1792 imperial election

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The 1792 imperial election was the final imperial election, held to select the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire following the death of Leopold II on 1 March 1792. It took place in Frankfurt on 5 July; his son Francis II was elected.

Background

War of the First Coalition

The election took place following growing tensions with revolutionary France, echoing the deepening crisis between King Louis XVI, whose wife Marie Antoinette was Leopold II's sister, and the National Constituent Assembly. After the royal couple’s failed attempt to flee the country in June 1791 (the Flight to Varennes), Leopold II and Frederick William II of Prussia issued the Declaration of Pillnitz on 27 August, calling for their release and promising that, if the King’s safety was threatened, they would go to war to restore him with the support of the other European monarchs. The National Assembly interpreted this as a declaration of war against France. On 20 April 1792, it declared war on Leopold's son Francis, his successor as king of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia, starting the War of the First Coalition.

Electors

The prince-electors called to choose Leopold's successor were:

Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal, Archbishop-Elector of Mainz
Clemens Wenceslaus of Saxony, Archbishop-Elector of Trier
Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne
Francis, King of Bohemia
Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria
Frederick Augustus I, Elector of Saxony
Frederick William II (also King of Prussia), Elector of Brandenburg
George III (also King of Great Britain), Elector of Hanover

Result

Francis was elected. He was crowned as Francis II in Frankfurt on 14 July.

References

Elections in the Holy Roman Empire