Imperial Diet: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 19:25, 30 May 2026

The Imperial Diet (Reichstag) was the forum of the Holy Roman Empire where the Imperial Estates (Reichsstände) would discuss issues and make decisions when the consensus of the Empire as a whole was either deemed necessary or required by law. Convened for the first time in 1499 in the wake of the Imperial Reform (Reichsreform) lead by Emperor Maximilian I, the Imperial Diet structured the governance of the Empire from the early modern era onwards.
Imperial Estates were territories that enjoyed imperial immediacy (Reichsunmittelbarkeit), that is the Emperor was the immediate and direct lord of their rulers, as they were formally feudal fiefs; alongside this immediacy, the Imperial Estates were to share the burden of the Empire by paying taxes which funded its military expenses and the various bodies upholding the common legal framework that characterised its social and political order. These two criteria thus determined whether a territory held the right to participate and vote in the Diet.

College of Electors
1. Archbishop of Mainz
Arch-Chancellor of Germany
Head of Corpus Catholicorum
2. Archbishop of Trier
Arch-Chancellor of Gaul
3. Archbishop of Cologne
Arch-Chancellor of Italy

4. King of Bohemia
Arch-Butler of the Empire
5. Count Palatine of the Rhine
Arch-Steward of the Empire
Imperial Vicar for Frankish territories
6. Duke of Saxony
Arch-Marshal of the Empire
Imperial Vicar for Saxon territories
Head of Corpus Evangelicorum
7. Margrave of Brandenburg
Arch-Chamberlain of the Empire
8. Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Arch-Treasurer of the Empire

College of Princes
1. Archduke of Austria
2. Duke of Burgundy

Ecclesiastical Bench
3. Archbishop of Salzburg
4. Archbishop of Besançon
5. Grand Master of the Teutonic Order
6. Bishop of Bamberg
7. Bishop of Würzburg
8. Bishop of Worms
9. Bishop of Eichstätt
10. Bishop of Speyer
11. Bishop of Strassburg
12. Bishop of Constance
13. Bishop of Augsburg
14. Bishop of Hildesheim
15. Bishop of Paderborn
16. Bishop of Freising
17. Bishop of Regensburg
18. Bishop of Passau
19. Bishop of Trent
20. Bishop of Brixen
21. Bishop of Basel
22. Bishop of Münster
23. Bishop of Osnabrück
24. Bishop of Liège
25. Bishop of Lübeck
26. Bishop of Chur
27. Bishop of Fulda
28. Abbot of Kempten
29. Provost of Ellwangen
30. Grand Master of the Order of St. John
31. Prior of Berchtesgaden
32. Provost of Weissenburg
33. Abbot of Prüm
34. Abbot of Stablo
35. Abbot of Corvey

College of Imperial Cities

Rhenish Bench
Free and Imperial City of Cologne
Free and Imperial City of Aachen
Free and Imperial City of Lübeck
Free and Imperial City of Worms
Free and Imperial City of Frankfurt
Free and Imperial City of Goslar
Free and Imperial City of Bremen
Free and Imperial City of Hamburg
Free and Imperial City of Mühlhausen
Free and Imperial City of Nordhausen
Free and Imperial City of Dortmund

Swabian Bench
Free and Imperial City of Regensburg
Free and Imperial City of Augsburg
Free and Imperial City of Nuremberg
Free and Imperial City of Ulm
Free and Imperial City of Schwäbisch Hall
Free and Imperial City of Überlingen
Free and Imperial City of Schwäbisch Gmünd
Free and Imperial City of Lindau
Free and Imperial City of Dinkelsbühl
Free and Imperial City of Biberach
Free and Imperial City of Kempten
Free and Imperial City of Weil
Free and Imperial City of Wangen
Free and Imperial City of Isny im Allgäu
Free and Imperial City of Pfullendorf
Free and Imperial City of Offenburg
Free and Imperial City of Leutkirch im Allgäu
Free and Imperial City of Wimpfen
Free and Imperial City of Weissenburg
Free and Imperial City of Giengen
Free and Imperial City of Zell am Harmersbach
Free and Imperial City of Buchhorn
Free and Imperial City of Buchau

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire
+The Imperial Diet (''Reichstag'') was the forum of the Holy Roman Empire where the Imperial Estates (''Reichsstände'') would discuss issues and make decisions when the consensus of the Empire as a whole was either deemed necessary or required by law. Convened for the first time in 1499 in the wake of the Imperial Reform (''Reichsreform'') lead by Emperor Maximilian I, the Imperial Diet structured the governance of the Empire from the early modern era onwards.<br>Imperial Estates were territories that enjoyed imperial immediacy (''Reichsunmittelbarkeit''), that is the Emperor was the immediate and direct lord of their rulers, as they were formally feudal fiefs; alongside this immediacy, the Imperial Estates were to share the burden of the Empire by paying taxes which funded its military expenses and the various bodies upholding the common legal framework that characterised its social and political order. These two criteria thus determined whether a territory held the right to participate and vote in the Diet.
