Primas Germaniae
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Primas Germaniae is a historical
History
A first
Since about 900 the Primas Germaniae title is documented, held by the Archbishops of Mainz as the most important metropolitan bishop and most noble Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, though it was never awarded officially.[1] Several archbishops made successful attempts to obtain the legatus natus title, such as Willigis, Adalbert of Saarbrücken, and Conrad of Wittelsbach. They were, however, not able to enforce any political supremacy.
The Archbishop of Mainz remained primus inter pares of the German Prince-electors and chairman of the council of Prince-electors at the Imperial Diet, holding the right to convoke and to preside over the convent to elect a new emperor. With the German mediatisation and the Final Recess of the Imperial Deputation (Reichsdeputationshauptschluss) of 1803, the Mainz electorate was abolished and its historic dignities were transferred to the newly established Principality of Regensburg, created for the former archbishop Karl Theodor von Dalberg, who retained the Primas Germaniae title until his death in 1817.
The honorary title Primas Germaniae also was held by the most noble ecclesiastical member of the Council of the Princes at the Imperial Diet: first the
References
Sources
- May, Georg (1995-05-05). "Der Erzbischof von Mainz als Primas". Archiv für katholisches Kirchenrecht. 164 (1): 76–122. ISSN 0003-9160.