Count-kings (german: Grafenkönige) was a description given by the historian
Bernd Schneidmüller to the rulers of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
between the end of the
Great Interregnum In the Holy Roman Empire, the Great Interregnum (so-called to distinguish it from the shorter period between 924 and 962) was a period of time following the death of Frederick II where the succession of the Holy Roman Empire was contested and fough ...
in 1273 and the final acquisition of the royal throne by the
Habsburg dynasty in 1438. They were as follows:
*
Rudolph of Habsburg
Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany from the House of Habsburg. The first of the count-kings of Germany, he reigned from 1273 until his death.
Rudolf's election marked the end of the Great Interregnum which ...
, king (1273–1291)
*
Adolphus of Nassau, king (1292–1298)
*
Albert I of Habsburg, king (1298–1308)
*
Henry VII of Luxembourg
Henry VII (German: ''Heinrich''; c. 1273 – 24 August 1313),Kleinhenz, pg. 494 also known as Henry of Luxembourg, was Count of Luxembourg, King of Germany (or ''Rex Romanorum'') from 1308 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1312. He was the first empe ...
, king from 1308, emperor (1312–1313)
*
Louis IV the Bavarian, king from 1314, emperor (1328–1347),
House of Wittelsbach
*
Charles IV of Luxembourg, king from 1346 (re-elected in 1347), emperor (1355–1378)
*
Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, king (1378–1400)
*
Rupert of the Palatinate
Rupert of the Palatinate (german: Ruprecht von der Pfalz; 5 May 1352 – 18 May 1410), sometimes known as Robert of the Palatinate, a member of the House of Wittelsbach, was Elector Palatine from 1398 (as Rupert III) and King of Germany from ...
, king (1401–1410),
House of Wittelsbach
*
Jobst of Moravia
Jobst of Moravia ( cs, Jošt Moravský or ''Jošt Lucemburský''; german: Jo(b)st or ''Jodokus von Mähren''; c. 1354 – 18 January 1411), a member of the House of Luxembourg, was Margrave of Moravia from 1375, Duke of Luxembourg and Elector ...
, king (1410–1411),
House of Luxembourg
The House of Luxembourg ( lb, D'Lëtzebuerger Haus; french: Maison de Luxembourg; german: Haus Luxemburg) or Luxembourg dynasty was a royal family of the Holy Roman Empire in the Late Middle Ages, whose members between 1308 and 1437 ruled as ki ...
*
Sigismund of Luxembourg
Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia (''jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in ...
, king from 1410, emperor (1433–1437)
This categorisation is, however, not universally recognised by historians. In fact, during this period only Rudolph I, Adolphus of Nassau and Henry VII were
imperial count
Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from ...
s; all the other kings were dukes or (Bohemian) kings and prince-electors.
See also
*
Anti-king#Germany
*
Interregnum (HRE) In the Holy Roman Empire, the Great Interregnum (so-called to distinguish it from the shorter period between 924 and 962) was a period of time following the death of Frederick II where the succession of the Holy Roman Empire was contested and fough ...
Literature
* Bernd Schneidmüller: ''Die Kaiser des Mittelalters'', C. H. Beck, Munich, 2006, {{ISBN, 3-406-53598-4.
!Comital kings