-<gallery caption="College of Electors" align=center style= "color: #292929;font-size:1.2em;font-weight: normal;text-align:center;font-style: normal;">
+<span id="Electors"></span>
-Mainz.svg|1. The Archbishop of Mainz
+[[#Electors|College of Electors]] | [[#Princes|College of Princes]] | [[#Ecclesiastical|Ecclesiastical Bench]] | [[#Secular|Secular Bench]] | [[#College of Imperial Cities |College of Imperial Cities]] | [[#Rhenish Bench|Rhenish Bench]] | [[#Swabian Bench|Swabian Bench]]
-Trier.svg|2. The Archbishop of Trier
-Cologne.svg|3. The Archbishop of Cologne
-Bohemia.svg|4. The King of Bohemia
+<gallery mode="nolines" caption="College of Electors" align=center style= "color: #292929;font-size:1.2em;font-weight: normal;text-align:center;font-style: normal;">
-Wittelsbach Pfalz.svg|5. The Count Palatine of the Rhine
+Mainz.svg|1. [[Prince-Archbishopric of Mainz|Archbishop of Mainz]]<br><span style="font-size:88%; line-height: 1.3em;">Arch-Chancellor of Germany<br>Head of ''Corpus Catholicorum''</span>
-Wettin Sachsen.svg|6. The Duke of Saxony
+Trier.svg|2. [[Prince-Archbishopric of Trier|Archbishop of Trier]]<br><span style="font-size:88%; line-height: 1.3em;">Arch-Chancellor of Gaul</span>
-Brandenburg.svg|7. The Margrave of Brandenburg
+Cologne.svg|3. [[Prince-Archbishopric of Cologne|Archbishop of Cologne]]<br><span style="font-size:88%; line-height: 1.3em;">Arch-Chancellor of Italy</span>
-!|8. The Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
 </gallery>
+<gallery mode="nolines" caption="" align=center style= "color: #292929;font-size:1.2em;font-weight: normal;text-align:center;font-style: normal;">
+Bohemia.svg|4. [[Kingdom of Bohemia|King of Bohemia]]<br><span style="font-size:88%; line-height: 1.3em;">Arch-Butler of the Empire</span>
+Electorate of Pfalz.svg|5. [[County Palatine of the Rhine|Count Palatine of the Rhine]]<br><span style="font-size:88%; line-height: 1.3em;">Arch-Steward of the Empire<br>Imperial Vicar for Frankish territories</span>
+Kurfürsten von Sachsen.svg|6. [[Duchy of Saxony|Duke of Saxony]]<br><span style="font-size:88%; line-height: 1.3em;">Arch-Marshal of the Empire<br>Imperial Vicar for Saxon territories<br>Head of ''Corpus Evangelicorum''</span>
+Brandenburg-Prussia.svg|7. [[Margraviate of Brandenburg|Margrave of Brandenburg]]<br><span style="font-size:88%; line-height: 1.3em;">Arch-Chamberlain of the Empire</span>
+Hannover Welf.svg|8. [[Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]]<br><span style="font-size:88%; line-height: 1.3em;">Arch-Treasurer of the Empire</span>
+</gallery>
+<span id="Princes"></span>
+[[#Electors|College of Electors]] | [[#Princes|College of Princes]] | [[#Ecclesiastical|Ecclesiastical Bench]] | [[#Secular|Secular Bench]] | [[#College of Imperial Cities |College of Imperial Cities]] | [[#Rhenish Bench|Rhenish Bench]] | [[#Swabian Bench|Swabian Bench]]
+<gallery mode="nolines" caption="College of Princes" align=center style= "color: #292929;font-size:1.2em;font-weight: normal;text-align:center;font-style: normal;">
+Habsburg Austria.svg|1. [[Duchy of Austria|Archduke of Austria]]
+Philip I Castile.svg|2. [[Duchy of Burgundy|Duke of Burgundy]]
+</gallery>
+<span id="Ecclesiastical"></span>
+[[#Electors|College of Electors]] | [[#Princes|College of Princes]] | [[#Ecclesiastical|Ecclesiastical Bench]] | [[#Secular|Secular Bench]] | [[#College of Imperial Cities |College of Imperial Cities]] | [[#Rhenish Bench|Rhenish Bench]] | [[#Swabian Bench|Swabian Bench]]
