The Declaration of Rhense (or the Treaty of Rhense) was a decree issued on July 16, 1338 and initiated by the Archbishop of Trier, Baldwin of Luxembourg, brother of the late Emperor Henry VII. Six electors met in Rhense to support Emperor Louis IV in his fight with the papacy. Louis, the choice of the Ghibellin party (which included Luxembourg and Wittelsbach supporters) was crowned by just a cardinal, an archbishop and a Roman senator, against the will of the pope. July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 168 days remaining. ... Events Ashikaga Takauji granted title of Shogun by the emperor of Japan. ... The Archbishopric of Trier was one of the important ecclesiastical principalities of the Holy Roman Empire. ... Henry VII, (ca. ... The prince-electors or electoral princes of the Holy Roman Empire — German: Kurfürst (singular) Kurfürsten (plural) — were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Emperors of Germany. ... Rhens is a town and a municipality in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. ... Emperor Louis IV Louis IV of Bavaria (also known as Ludwig the Bavarian) of the House of Wittelsbach (born 1282; died October 11, 1347) was duke of Bavaria from 1294/1301 together with his brother Rudolf I, also count of the Palatinate until 1329 and, German king since 1314 and... The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches. ... The Wittelsbach family is an European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria. ...

Even though the practice of election of the Holy Roman Emperor had existed earlier, it was now fixed that the election by all or the majority of the electors automatically conferred the royal title and rule over the empire, without papal confirmation. The convened prince-electors decided that "Louis is the rightfully elected King of the Romans, and his legitimate power (in the German kingdom) is not dependent upon the pope's will". The Holy Roman Emperor was, with some variation, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the predecessor of modern Germany, during its existence from the 10th century until its collapse in 1806. ...

The Golden Bull of 1356 specified the procedures for imperial election 18 years later, the prince-electors having already been those seven by custom. The declaration is not to be confused with another meeting of electors at Rhense (August 20, 1400) to depose the King Wenceslaus, whom they decided to be unworthy. The Golden Bull of 1356 was a decree issued by a Reichstag in Nuremberg headed by Emperor Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor (see Diet of Nuremberg) that fixed, for a period of more than four hundred years, an important aspect of the constitutional structure of the Holy Roman Empire. ... August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Henry IV quells baron rebellion and executes The Earls of Kent, Huntingdon and Salisbury for their attempt to have Richard II of England restored as King Jean Froissart writes the Chronicles Medici family becomes powerful in Florence, Italy Births December 25 - John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley, Lord Lieutenant of... Wenceslaus (German: Wenzel; sometimes known as the Drunkard, Czech: Václav IV) of the house of Luxembourg (born February 26, 1361, died August 16, 1419) succeeded his father Charles IV as Holy Roman Emperor (ruled 1378 - 1400) and as king of Bohemia (ruled 1378 - 1419). ...

See also

• List of treaties