The Holy Roman Empress or Empress of the Holy Roman Empire (''Kaiserin des Heiligen Römischen Reiches'') was the wife or widow of the
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
. The elective dignity of Holy Roman emperor was restricted to males only, but some empresses, such as
Theophanu
Theophanu Skleraina (; also ''Theophania'', ''Theophana'', ''Theophane'' or ''Theophano''; Medieval Greek ; AD 955 15 June 991) was empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Emperor Otto II, and regent of the Empire during the minority ...
and
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...
, were ''
de facto'' rulers of the Empire.
Holy Roman Empresses
Before 924, the title of emperor was not always associated with the German kingdom; rather, it was initially associated with the Carolingian dynasty, and then possessed by several other figures of the 9th and 10th centuries. Their wives were thus empresses, but not necessarily German queens.
Carolingian
Holy Roman Empresses/Queens of Germany
With the elevation of Otto I of Germany in 962 to the Imperial title, the title of
Roman King
The king of Rome () was the ruler of the Roman Kingdom, a legendary period of Roman history that functioned as an elective monarchy. According to legend, the first king of Rome was Romulus, who founded the city in 753 BC upon the Palatine H ...
or Emperor became inalienably associated with the Kingdom of Germany - although a King of Germany might not bear the title of Emperor, it would be impossible to become a Holy Roman Emperor without being King of Germany first. The women in the following sections were all Queens of Germany as well as Holy Roman Empresses.
Ottonian dynasty
Salian dynasty
House of Supplinburg
House of Hohenstaufen
House of Welf
House of Hohenstaufen
House of Wittelsbach
House of Luxembourg
House of Habsburg
House of Wittelsbach
House of Lorraine
House of Habsburg-Lorraine
See also
*
List of Roman Empresses
The term Roman empress usually refers to the consorts of the Roman emperors, the rulers of the Roman Empire. The duties, power and influence of empresses varied depending on the time period, contemporary politics and the personalities of their hu ...
(24 BC–AD 1453).
*
List of Austrian Empresses (1804–1918).
*
List of German queens
Queen of the Romans (, ) or Queen of the Germans were the official titles of the queens consort of the medieval and early modern Kingdom of Germany. They were the wives of the King of the Romans (chosen by imperial election), and are informally ...
*
List of Italian queens
Queen of Italy (''regina Italiae'' in Latin and ''regina d'Italia'' in Italian) is a title adopted by many spouses of the rulers of the Italian peninsula after the fall of the Roman Empire. The details of where and how the ruling kings ruled ...
*
List of Burgundian consorts
This article lists queens, countesses, and duchesses consort of the Kingdom, County, Duchy of Burgundy.
Queen consort of Burgundy Queen consort of the Burgundians (till 534)
Frankish Burgundy (534–855) Merovingian dynasty (534–751) ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Roman Empresses
*
Empresses
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
Holy Roman