Electress

An Electress (, ) was the consort of a Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, one of the Empire's greatest princes.

The Golden Bull of 1356 established by Emperor Charles IV settled the number of Electors at seven. However, three of these were Roman Catholic archbishops, and so had no consorts; while of the four secular Electors, one was King of Bohemia, and his consort was always known by the more prestigious title of "Queen of Bohemia". The consorts usually referred to as Electresses, therefore, were:

The Electress of the Palatinate; The Electress of Saxony; The Electress of Brandenburg.

To these were added, in 1623 and 1692 respectively: The Electress of Bavaria; The Electress of Hanover.

In the final years of the Empire, several Electors were added, who only held their offices for less than three years before the Empire's final dissolution. The consorts of these last Electors were: The Electress of Württemberg; The Electress of Hesse-Kassel.

There was also an Elector of Baden, but the only ruler to use this title was married morganatically and so his spouse did not share his title.

The rulers of Hesse-Kassel continued to use the title of "Elector" until the annexation of the principality by Prussia in 1866.

Persons using or entitled to use the title of "Electress" are listed below. Spouses of Electors in morganatic or unequal marriages are given in a separate table at the bottom of the page.

Electresses

Electresses of the Palatinate

Name Image Father Born Married BecameElectress Ceased tobe Electress Died HusbandWittelsbach Dynasty Elizabeth John I, Marquis of Namur 1340 1350 1356 1382 Rupert I Beatrice William I, Duke of Berg 1360 1385 16 Feb 1390 1395 Elizabeth Frederick V, Burggrave of Nuremberg 1358 27 Jun 1374 6 Jan 1398 18 May 1410 26 Jul 1411 Rupert III Matilda Amadeo, Prince of Achaea 1390 30 Nov 1417 30 Dec 1436 14 May 1438 Louis III Margaret Amadeus VIII of Savoy 7 Aug 1420 18 Oct 1445 13 Aug 1449 30 Sep 1479 Louis IV Margaret Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria-Landshut 7 Nov 1456 21 Feb 1474 12 Dec 1476 25 Feb 1501 Philip Sibylle Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria 16 Jun 1489 23 Feb 1511 18 Apr 1519 Louis V Dorothea Christian II of Denmark 10 Nov 1520 26 Sep 1535 16 Mar 1544 26 Feb 1556 20 Sep 1580 Frederick IILine of Simmern Marie Casimir, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth 13 Oct 1519 12 Jun 1537 12 Feb 1559 31 Oct 1567 Frederick III Amalia Gumprecht IV, Count of Neuenahr c. 1540 25 Apr 1569 26 Oct 1576 10 Apr 1602 Elisabeth Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse 13 Feb 1539 8 Jul 1560 26 Oct 1576 14 Mar 1582 Louis VI Anne Edzard II, Count of East Frisia 26 June 1562 12 Jul 1583 22 Oct 1583 21 Apr 1621 Louise Juliana William I of Orange 31 Mar 1576 12 Jun 1593 19 Sep 1610 15 Mar 1644 Frederick IV ElizabethQueen of Bohemia James I of England 19 Aug 1596 14 Feb 1613 23 Feb 1623deposition 14 Feb 1662 Frederick VHouse of Wittelsbach – Bavaria Elisabeth Renata Charles III of Lorraine 9 Oct 1574 6 Feb 1595 23 Feb 1623 4 Jan 1635 Maximilian I Maria Anna Emperor Ferdinand II 13 Jan 161015 Jul 1635 1648 25 Sep 1665Name Image Father Born Married BecameElectress Ceased tobe Electress Died Husband