-<gallery caption="College of Princes" align=center style= "color: #292929;font-size:1.2em;font-weight: normal;text-align:center;font-style: normal;">
+<gallery mode="nolines" caption="Ecclesiastical Bench" align=center style= "color: #292929;font-size:1.2em;font-weight: normal;text-align:center;font-style: normal;">
-Habsburg Austria.svg|1. The Archduke of Austria
+Salzburg.svg|3. [[Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg|Archbishop of Salzburg]]
-Philip I Castile.svg|2. The Duke of Burgundy
+Besançon.svg|4. [[Prince-Archbishopric of Besançon|Archbishop of Besançon]]
+Grand Master Teutonic Order.svg|5. [[ State of the Teutonic Order |Grand Master of the Teutonic Order]]
+Bamberg.svg|6. [[Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg|Bishop of Bamberg]]
+Wurzburg.svg|7. [[Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg|Bishop of Würzburg]]
+Worms.svg|8. [[Prince-Bishopric of Worms|Bishop of Worms]]
+Eichstätt.svg|9. [[Prince-Bishopric of Eichstätt|Bishop of Eichstätt]]
+Speyer.svg|10. [[Prince-Bishopric of Speyer|Bishop of Speyer]]
+Strassburg.svg|11. [[Prince-Bishopric of Strassburg|Bishop of Strassburg]]
+Constance.svg|12. [[Prince-Bishopric of Constance|Bishop of Constance]]
+Augsburg.svg|13. [[Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg|Bishop of Augsburg]]
+Hildesheim.svg|14. [[Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim|Bishop of Hildesheim]]
+Paderborn.svg|15. [[Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn|Bishop of Paderborn]]
+Freising.svg|16. [[Prince-Bishopric of Freising|Bishop of Freising]]
+Regensburg Bishop.svg|17. [[Prince-Bishopric of Regensburg|Bishop of Regensburg]]
+Passau.svg|18. [[Prince-Bishopric of Passau|Bishop of Passau]]
+Trient.svg|19. [[Prince-Bishopric of Trent|Bishop of Trent]]
+Brixen.svg|20. [[Prince-Bishopric of Brixen|Bishop of Brixen]]
+Basel.svg|21. [[Prince-Bishopric of Basel|Bishop of Basel]]
+Münster.svg|22. [[Prince-Bishopric of Münster|Bishop of Münster]]
+Osnabruck.svg|23. [[Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück|Bishop of Osnabrück]]
+Liege.svg|24. [[Prince-Bishopric of Liège|Bishop of Liège]]
+Lübeck Bishop.svg|25. Bishop of Lübeck
+Chur Zurich.svg|26. Bishop of Chur
+Fulda.svg|27. [[Prince-Abbacy of Fulda|Bishop of Fulda]]
+Kempten.svg|28. Abbot of Kempten
+Ellwangen.svg|29. [[Prince-Provostry of Ellwangen|Provost of Ellwangen]]
+Knight Hospitallers.svg|30. [[ Principality of Heitersheim |Grand Master of the Order of St. John]]
+Berchtesgaden.svg|31. Prior of Berchtesgaden
+Wissembourg.svg|32. Provost of Weissenburg
+Prüm.svg|33. [[Prince-Abbacy of Prüm|Abbot of Prüm]]
+Stavelot.svg|34. Abbot of Stablo
+Corvey.svg|35. [[Prince-Abbacy of Corvey|Abbot of Corvey]]
 </gallery>
-<gallery caption="Ecclesiastical Bench" align=center style= "color: #292929;font-size:1.2em;font-weight: normal;text-align:center;font-style: normal;">
+<span id="Secular"></span>
-Salzburg.svg|3. The Archbishop of Salzburg
+[[#Electors|College of Electors]] | [[#Princes|College of Princes]] | [[#Ecclesiastical|Ecclesiastical Bench]] | [[#Secular|Secular Bench]] | [[#College of Imperial Cities |College of Imperial Cities]] | [[#Rhenish Bench|Rhenish Bench]] | [[#Swabian Bench|Swabian Bench]]
