Frederick V was the Count Palatine of the Rhine and the Catholic claimant to the title of Holy Roman Emperor from 1595. The son-in-law of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, he was supported by Charles as a successor; it was felt that the two Catholic powers the Habsburgs and Arpads of Hungary could agree on Frederick as a neutral candidate, and so, by the time of Charles's death and the Imperial Elections of 1595-96, the Catholic electors had formed an organized voting bloc behind Frederick, and were confident that they could push him as Emperor as they held half the electorate. Following a stalemate that spiraled into conflict, Frederick was officially proclaimed Emperor by the Catholics, and hastily crowned at Mainz. His supporters began to pressure other states into accepting Frederick, and although he was recognized by some major European states, almost no Protestant nations gladly acknowledged his legitimacy. In late 1596, various German Jungist electors elected Joktan of Hesse in opposition to Frederick, beginning the Forty Years' War. Hessian forces fought Frederick's, and for the time the latter mostly prevailed, resulting in a defeat for Hesse but also later the entrance of the more powerful Denmark into the war, with their King now claiming Frederick's imperial title as George I.
The extent of Frederick's role in the war has been debated by historians: some see him as a mere figurehead, even a puppet, of the more powerful Catholic states and the Papacy, while others see him as a competent leader and Emperor. Certainly in the early stages of the war, he was overshadowed by Catholic generals like Leopold III, Duke of Habsburg, Aloisyus von Lenzburg and his own brother, Louis Philip, as well as Joachim Benz, but outlived several of his Jungist counterparts, became popular among his troops, and over a century after his death, he was officially venerated by the Pope.
Government[]
Emperor - Frederick V
High Steward - Louis Philip von Wittelsbach
Archchancellor - Archbishop Wolfgang von Dalberg of Mainz
Chancellor of Italy -
Chancellor of Burgundy - Charles von Habsburg
High Chamberlain - Duke of Austria
Master of Laws and Justiciar - Prince-Bishop Echter von Mespelbrunn of Würzburg
Grand Marshall - Duke Leopold III of Habsburg (-1601);
Master of Ships - Christian of Oldenburg
Grand Admiral - Thomas von Sudland
High Treasurer - Anselm van Lanschot
Spymaster - Thomas Steinhauer
Court Chaplain - Cardinal Johannes of Brandenburg-Bohemia
Premier Captain of the Aachen Guard - Zebulon Zobel (-1601)
Superintendent General of the Arts - Hendrick van Dyke