The Golden Bull of 1356: Defining the Structure of the Holy Roman Empire

In 1356, Emperor Charles IV issued the Golden Bull, a landmark constitutional decree that formalized the electoral process of the Holy Roman Empire. The decree, issued at the Imperial Diets of Nuremberg and Metz, fixed the rules for electing the King of the Romans, the title held by the Emperor-elect before papal coronation. The Golden Bull remained the foundation of the empire’s political structure for more than four centuries.

Motivation for Reform: Stability and Preventing Conflict

• Charles IV sought to end the instability caused by contested imperial elections, which had led to civil wars and rival claims, most notably between:
  • Louis IV (Ludwig of Bavaria) and his rival Frederick the Fair (Habsburg anti-king).
• Charles saw the Golden Bull as a way to eliminate political intrigue, stating that without it, the world would never be rid of "envious and ambitious politicians."

Key Provisions of the Golden Bull

1. Formalizing the Seven Electors

The Golden Bull explicitly named the seven Prince-electors (Kurfürsten) who were to choose the King of the Romans, who would then usually be crowned Emperor by the Pope:

1. Three Ecclesiastical Electors (Archbishops):

   • Archbishop of Mainz (Archchancellor of Germany)
   • Archbishop of Trier (Archchancellor of Gaul and Burgundy)
   • Archbishop of Cologne (Archchancellor of Italy)

2. Four Secular Electors (Dukes and Counts):

   • King of Bohemia (Cupbearer)
   • Count Palatine of the Rhine (Pfalzgraf or Palsgrave) (Seneschal)
   • Duke of Saxony (Marshal)
   • Margrave of Brandenburg (Chamberlain)

• These seven electors were confirmed as the sole group responsible for choosing the emperor, preventing external interference from the Pope or other European powers.
• The Golden Bull ensured that no new electors could be added, maintaining a stable and predictable electoral process.

2. Indivisibility of Electoral Titles

• The Golden Bull decreed that the electors’ lands were indivisible and must be passed down undivided to ensure that votes could not be split among multiple heirs.
• This rule prevented internal family disputes from disrupting imperial elections.

3. Majority Voting System Introduced

• The decree codified the principle of majority voting, ensuring that:
  • A simple majority of four votes was sufficient to elect a new king.
  • Three electors could no longer block the process, reducing the risk of electoral deadlock.
• This provision formalized the electoral process, creating a clear and effective method for imperial succession.

4. Privileges of the Electors

• The Golden Bull granted the electors significant privileges, strengthening their political autonomy:
  • Judicial authority over their territories.
  • Exemption from imperial taxation.
  • The right to mint their own coins.
  • The ability to maintain their own armies.
• These privileges greatly increased the power of the electors, contributing to the gradual decentralization of the Holy Roman Empire.

Impact and Legacy

• The Golden Bull remained the empire’s fundamental constitutional law until 1806, when the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved.
• It cemented the power of the Prince-electors, leading to the emergence of semi-independent states within the empire.
• The requirement for papal approval weakened, as the emperor-elect was referred to as "rex in imperatorem promovendus" (king to be promoted emperor).
  • This distinction became irrelevant after Maximilian I in 1508, when he adopted the title Emperor without papal coronation.
• The Golden Bull laid the foundation for the political fragmentation of the empire, a process that would only be fully realized with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.

The Golden Bull of 1356 was a landmark decree that shaped the Holy Roman Empire for over 400 years, stabilizing the electoral process, strengthening the autonomy of the electors, and establishing the framework for the empire’s political structure until its dissolution in the 19th century.