-!|4. The Archbishop of Besançon
-Grand Master Teutonic Order.svg|5. The Grand Master of the Teutonic Order
-Bamberg.svg|6. The Bishop of Bamberg
+<gallery mode="nolines" caption="Secular Bench" align=center style= "color: #292929;font-size:1.2em;font-weight: normal;text-align:center;font-style: normal;">
-Wurzburg.svg|7. The Bishop of Würzburg
+Wittelsbach.svg|1. [[Duchy of Bavaria|Duke of Bavaria]]
-!|8. The Bishop of Worms
+Magdeburg.svg|2. [[Prince-Archbishopric of Magdeburg|Duke of Magdeburg]]
-Eichstätt.svg|9. The Bishop of Eichstätt
+Pfalz-Simmern.svg|3. [[ County Palatine of the Rhine |Count Palatine of Lautern]]
-Spier.svg|10. The Bishop of Speyer
+Pfalz Simmern.svg|4. [[ County Palatine of the Rhine |Count Palatine of Simmern]]
-Strassburg.svg|11. The Bishop of Strassburg
+Pfalz-Neuburg.svg|5. [[ County Palatine of the Rhine |Count Palatine of Neuburg]]
-!|12. The Bishop of Constance
+Bremen.svg|6. [[Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen|Duke of Bremen]]
-Augsburg.svg|13. The Bishop of Augsburg
+Pfalz Sweden.svg|7. [[County of Zweibrücken|Duke of Zweibrücken]]
-Hildesheim.svg|14. The Bishop of Hildesheim
+Pfalz-Veldenz.svg|8. [[County of Veldenz|Count Palatine of Veldenz]]
-Paderborn.svg|15. The Bishop of Paderborn
+Saxe-Weimar.svg|9. [[Duchy of Saxe-Weimar|Duke of Saxe-Weimar]]
-Freising.svg|16. The Bishop of Freising
+Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach.svg|10. [[ Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg |Duke of Saxe-Eisenach]]
-!|17. The Bishop of Regensburg
+Saxe-Coburg.svg|11. [[ Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg |Duke of Saxe-Coburg]]
-Passau.svg|18. The Bishop of Passau
+Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.svg|12. [[ Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg |Duke of Saxe-Gotha]]
-Trient.svg|19. The Bishop of Trent
+Saxe-Altenburg.svg|13. [[Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg|Duke of Saxe-Altenburg]]
-Brixen.svg|20. The Bishop of Brixen
+Brandenburg-Ansbach.svg|14. [[Margraviate of Ansbach|Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach]]
-Basel.svg|21. The Bishop of Basel
+Brandenburg-Kulmbach.svg|15. [[ Burgraviate of Nuremberg|Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach]]
-Münster.svg|22. The Bishop of Münster
+Luneburg.svg|16. [[  Principality of Lüneburg |Duke of Brunswick-Celle]]
-Osnabruck.svg|23. The Bishop of Osnabrück
+Ernst II Braunschweig-Luneburg.svg|17. [[ Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg |Duke of Brunswick-Kalenberg]]
-Liege.svg|24. The Bishop of Liège
+Brunswick-Grubenhagen.svg|18. [[ Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg |Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen]]
-!|25. The Bishop of Lübeck
+Braunschweig-Luneburg.svg|19. [[ Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg |Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]]
-Chur Zurich.svg|26. The Bishop of Chur
+Halberstadt.svg|20. [[Prince-Bishopric of Halberstadt|Prince of Halberstadt]]
-!|27. The Bishop of Fulda
+Pomerania Ancient.svg|21. [[Duchy of Pomerania|Duke of Farther Pomerania]] <!-- Vorpommern, Philip I, passed to Prussia (Pomerania-Wolgast) -->
-Kempten.svg|28. The Abbot of Kempten
+Pomerania Ancient.svg|22. [[Duchy of Pomerania|Duke of Upper Pomerania]] <!-- Hinterpommern, Barnim IX, passed to Sweden (Pomerania-Stettin) -->
