Declaration of Rhense asserts imperial autonomy
July 1338
The seven German prince-electors, weary of papal interference, agreed at Rhense that whoever they elected became Emperor without need for papal confirmation or approval. Louis IV used the declaration to defy Avignon openly. It was a constitutional moment for the Holy Roman Empire, shifting power from Rome to the German princes and establishing a principle the Golden Bull would later codify.
In context
Also in 1338 (4 other events on record)
- Ashikaga shogunate formally established in Kyoto · East Asia · Politics
- Mechanical striking clock installed at Milan's San Gottardo · Europe · Technology
- Ambrogio Lorenzetti finishes Good and Bad Government · Europe · Culture
- Ashikaga Tadayoshi opens trade missions to Yuan China · East Asia · Politics
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Politics
Era
Late Middle Ages (1301–1500), one of 874 events from that era on Saeculum.