Electresses of Saxony

Name Image Father Born Married Became Electress Ceased to be Electress Died Husband Ascanian Dynasty Elizabeth Otto I, Landgrave of Hesse ? ? ? 6 Dec 1370 15 Nov 1373 Rudolph II Caecilia Francis of Carrara, Duke of Padua ? 23 Jan 1367 or 1376 15 May 1388 1430–1434 Wenceslaus I Anna Balthasar, Landgrave of Thuringia ? 1387/1389 ? 4 Jul 1395 Rudolph III Barbara Rupert, Duke of Silesia-Liegnitz ? 6 Mar 1396 11 Jun 1419 17 May 1435 Euphemia Conrad II of Silesia ? 14 Jan 1402 11 Jun 1419 12 Nov 1422 1444 Albert Wettin Dynasty Katharine Henry II of Brunswick-Lüneburg 1395 8 Feb 1402 6 Jan 1423 4 Jan 1428 1442 Frederick I Margaret Ernest, Duke of Austria 1416/17 3 Jun 1431 7 Sep 1464 12 Feb 1486 Frederick II Elizabeth Albert III, Duke of Bavaria 2 Feb 1443 19 Nov 1460 7 Sep 1464 5 Mar 1486 Ernest Sybille John III, Duke of Cleves 17 Jan 1512 9 Feb 1527 16 Aug 1532 4 Jun 1547husband deposed 21 Feb 1554 John Frederick I Agnes Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse 31 May 1527 9 Jan 1541 4 Jun 1547 9 Jul 1553 4 Nov 1555 Maurice Anna Christian III of Denmark 22 Nov 1532 7 Oct 1548 11 Jul 1553 1 Oct 1585 Augustus Agnes Hedwig Joachim Ernest of Anhalt-Dessau 1573 3 Jan 1586 11 Feb 1586 1616 Sophia John George, Elector of Brandenburg 6 Jun 1568 25 Apr 1582 11 Feb 1586 25 Sep 1591 7 Dec 1622 Christian I Hedwig Frederick II of Denmark 5 Aug 1581 12 Sep 1602 23 Jun 1611 26 Nov 1641 Christian II Magdalena Sibylla (1) Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia 31 Dec 1586 19 Jul 1607 23 Jun 1611 8 Oct 1656 12 Feb 1659 John George I Magdalena Sibylla (2) Christian of Brandenburg-Kulmbach-Bayreuth 1 Nov 1612 13 Nov 1638 8 Oct 1656 22 Aug 1680 20 Mar 1687 John George II Anna Sophia Frederick III of Denmark 1 Sep 1647 9 Oct 1666 22 Aug 1680 12 Sep 1691 1 Jul 1717 John George III Eleonore Erdmuthe Luise John George I, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach 13 Apr 1662 17 Apr 1692 27 Apr 1694 9 Sep 1696 John George IV Christiane EberhardineQueen of Poland Christian Ernest,Margrave of Bayreuth 29 Dec 1671 20 Jan 1693 27 Apr 1694 4 Sep 1727 Frederick Augustus I Maria JosephaQueen of Poland Emperor Joseph I 8 Dec 1699 20 Aug 1719 1 Feb 1733 17 Nov 1757 Frederick Augustus II Maria Antonia Walpurgis Symphorosa Emperor Charles VII 18 July 1724 20 Jun 1747 5 Oct 1763 17 Dec 1763 23 Apr 1780 Frederick Christian Maria Amalia Augusta Frederick Michaelof Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld 10 May 1752 29 January 1769 20 Dec 1806became Queen of Saxony 15 November 1828 Frederick Augustus IIIName Image Father Born Married Became Electress Ceased to be Electress Died Husband

