Editing List of German monarchs (section)

==Note on titles==
#The Kingdom of Germany started out as the eastern section of the [[Francia|Frankish kingdom]], which was split by the [[Treaty of Verdun]] in 843. The rulers of the eastern area thus called themselves ''rex'' ''Francorum'' ("king of the Franks"), ''rex Francorum orientalium'' ("king of the East Franks"), and later just ''rex''. A reference to the "Germans", indicating the emergence of a German nation of some sort, did not appear until the eleventh century, when the pope referred to his enemy [[Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry IV]] as ''rex teutonicorum'', king of the [[theodiscus|Germans]],<!--*not* [[Teutons]], the term is distinguished by use of the -icus suffix, teutonici != teutoni--> in order to brand him as a foreigner. The kings reacted by consistently using the title ''rex Romanorum'', [[king of the Romans]], to emphasize their universal rule even before becoming emperor. This title remained until the end of the Empire in 1806, though after 1508 emperors-elect added "king in Germany" to their titles. (Note: in this and related entries, the kings are called ''kings of Germany'', for clarity's sake)
#The [[Kingdom of Germany]] was never entirely hereditary; rather, ancestry was only one of the factors that determined the succession of kings. During the 10th to 13th centuries, the king was formally elected by the leading nobility in the realm, continuing the Frankish tradition. Gradually the election became the privilege of a group of princes called [[prince-elector|electors]], and the [[Golden Bull of 1356]] formally defined election proceedings.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=of6cAAAAQBAJ&dq=golden+bull+1356&pg=PA155 Germany - Britannica Educational Publishing]</ref>
#In the Middle Ages, the king did not assume the title "emperor" (from 982 the full title was ''Imperator Augustus Romanorum'', Venerable Emperor of the Romans) until crowned by the pope. Moving to Italy, he was usually first crowned with the [[Iron Crown of Lombardy]], after which he assumed the title of ''rex Italiae'', [[king of Italy]]. After this, he would ride on to Rome and be [[coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor|crowned emperor]] by the pope.
#[[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian I]] was the first king to bear the title of emperor-elect. After his march to Rome for his Imperial coronation failed in 1508, he had himself proclaimed emperor-elect with papal consent.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Terjanian |editor-first1=Pierre |title=The Last Knight: The Art, Armor, and Ambition of Maximilian I |date=2 October 2019 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=978-1-58839-674-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X-anDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA251 |access-date=5 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref> His successor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] also assumed that title after his coronation in 1520 until he was crowned emperor by the pope in 1530. From [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand I]] onwards, all emperors did not get crowned by the Pope anymore. At the same time, chosen successors of the emperors held the title of king of the Romans, if elected by the college of electors during their predecessor's lifetime.

Emperors are listed in '''bold'''. Rival kings, anti-kings, and junior co-regents are ''italicized''.