Largest states in the Holy Roman Empire

[Socrates]

Is there anywhere I could find a list of the largest/most powerful states of the Holy Roman Empire at different points in history. I'd like to understand who the more middling powers were, but I can't seem to get a list of states by anything other than alphabetical order. That means trawling through all these microstates...

 

[Penguindragon]

Is there anywhere I could find a list of the largest/most powerful states of the Holy Roman Empire at different points in history. I'd like to understand who the more middling powers were, but I can't seem to get a list of states by anything other than alphabetical order. That means trawling through all these microstates...

Well, it obviously changed a fair bit over the lifespan of the HRE, and I'm not an expert, but for the Early HRE at least, I'd take a look at the Stem Duchies.

 

[Elfwine]

Various maps of the HRE over time exist on the web as well. It really is very dependent on "when".

 

[Socrates]

Ideally looking at 1400-1750.

 

[RichMill]

Ideally looking at 1400-1750.

Well you should be looking at Austria.

 

[eliphas8]

Well you should be looking at Austria.

Also Bohemia, Prussia was technically in there during that time period but it never really meant anything to the Prussians. Bavaria, Saxony, and a few other smaller countries where also fairly important at times.

 

[kato]

With the HRE you have to think less in states, more in families.

That would be as the really big houses during the timeframe given, also the holders of the Kurfürstentitel that elected the emperor:
- House Habsburg (Bohemia)
- House Wittelsbach (Palatinate, Bavaria, Archbishopry Cologne)
- House Wettin (Saxony)
- House Hohenzollern (Brandenburg)

These families each ruled multiple smaller states as well, including the clerical states, to an extent where they basically always were the ones ruling the HRE. Habsburg fielded the emperor, Wittelsbach was always the contender, Wettin realized its ambitions through marriage and otherwise stayed out of everyone's business, Hohenzollern effectively took over the Wittelsbach role after the fall of House Wittelsbach in the late 1600s and early 1700s (when Wittelsbach took on France).

The other two Kurfürstentitel, the archbishopries of Mainz and Trier were variably held by lower-ranked families, such as Nassau, Baden, Isenburg, Metternich, von der Leyen, rarely for more than two consecutive terms.

The timeframe given (1400-1750) basically begins with the downfall of House Luxembourg in the early 1400s, giving power to the four houses above, and ends with the raising of the ninth Kurfürstentum, namely Braunschweig-Lüneburg aka Hanover in the early 1700s.

 

[Bee]

Add the Welf family. Very powerful in the high middle ages when it ruled Bavaria and Saxony, it was reduced to middle rank in the early 1200s. It still ruled in the various Brunswick duchies, most of which coalesced into Hanover. Same family that constituted the Hanoverian dynasty of Great Britain.


The electorates from the 1300s-1600s:

Clerical: Mainz, Trier, Cologne.
Lay: Bohemia, Palatinate, Brandenburg, Saxony.

Bavaria was added at the end of the 30 years war (1648) and others followed.

 

[kato]

True, but the Welfen didn't get anywhere during those 300 years between 1400 and 1700.

Technically, one has to split the timeframe in two halves - "before the 30-year-war" and "during/after the 30-year-war". That mess, while leaving the same families in power, basically majorly changed the political landscape.