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The Electoral Rhenish Circle (German : Kurrheinischer Reichskreis) was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire, created in 1512. [1]
The circle derived its name from four of the seven prince-electors whose lands along the Middle Rhine comprised the vast majority of its territory.
The circle was made up of the following states:
| Name | Type of entity | Comments |
|---|---|---|
 Arenberg | Principality | Attained imperial immediacy in 1549 under Jean de Ligne, Principality from 1576, raised to Duchy in 1644 gaining the 81th seat to the Reichstag |
| Beilstein | Lordship | Held by the Counts of Nassau-Dillenburg from 1343 |
 Cologne | Prince-bishopric | (Re-)established by King Otto I in 953, Prince-elector and Archchancellor of Italy in 1356; including Vest Recklinghausen and the Duchy of Westphalia |
 Koblenz | Bailiwick | An administrative grouping of lands including the immediate Lordship of Elsen, held by the Teutonic Knights, 2nd Rhenish Prelate |
 Mainz | Prince-bishopric | Archbishopric established in 781 by Pope Adrian I, Prince-elector and Archchancellor of Germany in 1356; including Eichsfeld, Erfurt, and Aschaffenburg |
 Nieder-Isenburg | County | Emerged from Isenburg-Isenburg in 1199, partitioned in 1502 into Isenburg-Grenzau and Isenburg-Neumagen (to Sayn-Wittgenstein in 1554), extinct in 1664 |
 Palatinate | County palatine | Arose from the allodium of the Count palatine of Lower Lorraine in 1085 under Henry of Laach, held by the House of Wittelsbach from 1214, Prince-elector and Truchsess in 1356 |
 Rheineck | Burgraviate | Fiefdom of Cologne around Rheineck Castle , held by the Freiherren of Varsberg from 1576 |
 Thurn und Taxis | Barons | Briefadel without territory, Freiherren from 1608, Counts from 1624, raised to Princely Counts in 1695 |
 Trier | Prince-bishopric | Established in 902, Prince-elector and Archchancellor of Burgundy (Arles) in 1356 |
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Rhen can refer to:
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Media related to Electoral Rhenish Circle at Wikimedia Commons| Electorates |  | |
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Circles est. 1500: Bavarian, Swabian, Upper Rhenish, Lower Rhenish–Westphalian, Franconian, (Lower) Saxon Circles est. 1512: Austrian, Burgundian, Upper Saxon, Electoral Rhenish · Unencircled territories | ||
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| Created in 1512 | ||
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