-!|29. The Provost of Ellwangen
+ Johann IV Mecklenburg-Schwerin.svg|23. [[Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
-Knight Hospitallers.svg|30. The Grand Master of the Order of St. John
+Mecklenburg-Guscerov.svg|24. [[Duchy of Mecklenburg|Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow]]
-!|31. The Prior of Berchtesgaden
+Württemberg Ancient.svg|25. [[Duchy of Württemberg|Duke of Württemberg]]
-!|32. The Provost of Weissenburg
+Hesse-Kassel.svg|26. [[Landgraviate of Hesse|Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel]]
-!|33. The Abbot of Prüm
+Hesse-Darmstadt.svg|27. [[Landgraviate of Hesse|Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt]]
-!|34. The Abbot of Stablo
+Bernhard III Baden.svg|28. [[Margraviate of Baden-Baden|Margrave of Baden-Baden]]
-!|35. The Abbot of Corvey
+Baden-Durlach.svg|29. [[Margraviate of Baden|Margrave of Baden-Durlach]]
+Verden.svg|30. [[Prince-Bishopric of Verden|Prince of Verden]]
+Baden-Hachberg.svg|31. [[Margraviate of Baden|Margrave of Baden-Hachberg]]
+Oldenburg.svg|32. [[Duchy of Holstein|Duke of Holstein]]
+Saxe-Lauenberg.svg|33. [[Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg|Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg]]
+Minden.svg|34. [[Prince-Bishopric of Minden|Prince of Minden]]
+Duchy of Oldenburg.svg|35. [[Duchy of Oldenburg|Duke of Oldenburg]]
+Savoy.svg|36. [[Duchy of Savoy|Duke of Savoy]]
+Leuchtenberg.svg|37. [[Landgraviate of Leuchtenberg|Landgrave of Leuchtenberg]]
+Anhalt 1260.svg|38. [[Principality of Anhalt|Prince of Anhalt]]
+Henneberg.svg|39. [[County of Henneberg|Princely Count of Henneberg]]
+Schwerin Principality.svg|40. [[Prince-Bishopric of Schwerin|Prince of Schwerin]]
+Kammin.svg|41. [[ Prince-Bishopric of Cammin |Prince of Kammin]]
+Ratzeburg Principality.svg|42. [[Prince-Bishopric of Ratzeburg|Prince of Ratzeburg]]
+Hersfeld.svg|43. [[Imperial Abbey of Hersfeld|Prince of Hersfeld]]
+Nomeny.svg|44. [[ Margraviate of Nomeny|Prince of Nomény]]
+Württemberg Waiblingen.svg|45. [[County of Montbéliard|Prince of Mömpelgard]]
+D'Arenberg Ancient.svg|46. [[Lordship of Arenberg|Duke of Arenberg]]
+Hohenzollern-Hechingen.svg|47. [[County of Zollern |Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen]]
+Lobkowicz Sagan.svg|48. Prince of Lobkowitz
+Salm.svg|49. [[ County of Obersalm|Prince of Salm]]
+Dietrichstein.svg|50. [[ County of Dietrichstein |Prince of Dietrichstein]]
+Nassau Dillenburg.svg|51. [[County of Nassau|Prince of Nassau-Hadamar]]
+Nassau-Dillenburg.svg|52. [[County of Nassau|Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg]]
+Fürsten von Auersperg.svg|53. Prince of Auersperg
+Cirksena 1625.svg|54. [[ County of East Frisia|Prince of East Frisia]]
+Von Furstenberg.svg|55. [[ County of Fürstenberg |Prince of Fürstenberg]]
+Seinsheim-Schwarzenberg.svg|56. Prince of Schwarzenberg
+Liechtenstein Ancient.svg|57. [[ Principality of Liechtenstein |Prince of Liechtenstein]]
+Thurn-Valsassina-Taxis.svg|58. Prince of Thurn und Taxis
+Schwarzburg.svg|59. [[County of Schwarzburg|Prince of Schwarzburg]]
 </gallery>
+<span id="College of Imperial Cities"></span>
+[[#Electors|College of Electors]] | [[#Princes|College of Princes]] | [[#Ecclesiastical|Ecclesiastical Bench]] | [[#Secular|Secular Bench]] | [[#College of Imperial Cities |College of Imperial Cities]] | [[#Rhenish Bench|Rhenish Bench]] | [[#Swabian Bench|Swabian Bench]]
