Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor (1742)

Charles VII Albert, Elector of Bavaria, was elected King of Germany on 24 January 1742 and crowned Holy Roman Emperor on 12 February 1742. His accession ended three centuries of Habsburg rule, marking the second Wittelsbach emperorship in history.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Charles VII Albert, a member of the House of Wittelsbach, became Elector of Bavaria in 1726. As son-in-law of Emperor Joseph I, he rejected the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713. Following the death of Charles VI in 1740, Charles claimed the Habsburg German territories against Maria Theresa, a move that occurred within the context of the War of the Austrian Succession.

Accession. In 1742, Charles was elected emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He was specifically elected King of Germany on 24 January 1742. His formal status as Holy Roman Emperor was established upon his coronation on 12 February 1742. This event concluded the long period of uninterrupted Habsburg imperial dominance.

Political Context. Charles's claim was supported by the Treaty of Nymphenburg, which allied him with France and Spain against Austria in July 1741. He had previously been crowned King of Bohemia in Prague on 19 December 1741. By this period, the institution of the Holy Roman emperor had largely become symbolic in nature and powerless.

People involved

Sources

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