The Golden Bull of 1356
In 1354 a revolt began in the Holy Roman Empire, led by the Grand Duke of Franconia with the popular support of many of the North German and Polish Princes within the Empire. The war was initially one to limit the power of the Holy Roman Empire, however over time as the movement gained popular support it turned into a movement that would change the very framework of the Empire itself.
Following the victory of Duke Welf II of Franconia over Kaiser Adalbert II, the victors stated their terms. They demanded a greater limit to the power of the Emperor to prevent further abuse of power. However other princes within the Empire demanded further reforms to end ongoing issues within the Empire. And so the Emperor called the Diet of Wurzburg to evaluate and find a solution to these grievances.
The Diets main issue was the power of the Emperor. Despite opposition from many of the Emperor’s closest subjects, the Power of the Emperor was severely diminished. No longer did the title holder have to authority to draw tax directly from the princes. The hiring of levies from Imperial subjects was also strictly limited to the Imperial demesne.
As a compromise between the Emperor and his subjects for the severe limitations placed on the title, the Electors within the Empire were limited to seven, three ecclesiastical, four secular. These electors would be:
- The Archbishopric of Mainz
- The Archbishopric of Trier
- The Archbishopric of Cologne
- The Duchy of Franconia
- The County Palatine of the Rhine
- The Margraviate of Austria
- The Kingdom of Denmark
The electors would assemble in Frankfurt, the Imperial capital to discuss the election and cast their vote. The elections were to be concluded in thirty days. However if this date was not met, the electors would receive only bread and water until they decided. Papal authority over the election of the emperor was virtually non-existent and the bull marked a considerable move away from Papal intervention within the Empire.
One outstanding issue within the Empire however was the status of the Kingdom of Poland. For centuries, the Polish regions had remained within the Empire with little tolerance of its leaders. Whereas in previous generations an independent Catholic Polish Kingdom had existed, until it was brought down by Pagan revolt. With Polish princes lending their popular support to the rebellion, the matter turned to the status of the Kingdom. Polish princes wanted to create a newly independent Kingdom with Władysław of Mazovia as its King. Yet the Emperor was not willing to let the territory go.
After an arduous debate, a middle ground was settled upon. The Kingdom of Poland would receive nominal independence from the Empire, however Silesia would remain within the Empire, as much of the land in the area was held by German nobles who opposed independence. Waldemar Von Main would be appointed King of Poland until his death, however future Kings of Poland would be elected by the Sejm. This body would elect the next King from a line of candidates throughout Europe. However many of the candidates would be from within the Empire itself. As the Sejm was so large, with around 10-13,000 voters, the election could take far longer than that of the Holy Roman Empire. However such procedure was required to gain the widespread support of the Polish nobility within the Kingdom.
The agreement was finalised in late 1356 and named the Golden Bull after the seal it bore. The creation of the Bull did a great deal to raise popular support throughout the Empire for Adalbert II, who became known as ‘the wise’ for his actions in stabilizing the Empire. The electors continued to support the Adalbert, the King of Denmark in his reign as Emperor for some time.