-<gallery caption="Secular Bench" align=center style= "color: #292929;font-size:1.2em;font-weight: normal;text-align:center;font-style: normal;">
-Wittelsbach Bavaria.svg|1. The Duke of Bavaria
+<gallery mode="nolines" caption="College of Imperial Cities" align=center style= "color: #292929;font-size:1.2em;font-weight: normal;text-align:center;font-style: normal;">
-Magdeburg.svg|2. The Duke of Magdeburg
-!|3. The Count Palatine of Kaiserslautern
-Pfalz-Simmern.svg|4. The Count Palatine of Simmern
-Pfalz-Neuburg.svg|5. The Count Palatine of Neuburg
-!|6. The Duke of Bremen
-Pfalz Sweden.svg|7. The Duke of Zweibrücken
-Pfalz-Veldenz.svg|8. The Count Palatine of Veldenz
-!|9. The Duke of Saxe-Weimar
-!|10. The Duke of Saxe-Eisenach
-!|11. The Duke of Saxe-Coburg
-!|12. The Duke of Saxe-Gotha
-!|13. The Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
-!|14. The Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
-!|15. The Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
-!|16. The Duke of Brunswick-Celle
-!|17. The Duke of Brunswick-Kalenberg
-!|18. The Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen
-!|19. The Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
-Halberstadt.svg|20. The Prince of Halberstadt
-!|21. The Duke of Farther Pomerania
-!|22. The Duke of Upper Pomerania
-Mecklenburg-Schwerin.svg|23. The Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
-Mecklenburg-Guscerov.svg|24. The Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
-Wurttemberg.svg|25. The Duke of Württemberg
-Hessen.svg|26. The Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
-!|27. The Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
-Baden.svg|28. The Margrave of Baden-Baden
-Baden-Durlach.svg|29. The Margrave of Baden-Durlach
-Verden.svg|30. The Prince of Verden
-!|31. The Margrave of Baden-Hochberg
-Holstein-Kiel.svg|32. The Duke of Holstein
-Saxe-Lauenberg.svg|33. The Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg
-!|34. The Prince of Minden
-Holstein Gottorp.svg|35. The Duke of Holstein-Gottorp-Oldenburg
-Savoy.svg|36. The Duke of Savoy
-Leuchtenberg.svg|37. The Landgrave of Leuchtenberg
-!|38. The Prince of Anhalt
-!|39. The Princely Count of Henneberg
-!|40. The Prince of Schwerin
-!|41. The Prince of Kammin
-!|42. The Prince of Ratzeburg
-!|43. The Prince of Hersfeld
-!|44. The Prince of Nomény
-!|45. The Prince of Mömpelgard
-D'Arenberg Ancient.svg|46. The Duke of Arenberg
-Hohenzollern-Hechingen.svg|47. The Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen
-!|48. The Prince of Lobkowitz
-!|49. The Prince of Salm
-!|50. The Prince of Dietrichstein
-!|51. The Prince of Nassau-Hadamar
-Nassau-Dillenburg.svg|52. The Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg
-!|53. The Prince of Auersperg
-!|54. The Prince of East Frisia
-Von Furstenberg.svg|55. The Prince of Fürstenberg
-Seinsheim-Schwarzenberg.svg|56. The Prince of Schwarzenberg
-Liechtenstein.svg|57. The Prince of Liechtenstein
-Taxis Ancient.svg|58. The Prince of Thurn und Taxis
-!|59. The Prince of Schwarzburg
 </gallery>
+<span id="Rhenish Bench"></span>
+<gallery mode="nolines" caption="Rhenish Bench" align=center style= "color: #292929;font-size:1.2em;font-weight: normal;text-align:center;font-style: normal;">
+Cologne 1550.svg|[[Imperial Free City of Cologne| Free and Imperial City of Cologne]]
