Editing Prince-elector (section)

=== Thirty Years' War to Napoleon ===

In 1623, the Elector Palatine, [[Frederick V, Elector Palatine|Frederick V]], came under the [[imperial ban]] after participating in the [[Thirty Years' War#The Bohemian Revolt|Bohemian Revolt]] (a part of the [[Thirty Years' War]]). The Elector Palatine's seat was conferred on the Duke of Bavaria, the head of a junior branch of his family. Originally, the Duke held the electorate personally, but it was later made hereditary along with the duchy. When the Thirty Years' War concluded with the [[Peace of Westphalia]] in 1648, a new electorate was created for the Count Palatine of the Rhine. Since the Elector of Bavaria retained his seat, the number of electors increased to eight; the two Wittelsbach lines were now sufficiently estranged so as not to pose a combined potential threat.

In 1685, the religious composition of the College of Electors was disrupted when a Catholic branch of the Wittelsbach family inherited the Palatinate. A new Protestant electorate was created in 1692 for the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, who became known as the Elector of Hanover (the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|Imperial Diet]] officially confirmed the creation in 1708). The Elector of Saxony converted to Catholicism in 1697 so that he could become King of Poland, but no additional Protestant electors were created. Although the Elector of Saxony was personally Catholic, the Electorate itself remained officially Protestant, and the Elector even remained the leader of the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)#Religious bodies|Protestant body in the Reichstag]].

In 1706, the Elector of Bavaria and Archbishop of Cologne were [[Imperial ban|outlawed]] during the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], but both were restored in 1714 after the [[Treaty of Baden (1714)|Peace of Baden]]. In 1777, the number of electors was reduced to eight when the Elector Palatine inherited Bavaria.

Many changes to the composition of the college were necessitated by [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]]'s aggression during the early 19th century. The [[Treaty of Lunéville]] (1801), which ceded territory on the [[Rhine]]'s left bank to [[France]], led to the abolition of the archbishoprics of Trier and Cologne, and the transfer of the remaining spiritual Elector from Mainz to [[Principality of Regensburg|Regensburg]]. In 1803, electorates were created for the [[Duchy of Württemberg|Duke of Württemberg]], the [[Margraviate of Baden|Margrave of Baden]], the [[Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel|Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel]], and the [[Duchy of Salzburg|Duke of Salzburg]], bringing the total number of electors to ten. When [[Austria]] annexed Salzburg under the [[Treaty of Pressburg (1805)]], the Duke of Salzburg moved to the [[Grand Duchy of Würzburg]] and retained his electorate. None of the new electors, however, had an opportunity to cast votes, as the Holy Roman Empire was abolished in 1806, and the new electorates were never confirmed by the Emperor.

In 1788, the ruling family of [[Savoyard state|Savoy]] pushed to receive an electoral title. Their ambition was backed by Brandenburg-Prussia. Nonetheless, the French Revolution and subsequent Coalition Wars soon rendered this a moot point.<ref>Peter Wilson. ''Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire.'' Cambridge: 2016. p. 227. {{ISBN?}}</ref>