The Holy Roman Empress or Empress of the Holy Roman Empire (Kaiserin des Heiligen Römischen Reiches) was the wife or widow of the Holy Roman Emperor. The elective dignity of Holy Roman emperor was restricted to males only, but some empresses, such as Theophanu and Maria Theresa, were de facto rulers of the Empire.

Holy Roman Empresses Before 924, the title of emperor was not always associated with the German kingdom; rather, it was initially associated with the Carolingian dynasty, and then possessed by several other figures of the 9th and 10th centuries. Their wives were thus empresses, but not necessarily German queens.

Carolingian PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse Ermengarde of HesbayeQueen of the Franks, Empress Ingram, Count of Hesbaye(Robertians) c. 778 794/795 Queen of Aquitaine 794/795Queen of the Franks 28 January 814 813husband as co-Emperor with his father/28 January 814husband as sole Emperor 3 October 818 Louis I Judith of BavariaQueen of the Franks, Empress Welf, Count of Altdorf(Welfs) 797 819 20 June 840husband's death 19/23 April 843 Ermengarde of ToursQueen of Italy and the Middle Franks, Empress Hugh, Count of Tours(Etichonids) ? 821 Queen of Italy 17 April 818Queen of Middle Francia August 843 821husband as co-Emperor with his father/20 June 840husband as sole Emperor 851 Lothair I Engelberga of ParmaQueen of Italy, Empress Adelchis I, Count of Parma(Supponids) ? 5 October 851 Queen of Italy 5 October 851 5 October 851husband as co-Emperor with his father/23 September 855husband as sole Emperor 12 August 875husband's death 896-901 Louis II Richilde of ProvenceQueen of the West Franks, Empress Bivin, Count of the Ardennes(Bosonids) 845 870 Queen of the West Franks 870 29 December 875 5/6 October 877husband's death 2 June 910 Charles the Bald RichardisQueen of the Franks, Empress Erchanger, count of Nordgau(Ahalolfings) 862 Various 12 February 881 As Queen: 11 November 887husband's deposition as KingAs Empress: 13 January 888husband's death 18 September, 894-896 Charles the Fat AgeltrudeQueen of Italy, Empress Adelchis, Prince of Benevento ? before 880 Queen of Italy 889 May 891 12 December 894husband's death 27 August 923 Guy III of Spoleto Ota Berengar I of Neustria(Conradines) ? 888 22 February 896 8 December 899 30 November 903 Arnulf Anna of Constantinople Leo VI the Wise(Macedonian) 888 around 900 900in Provence (Lower Burgundy)12 October 900in Italy 15/22 February 901 21 July 905in the Empire and Italy912in Provence 912 Louis the Blind Bertila of SpoletoQueen of Italy, Empress Suppo II, Count of Parma(Supponids) 860 c. 880 Queen of Italy 26 December 887husband's restoration January 915 before December 915 Berengar I of Italy Anna of ProvenceQueen of Italy, Empress Louis the Blind, Emperor, King of Provence and Italy(Bosonids) - by December 915 7 April 924husband's death after May 930PictureNameHouseBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse

Holy Roman Empresses/Queens of Germany With the elevation of Otto I of Germany in 962 to the Imperial title, the title of Roman King or Emperor became inalienably associated with the Kingdom of Germany - although a King of Germany might not bear the title of Emperor, it would be impossible to become a Holy Roman Emperor without being King of Germany first. The women in the following sections were all Queens of Germany as well as Holy Roman Empresses.

Ottonian dynasty PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse Adelaide of Italy Rudolph II of Burgundy(Welf) 931 951 2 February 962 (Crowned on this date) Served as regent for her grandson Otto III until he came of age. 7 May 973 16 December 999 Otto I Theophanu of Byzantium Konstantinos Skleros 960 14 April 972 14 April 972husband as co-Emperor with his father7 May 973husband as sole EmperorCrowned 14 April 972 7 December 983husband's death 15 June 991 Otto II Cunigunde of Luxembourg Siegfried, Count of Luxemburg c. 975 999"Saint Kunigunde", New Catholic Dictionary, Saints.SQPN.com, 7 October 2012. 17 June 1002 26 April 1014 13 July 1024 3 March 1033 Henry IIPictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse

Salian dynasty PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse Gisela of Swabia Hermann II, Duke of Swabia(Conradines) 11 November 995 1016 8 September 1024 26 March 1027 4 June 1039husband's death 14 February 1043 Conrad II Agnes of Poitou William V, Duke of Aquitaine(Ramnulfids) 1025 21 November 1043 25 December 1046 5 October 1056 14 December 1077 Henry III Bertha of Savoy Otto, Count of Savoy(Savoy) 21 September 1051 13 July 1066 21 March 1084 27 December 1087 Henry IV Eupraxia of Kiev Vsevolod I, Grand Prince of Kiev(Rurikids) 1071 14 August 1089 31 December 1105husband's deposition 20 July 1109 Matilda of England Henry I of England(Normandy) 7 February 1101 7 January 1114 23 May 1125 10 September 1167 Henry VPictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse

House of Supplinburg PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse Richenza of Northeim Henry, Margrave of Frisia c. 1087/89 c. 1100 30 August 1125 4 June 1133 4 December 1137 10 June 1141 Lothair IIIPictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse

House of Hohenstaufen PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse Beatrice of Burgundy Renaud III, Count of Burgundy 1143 9 June 1156 15 November 1184Frederick I Constance of Sicily Roger II, King of Sicily(Hauteville) 1154 27 January 1186 14 April 1191 28 September 1197 27 November 1198 Henry VIPictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse

House of Welf PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse Beatrice of Swabia Philip, King of Germany(Hohenstaufen) 1198 1209 or 1212 1212 Otto IV Marie of Brabant Henry I, Duke of Brabant c. 1190 after 19 May 1214 5 July 1215husband's deposition May 1260PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse

House of Hohenstaufen PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse Constance of Aragon Alfonso II, King of Aragon 1179 5 August 1209 1211-1212husband as King in opposition/5 July 1215husband unopposed 22 November 1220 23 April 1220Ceased to be Queen: son elected as King23 June 1222Ceased to be Empress upon death Frederick II Yolande of Brienne John of Brienne, King of Jerusalem 1212 9 November 1225 25 April 1228 Isabella of England John, King of England 1214 15/20 July 1235 1 December 1241PictureNameHouseFatherMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse

House of Wittelsbach PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse Margaret II, Countess of Hainault William of Avesnes, Count of Hainaut 1311 26 February 1324 January 1328 11 October 1347 23 June 1356 Louis IVPictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse

House of Luxembourg PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse Anna of Świdnica Henry II, Duke of Świdnica c. 1339 27 May 1353 5 April 1355coronation with husband 11 July 1362 Charles IV Elizabeth of Pomerania Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania 1347 21 May 1363 1 November 1368coronation 29 November 1378 husband's death 14 February 1393 Barbara of Cilli Hermann II, Count of Celje 1390 to 1395 1408 21 July 1411husband's election 31 May 1433husband's coronation 9 December 1437husband's death 11 July 1451 SigismundPictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse

House of Habsburg PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse Leonor of Portugal Edward of Portugal(Aviz) 18 September 143416 March 1452 19 March 1452husband's coronation 3 September 1467 Frederick III Bianca Maria Sforza of Milan Galeazzo Maria, Duke of Milan(Sforza) 5 April 1472 16 March 1494 4 February 1508husband declared "emperor-elect" 31 December 1510 Maximilian I Isabella of Portugal Manuel I of Portugal(Aviz) 23 October 1503 10 March 1526 24 February 1530husband's coronation 1 May 1539 Charles V Maria of Austria Emperor Charles V(Habsburg) 21 June 1528 13 September 1548 November 1562husband's election 25 July 1564husband's ascension 12 October 1576husband's death 26 February 1603 Maximilian II Anna of Austria Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria(Habsburg) 4 October 1585 4 December 1611 13 June 1612husband's election 14 December 1618 Matthias Eleonora Gonzaga Vincenzo I, Duke of Mantua(Gonzaga) 23 September 1598 4 February 1622 15 February 1637husband's death 27 June 1655 Ferdinand II Maria Anna of Austria Philip III of Spain(Habsburg) 18 August 1606 20 February 1631 22 December 1636husband's election 15 February 1637husband's ascension 13 May 1646 Ferdinand III Maria Leopoldine of Austria Leopold V, Archduke of Austria(Habsburg) 6 April 1632 2 July 1648 7 August 1649 Eleanora Gonzaga Charles II Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers(Gonzaga) 18 November 1630 30 April 1651 2 April 1657 husband's death 6 December 1686 Margarita Teresa of Austria Philip IV of Spain(Habsburg) 12 July 1651 12 December 1666 12 March 1673 Leopold I Claudia Felicitas of Austria Archduke Ferdinand Charles of Austria(Habsburg) 30 May 1653 15 October 1673 8 April 1676 Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg Philip William, Elector Palatine(Wittelsbach) 6 January 1655 14 December 1676 5 May 1705husband's death 19 January 1720 Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick John Frederick, Duke of Calenburg(Welf) 21 April 1673 24 February 1699 5 May 1705husband's ascension 17 April 1711husband's death 10 April 1742 Joseph I Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel(Welf) 28 August 1691 1 August 1708 December 1711husband's election 20 October 1740husband's death 21 December 1750 Charles VIPictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse

House of Wittelsbach PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse Maria Amalia of Austria Emperor Joseph I(Habsburg) 22 October 1701 5 October 1722 24 January 1742husband's election 20 January 1745husband's death 11 December 1756 Charles VIIPictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse

House of Lorraine PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse Maria Theresa of Austria Emperor Charles VI(Habsburg) 13 May 1717 12 February 1736 13 September 1745husband's election 18 August 1765husband's death 29 November 1780 Francis IPictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse

House of Habsburg-Lorraine PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse Maria Josepha of Bavaria Emperor Charles VII(Wittelsbach) 30 March 1739 23 January 1765 18 August 1765husband's ascension 28 May 1767 Joseph II Maria Luisa of Spain Charles III of Spain(Bourbon) 24 November 1745 5 August 1765 30 September 1790husband's election 1 March 1792husband's death 15 May 1792 Leopold II Maria Theresa of the Two Sicilies Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies(Bourbon) 6 June 1772 15 August 1790 5 July 1792husband's election 6 August 1806husband's abdication 13 April 1807 Francis IIPictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame QueenBecame EmpressCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse

See also

List of Roman Empresses (24 BC–AD 1453). List of Austrian Empresses (1804–1918). List of German queens List of Italian queens List of Burgundian consorts

References