How many electors could there be?

How many electors of the Holy Roman Empire could there be?
It was decided on seven: Trier, Mainz, Cologne, Saxony, Bohemia, and the Rhine.
During the Thirty Years War, the number was expanded to eight. Bavaria was the eighth.
Was there not originally specifications that the number of electors was seven and only seven?
 
As I understand it, the Emperor could create new Electors, but he sometimes had to cajole the other Electors into recognising the upstart. Iirc it took a while to get the Elector of Hanover recognised as the ninth Elector.
 
How many electors of the Holy Roman Empire could there be?
It was decided on seven: Trier, Mainz, Cologne, Saxony, Bohemia, and the Rhine.
During the Thirty Years War, the number was expanded to eight. Bavaria was the eighth.
Was there not originally specifications that the number of electors was seven and only seven?

Well, Bavaria was originally a replacement for the Pfalz (same family, different religion), then Pfalz got back in.
 
How many electors of the Holy Roman Empire could there be?
It was decided on seven: Trier, Mainz, Cologne, Saxony, Bohemia, and the Rhine.
During the Thirty Years War, the number was expanded to eight. Bavaria was the eighth.
Was there not originally specifications that the number of electors was seven and only seven?

IDK if anything said there would be seven and only seven, but the Golden Bull of 1356 is what enshrined the original electors as electors in the first place. Since the Emperor was able to create two new electorates in the 17th century (a second Palatinate seat having been created for the deposed Elector Palatine in the Peace of Westphalia) there doesn't seem to be any laws that limited the number to seven. However, approval of a new electorate was in the hands of the Imperial Diet. So legally the Emperor could create as many Electors as he wants: they wouldn't be official until approved by the Diet.
 
All of the nobles in the empire could originally vote,until it became limited to the most elite,so there you have it.
 
Maybe the empire could have (at least) one per Imperial Circle, plus Bohemia (or as many as there are circles). This could give at least eleven electors:

500px-Map_of_the_Imperial_Circles_%281560%29-EN.svg.png
 
Maybe the empire could have (at least) one per Imperial Circle, plus Bohemia (or as many as there are circles). This could give at least eleven electors:

500px-Map_of_the_Imperial_Circles_%281560%29-EN.svg.png

Originally, the Hpsburg lands in Austria and Burgundy were not encircled, nor were the electoral lands in the east and along the Rhine. Only later, the Saxon C. became the Lower Saxon C., Saxony-meissen-Thuringia and Brandenburg plus Pomerania became the Upper Saxon C. while Cologne, Mayence, Trier and the Palatinate became the Electoral Rhenish C.
The Austrian and Burgundian C. have basically just one dominant prince each.
In the six other circles, there were usually a pair of Circle Directors responsible for organizing circular affairs; they would be the prime candidates for electorhood.
Bavarian C: Bayern and the Archbishop of Salzburg
Franconian C: Margrave of Ansbach and Bishop of Bamberg
Lower Rhenish C: Duke of Julich(-C-B) and Bishop of Münster
Lower Saxon C: Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archbishop of Magdeburg
Swabian C: The Duke of Württemberg and the Bishop of Constance
Upper Rhenish: non-electoral Palatinate and Bishop of Worms
 
@ Westphalian: that does depend on the point of divergence. In an early pod the dukes (or in absence of a duke, a count palatine) of Franconia (most likely the count palatine), Saxony, Bavaria and Swabia will be electors. They are likely to be joined by dukes of Carinthia, Upper Lorraine/Lotharingia and Lower Lorraine/Lotharingia, maybe the eventually the Saxon marches (and depending on the stature of Carinthia, the Bavarian marches) can also get a representative.
Also there were more archbishops in the German Lands of the Holy Roman Empire, Hamburg-Bremen, Magdeburg and Salzburg were also archbishoprics.
 
@ Westphalian: that does depend on the point of divergence. In an early pod the dukes (or in absence of a duke, a count palatine) of Franconia (most likely the count palatine), Saxony, Bavaria and Swabia will be electors. They are likely to be joined by dukes of Carinthia, Upper Lorraine/Lotharingia and Lower Lorraine/Lotharingia, maybe the eventually the Saxon marches (and depending on the stature of Carinthia, the Bavarian marches) can also get a representative.
Also there were more archbishops in the German Lands of the Holy Roman Empire, Hamburg-Bremen, Magdeburg and Salzburg were also archbishoprics.

Yes? I wasn't the one who suggested the Imperial Circles as the base, I just answered that.

I agree that with an early POD the old tribal duchies would be the most plausible base, probably with some archbishops added. Maybe Magdeburg for the northeastern marches.

Variant: In a TL where the emperor keeps controlling the imperial bishops, the ABs might become the de facto governors of the tribal duchies: Cologne for Lower Lorraine, Trier for Upper Lorrains, Mainz for Franconia, Salzburg for Bavaria/Carinthia. In Swabia the elevated bishop of Constance and in Saxony the AB of Bremen, probably.
 
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