Imperial Election

Double-page depiction (here in two parts) from the Liber Chronicarum. It shows the German Emperor as head of the Holy Roman Empire. He sits in imperial robes, with scepter and globus cruciger, on a throne. Before him the imperial coat of arms with the double-headed eagle. His throne stands on a podium supported by four pillars. They represent the four duchies of Germany: Swabia (three black crowned lions), Brunswick (two leopards), Palatinate (a climbing lion against a black background) and Lorraine (three eagles on a diagonal bar). The Emperor is flanked by his three ecclesiastical and four secular electors. On the left stand the Archbishops of Trier, Cologne and Mainz. Each holds a document in their hands. On the right stand the King of Bohemia, the Palatine of the Rhine, the Duke of Saxony and the Margrave of Brandenburg. The first holds a scepter and a large golden cup in his hands. The second carries three plates and a napkin. The third has a sword in his hands and the last a key.