Electorate of Mainz

The Archbishopric of Mainz (Erzbistum Mainz), generally referred to as the Electorate of Mainz (Kurfürstentum Mainz or Kurmainz) after it became an electorate in the 13th century, was the most prestigious and among the most influential states of the Holy Roman Empire from the 8th century to the dissolution of the HRE in the early years of the 19th century. In the Roman Catholic hierarchy, the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz was the Primate of Germany (primas Germaniae), a purely honorary dignity that was unsuccessfully claimed from time to time by other Archbishops.

As was generally the case in the Holy Roman Empire, the territory of a prince-bishopric or archbishopric varied from that of the corresponding diocese or archdiocese, which was the purely spiritual jurisdiction of the prince-bishop or archbishop. During the early modern age, the archdiocese of Mainz (see map below) was the largest ecclesiastical province of Germany, covering Mainz and 10 suffragant dioceses.

The Archbishop-Elector of Mainz was also archchancellor of the Holy Roman Empire and, as such, ranked first among all ecclesiastical and secular princes of the Empire, and was second only to the Emperor. His political role, particularly as an intermediary between the Estates of the Empire and the Emperor was considerable.

The territory of the Electorate included several non-contiguous blocks of territory: lands near Mainz on both the left and right banks of the Rhine; territory along the Main River above Frankfurt (including the district of Aschaffenburg); the Eichsfeld region in Lower Saxony and Thuringia; and the territory around Erfurt in Thuringia.