+Aachen_JWT.svg|[[Imperial Free City of Aachen | Free and Imperial City of Aachen]]
+Free City of Lubeck.svg|[[ Imperial Free City of Lübeck | Free and Imperial City of Lübeck ]]
+Free City of Worms.svg|[[Imperial Free City of Worms|Free and Imperial City of Worms]]
+Free City of Frankfurt.svg|Free and Imperial City of Frankfurt
+Holy Roman Empire Ancient.svg|Free and Imperial City of Goslar
+Free City of Bremen.svg|Free and Imperial City of Bremen
+Hamburg.svg|[[ Imperial Free City of Hamburg | Free and Imperial City of Hamburg ]]
+Mühlhausen.svg|[[ Imperial Free City of Mühlhausen | Free and Imperial City of Mühlhausen ]]
+Free City of Nordhausen.svg|Free and Imperial City of Nordhausen
+Dortmund.svg|Free and Imperial City of Dortmund
+</gallery>
+<span id="Swabian Bench"></span>
+[[#Electors|College of Electors]] | [[#Princes|College of Princes]] | [[#Ecclesiastical|Ecclesiastical Bench]] | [[#Secular|Secular Bench]] | [[#College of Imperial Cities |College of Imperial Cities]] | [[#Rhenish Bench|Rhenish Bench]] | [[#Swabian Bench|Swabian Bench]]
+<gallery mode="nolines" caption="Swabian Bench" align=center style= "color: #292929;font-size:1.2em;font-weight: normal;text-align:center;font-style: normal;">
+Free City of Regensburg.svg|Free and Imperial City of Regensburg
+Augsburg Imperial.svg|[[ Imperial Free City of Augsburg| Free and Imperial City of Augsburg]]
+Nuremberg.svg|[[ Imperial Free City of Nuremberg| Free and Imperial City of Nuremberg]]
+Ulm.svg|Free and Imperial City of Ulm
+Schwäbisch Hall.svg|[[ Imperial Free City of Schwäbisch Hall|Free and Imperial City of Schwäbisch Hall]]
+Überlingen.svg|Free and Imperial City of Überlingen
+Schwäbisch_Gmünd.svg|Free and Imperial City of Schwäbisch Gmünd
+Free City of Lindau.svg|Free and Imperial City of Lindau
+Dinkelsbühl.svg|Free and Imperial City of Dinkelsbühl
+Biberach an der Riss.svg|[[Imperial Free City of Biberach| Free and Imperial City of Biberach]]
+Kempten Ancient.svg|[[Imperial Free City of Kempten| Free and Imperial City of Kempten]]
+Germany.svg|[[Imperial Free City of Weil|Free and Imperial City of Weil]]
+Wangen im Allgäu.svg|[[Imperial Free City of Wangen|Free and Imperial City of Wangen]]
+Isny im Allgäu.svg|[[Imperial Free City of Isny im Allgäu|Free and Imperial City of Isny im Allgäu]]
+Pfullendorf.svg|[[Imperial Free City of Pfullendorf|Free and Imperial City of Pfullendorf]]
+Offenburg.svg|Free and Imperial City of Offenburg
+Leutkirch.svg|[[Imperial Free City of Leutkirch im Allgäu|Free and Imperial City of Leutkirch im Allgäu]]
+Free City of Wimpfen.svg|Free and Imperial City of Wimpfen
+Free City of Weissenburg.svg|[[ Imperial Free City of Weissenburg|Free and Imperial City of Weissenburg]]
+Free City of Giengen.svg|Free and Imperial City of Giengen
+Germany.svg|Free and Imperial City of Zell am Harmersbach
+Buchhorn.svg|Free and Imperial City of Buchhorn
+Free City of Buchau.svg|Free and Imperial City of Buchau
+</gallery>
+[[#Electors|College of Electors]] | [[#Princes|College of Princes]] | [[#Ecclesiastical|Ecclesiastical Bench]] | [[#Secular|Secular Bench]] | [[#College of Imperial Cities |College of Imperial Cities]] | [[#Rhenish Bench|Rhenish Bench]] | [[#Swabian Bench|Swabian Bench]] | [[#College of Imperial Cities |College of Imperial Cities]] | [[#Rhenish Bench|Rhenish Bench]] | [[#Swabian Bench|Swabian Bench]]