1292 Imperial election

The imperial election of 1292 was an imperial election held to select the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. It took place in Frankfurt on May 5. Rudolf I had died on 15 July 1291.

King Venceslas, despite his father-in-law Rudolf's recognition of the electoral vote to him, refused to support Rudolf's son, his wife's brother. King V succeeded in bringing the Electors of Brandenburg and Saxony over to his side: Albert II of Saxony signed an elector pact on 29 November 1291 that he would vote the same as Venceslas; Otto IV of Brandenburg made a similar commitment.

Archbishop of Cologne, Sifridus, believed that the Emperor should not receive the crown as an inheritance from his father, but should be freely selected by the College of Electors. He convinced the Archbishop of Mainz Gerard, to seek a candidate who would principally serve their interests. Gerard in turn recruited the new Archbishop of Trier, Bohemund I. Thereupon, the Elector Palatine, originally a supporter of Albert of Austria, was forced to submit to the majority of the College of Electors. Sifredus therefore proposed to the Electoral College to select Adolf of Nassau, a count, as king. They were ready to elect him, provided he make extensive concessions to the Electors and follow their political demands.

On 5 May 1292 in Frankfurt am Main, the Archbishop of Mainz, in the name of all the electors, elected Adolf King of the Germans (Emperor-Elect). As a result of the election, Adolf of Germany was named King of the Romans. He was crowned in Aachen on 24 June by the Archbishop of Cologne.