| Election name | 1690 imperial election |
|---|---|
| Country | Holy Roman Empire |
| Ongoing | no |
| Previous election | 1658 imperial election |
| Previous year | 1658 |
| Next election | 1711 imperial election |
| Next year | 1711 |
| Election date | 24 January 1690 |
| Votes for election | 7 Prince-electors[a] 5 votes needed to win[b] |
| Candidate 1 | Joseph I |
| Party label | House |
| Party 1 | Habsburg |
| Electoral vote 1 | 7 |
| Percentage 1 | 100% |
| Posttitle | Elected Emperor[c] |
| Before election | Leopold I |
| Before party | House of Habsburg |
| After election | Joseph I |
| After party | House of Habsburg |
The imperial election of 1690 was an imperial election held on 24 January 1690 in Augsburg to select a King of the Romans and designated successor to Emperor Leopold I of the Holy Roman Empire. The election took place against the backdrop of the Great Turkish War and the outbreak of the Nine Years' War, during which Louis XIV of France had invaded the empire in 1688. All seven participating electors voted unanimously for Joseph, Leopold's eldest son, who was duly elected King of the Romans. Joseph did not reign as emperor in his own right until his father's death on 5 May 1705.
Background
On 26 May 1685, Charles II, Elector Palatine, the Calvinist elector of the Electoral Palatinate, died without children. He was succeeded by his Catholic cousin Philip William, Elector Palatine, bringing the balance of electors to six Catholics, one Calvinist, and one Lutheran.
The Holy Roman Empire had been embroiled since 1683 in the Great Turkish War, repelling attempted Ottoman conquests in Southeast Europe. On 25 September 1688, hoping to capitalize on the empire's preoccupation with the Turks, the French King Louis XIV invaded across the Rhine, precipitating the Nine Years' War. Louis's war aims were to install his preferred candidate, Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg, bishop of Strasbourg, as elector of Cologne, and to occupy the Electoral Palatinate, to which he believed he was entitled as Charles II's sister Elizabeth Charlotte, Madame Palatine was the wife of his younger brother Philippe I, Duke of Orléans.
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor called for the election of his successor. He was granted one vote as king of Bohemia, but because the even number of electors might result in a tie, following the precedent of the elections of 1653 and 1658, he abstained. The remaining seven electors were:
- Anselm Franz von Ingelheim, elector of Mainz
- Johann Hugo von Orsbeck, elector of Trier
- Joseph Clemens of Bavaria, elector of Cologne
- Maximilian II Emanuel, elector of Bavaria
- John George III, elector of Saxony
- Frederick I of Prussia, elector of Brandenburg
- Philip William, Elector Palatine, elector of the Electoral Palatinate
Election results
Joseph, Leopold's eldest son, was elected king of the Romans.[1]
| Elector | Electorate | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Anselm Franz von Ingelheim | Mainz | Joseph I |
| Johann Hugo von Orsbeck | Trier | Joseph I |
| Joseph Clemens of Bavaria | Cologne | Joseph I |
| Frederick I of Prussia | Brandenburg | Joseph I |
| Maximilian II Emanuel | Bavaria | Joseph I |
| Philip William | Palatinate | Joseph I |
| John George III | Saxony | Joseph I |
| Total | 7 votes, 100% (unanimous) | |
Aftermath
Joseph acceded to the throne on his father's death on 5 May 1705.
References
- ^ Whaley, Joachim (2012). Germany and the Holy Roman Empire. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-19-969307-8.
Notes
- ^ One elector, Leopold I, holding the Bohemian electoral vote, abstained from the ballot.
- ^ Five votes were required to establish an absolute majority of the eight electoral seats.
- ^ Joseph was elected as King of the Romans to act as Leopold I's designated successor and co-ruler. He became Emperor upon his father's death in 1705.