Golden Bull, in German history, an edict issued by Emperor Charles IV in 1356 with the consent of his Diet. The bull was so called from the golden bulla or seal with which it was sealed. The bull was designed to correct certain irregularities in the working of a self-constituted college that took upon itself the election of emperors. The chief content of the bull was a decree that: 1. Formally sanctioned an electoral college. 2. Defined the powers and procedure of the college. 3. Defined the membership of the college, namely: the three archbishops of Mainz, Cologne, and Trier, the King of Bohemia, the Duke of Saxony, the Margrave of Brandenburg and Count Palatine of the Rhine. See ELECTORS.