Electresses of Brandenburg

Name Image Father Born Married BecameElectress Ceased tobe Electress Died Husband Wittelsbach Dynasty Cunigunde Casimir III of Poland 1334-5 1 Jan 1352 1356 1357 Louis Ingeborg Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg 1340 15 Feb 1360 17 May 1365 1395 Catherine Emperor Charles IV 19 Aug 1342 19 Mar 1366 1373 26 Apr 1395 Otto Luxemburg Dynasty Joan Albert I, Duke of Bavaria 1362 29 Sep 1370 1373 1378 31 Dec 1386 Wenceslaus Mary Louis I of Hungary 1371 Oct 1385 1388 17 May 1395 Sigismund Agnes Bolko II of Opole 1360? 1374 1388 18 Jan 1411 1413? Jodocus Barbara Hermann II, Count of Celje 1390–1395 1406–1408 18 Jan 1411 30 Apr 1415 11 Jul 1451 Sigismund Hohenzollern Dynasty Elizabeth Frederick, Duke of Bavaria 1383 18 Sep 1401 30 Apr 1415 20 Sep 1440 13 Nov 1442 Frederick I Catherine Frederick I, Elector of Saxony 1421 11 June 1441 10 Feb 1470 23 Aug 1476 Frederick II Anne Frederick II, Elector of Saxony 7 Mar 1437 12 Nov 1458 10 Feb 1470 11 Mar 1486 31 Oct 1512 Albert III Margaret William III, Duke of Luxembourg 1449 25 Aug 1476 11 Mar 1486 9 Jan 1499 13 Jul 1501 John Cicero Elizabeth John of Denmark 24 Jun 1485 10 Apr 1502 9 Jan 1499 11 Jul 1535 10 Jun 1555 Joachim I Nestor Hedwig Sigismund I of Poland 15 Mar 1513 1 Sep 1535 3 Jan 1571 7 Feb 1573 Joachim II Hector Sabina George of Ansbach 12 May 1529 12 Feb 1548 3 Jan 1571 2 Nov 1575 John George Elizabeth Joachim Ernest of Anhalt-Dessau 15 Sep 1563 6 Oct 1577 8 Jan 1598 8 Nov 1607 Catherine John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Küstrin 10 Aug 1549 8 Jan 1570 8 Jan 1598 10 Oct 1602 Joachim Frederick Eleanor Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia 21 Aug 1583 2 Nov 1603 9 Apr 1607 Anne 3 Jul 1576 30 Oct 1594 18 Jul 1608 23 Dec 1619 30 Aug 1625 John Sigismund Elizabeth Charlotte Frederick IV, Elector Palatine 19 Nov 1597 24 Jul 1616 23 Dec 1619 1 Dec 1640 26 Apr 1660 George William Louise HenrietteDuchess of Prussia Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange 7 Dec 1627 7 Dec 1646 18 Jun 1667 Frederick William I Sophia DorotheaDuchess of Prussia Philip of Holstein 28 Sep 1636 14 Jun 1668 29 Apr 1688 6 Aug 1689 Sophia CharlotteQueen in Prussia Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover 30 Oct 1668 8 Oct 1684 29 Apr 1688 1 Feb 1705 Frederick III (I) Sophia LouiseQueen in Prussia Frederick, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 6 May 1685 28 Nov 1708 25 Feb 1713 29 Jul 1735 Sophia DorotheaQueen in Prussia George I of Great Britain 16 Mar 1687 28 Nov 1706 25 Feb 1713 31 May 1740 28 Jun 1757 Frederick William II (I) Elizabeth ChristineQueen of Prussia Ferdinand Albert II of Brunswick 8 Nov 1715 12 Jun 1733 31 May 1740 17 Aug 1786 13 Jan 1797 Frederick IV (II) Frederica LouiseQueen of Prussia Ludwig IX of Hesse 16 Oct 1751 14 Jul 1769 17 Aug 1786 16 Nov 1797 25 Feb 1805 Frederick William III (II) Louise Augusta Wilhelmina AmalieQueen of Prussia Charles II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 10 Mar 1776 24 Dec 1793 16 Nov 1797 1806 9 Jul 1810 Frederick William IV (III)Name Image Father Born Married BecameElectress Ceased tobe Electress Died Husband

Electresses Palatine (junior line)

