620. Spanish and Bavarian troops then took over the Palatinate. He was called "the Winter King" because his rule in Bohemia lasted only one winter. In 1623, he lost his title. His lands and title were given to Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria.
Charles Louis	Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine	22 December 1617	24 October 1648- 28 August 1680	28 August 1680	Electoral Palatinate (Simmern line restored)	Son of Frederick V. By the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, Charles Louis got back the Lower Palatinate. He also received a new Elector title.
Charles II	Charles II, Elector Palatine	10 April 1651	28 August 1680 – 26 May 1685	26 May 1685	Electoral Palatinate	He was the last ruler of the Simmern line.
Philip William	Philip William, Elector Palatine	24 November 1615	1653–1685	2 September 1690	Palatinate-Neuburg	When the Simmern family line ended in 1685, Philip William of Neuburg became Elector. He was Catholic.
			26 May 1685 – 2 September 1690		Electoral Palatinate
John William	John William, Elector Palatine	19 April 1658	2 September 1690 – 8 June 1716	8 June 1716	Electoral Palatinate	He had no descendants. His brother succeeded him.
Charles Philip	Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine	4 November 1661	8 June 1716 - 31 December 1742	31 December 1742	Electoral Palatinate	He had no descendants. The Electorate went to the Sulzbach line of the family.
Charles Theodore	Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria	11 December 1724	1733-1742	16 February 1799	Palatinate-Sulzbach	In 1777, the Elector Palatine title joined with the Electorate of Bavaria. Charles Theodore and his heirs kept using the title "Count Palatine of the Rhine." He had no descendants. The Electorates then passed to the Zweibrücken line.
			31 December 1742 - 30 December 1777		Electoral Palatinate
			30 December 1777 - 16 February 1799		Electoral Palatinate and Electorate of Bavaria
Maximilian Joseph	Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria	27 May 1756	1795-1799	13 October 1825	Palatinate-Zweibrücken	Maximilian Joseph inherited the titles in 1799. He brought all the Wittelsbach lands under one ruler. The Palatinate was dissolved during the Wars of the French Revolution. France took its western lands in 1795. Then, in 1803, the eastern lands were taken by the Margrave of Baden. The Rhenish Palatinate, as a separate territory, disappeared. In 1806, the Holy Roman Empire was abolished, and with it, all the rights of the electors.
			16 February 1799 - 27 April 1803		Electoral Palatinate and Electorate of Bavaria
			27 April 1803 - 1 January 1806		Electorate of Bavaria

Later History

After big changes in 1815, the Lower Palatinate was restored. It became one of eight Bavarian Districts. It no longer had the role of a prince-elector.

After World War II, the American Military Government in Germany took the Lower Palatinate from Bavaria. They combined it with nearby areas. This formed a new state called Rhineland-Palatinate (German: Rheinland-Pfalz). Its capital is Mainz. People there had felt ignored by the government in Munich for many years. They later agreed to this new state in a vote.

Today, the leader of the House of Wittelsbach is Franz, Duke of Bavaria (born 1933). He is still traditionally called His Royal Highness the Duke of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Condes palatinos del Rin para niños