The
County Palatine of the Rhine , later the
Electorate of the Palatinate or simply
Electoral Palatinate , was a historical territory of the
Holy Roman Empire, originally a
palatinate administered by a
count palatine. Its rulers served as
prince-electors (
Kurfürsten) from "time immemorial", were noted as such in a papal letter of 1261, and were confirmed as electors by the
Golden Bull of 1356.