Name Image Father Born Married BecameElectress Ceased tobe Electress Died HusbandLine of Simmern Charlotte William V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel 20 Nov 1627 22 Feb 1650 14 Apr 1657 26 Mar 1686 Charles I Louis Wilhelmina Ernestine Frederick III of Denmark 20 Jun 1650 20 Sep 1671 28 Aug 1680 26 May 1685 22 Apr 1706 Charles IILine of Neuburg Elizabeth Amalia Magdalena George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 20 Mar 1635 3 Sep 1653 26 May 1685 2 Sep 1690 4 Aug 1709 Philip William Anna Maria Luisa Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany 11 Aug 1667 5 Jun 1691 8 Jun 1716 18 Feb 1743 John WilliamLine of Sulzbach Elizabeth Maria Augusta Joseph Charles Emmanuel, Prince of Palatinate-Sulzbach 17 Jan 1721 17 Jan 1742 31 Dec 1742 30 Dec 1777became Electress of Bavaria 17 Aug 1794 Charles IV TheodoreName Image Father Born Married BecameElectress Ceased tobe Electress Died Husband

Electresses of Bavaria

Name Image Father Born Married BecameElectress Ceased tobe Electress Died Husband Wittelsbach DynastyElisabeth Renata Charles III, Duke of Lorraine 9 Oct 1574 6 Feb 1595 23 Feb 1623 4 Jan 1635 Maximilian IMaria Anna Emperor Ferdinand II 13 Jan 161015 Jul 1635 27 Sep 1651 25 Sep 1665Henriette Adelaide Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy 6 Nov 1636 8/11 Dec 1650 27 Sep 1651 13 Jun 1676 Ferdinand MariaMaria Antonia Emperor Leopold I 1669 15 Jul 1685 24 Dec 1692 Maximilian IITeresa Kunegunda John III of Poland 4 Mar 1676 2 Jan 1695 26 Feb 1726 10 Mar 1730Maria AmaliaHoly Roman Empress 1742–1745 Emperor Joseph I 22 Oct 1701 5 Oct 1722 26 Feb 1726 20 Jan 1745 11 Dec 1756 Charles AlbertMaria Anna Sophia Augustus III of Poland 29 Aug 1728 9 Jul 1747 30 Dec 1777 17 Feb 1797 Maximilian IIIElizabeth Maria Augusta Joseph Charles of Sulzbach 17 Jan 1721 17 Jan 1742 30 Dec 1777 17 Aug 1794 Charles TheodoreMaria Leopoldine of Austria-Este Ferdinand of Austria 10 Dec 1776 15 Feb 1795 16 Feb 1799 23 Jun 1848Frederica Caroline Wilhelmina Charles Louis of Baden 13 Jul 1776 9 Mar 1797 16 Feb 1799 1 Jan 1806became Queen of Bavaria 13 Nov 1841 Maximilian IV

Electresses of Hanover

Name Image Father Born Married BecameElectress Ceased tobe Electress Died Husband Hanover Sophia Frederick V, Elector Palatine 14 Oct 1630 30 Sep 1658 1692 23 Jan 1698 8 Jun 1714 Ernest Augustus Wilhelmina Charlotte CarolineQueen of Great Britain John Frederick, Margrave of Ansbach 1 Mar 1683 22 Aug 1705 11 Jun 1727 20 Nov 1737 George II Sophia CharlotteQueen of Great Britain Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 19 May 1744 8 Sep 1761 12 Oct 1814became Queen of Hanover 17 Nov 1818 George III

Electresses of Württemberg and Hesse

Name Image Father Born Married BecameElectress Ceased tobe Electress Died Husband WürttembergCharlotte Augusta Matilda George III of the United Kingdom 29 Sep 1766 18 May 1797 25 February 1803 1 Jan 1806became Queen of Württemberg 5 Oct 1828 Frederick I HesseWilhelmina Caroline Frederick V of Denmark 10 July 1747 1 Sep 1764 1803 14 Jan 1820 William IAugusta Christina Frederica Frederick William II of Prussia 1 May 1780 13 Feb 1797 27 Feb 1821 19 Feb 1841 William II

Morganatic spouses of Electors