155:
31:
105:
1241. In the case of the nobility, the enfeoffment with an imperial fief and high aristocratic lineage was regarded as decisive criteria for immediacy. However, towards the end of the Middle Ages, the counts were generally considered to be immediate to the Empire, although they often had obtained their fiefs from neighboring princes. The imperial immediacy of bishops was acquired automatically when they were enfeoffed with their
125:
who did homage within the royal household, and the royal towns which offered collective fealty. From the thirteenth century onward, the growing exclusiveness of the princes derived from their determination to enforce their preeminence and make the other lords feudally dependent on themselves, and to
109:
and granted immunities. The situation for the prelates (abbots) was not always clear since there were some who, although recognized as immediate, had not been enfeoffed directly by the king. In the end, for the Middle Ages, the formal grant of immediacy was of relative importance; the decisive factor
104:
The criteria of immediacy varied and classification is difficult especially for the Middle Ages. The situation was relatively clear in the case of the cities: imperial cities were directly subject to the king's jurisdiction and taxation, and a first list can be found in the imperial tax register of
141:
demands of their overlord, the
Emperor. However, from the mid-13th century onwards, with the gradually diminishing importance of the Emperor, whose authority to exercise power became increasingly limited to the enforcement of
368:, and the potential restriction or outright loss of previously held legal patents. Immediate rights might be lost if the Emperor and/or the Imperial Diet could not defend them against external aggression, as occurred in the
117:(1152–1190) who restricted the immediate crown vassalage to the archbishops, bishops and imperial abbots, roughly ninety of them, and to distinguish most dukes and a selection of reliable margraves, landgraves and counts as
162:, member of the Imperial estates, enjoyed Imperial immediacy and therefore could negotiate and sign international treaties on his own, as long as they were not directed against the Emperor and the Empire.
92:, the Empire consisted of over 1,800 immediate territories, ranging in size from quite large such as Austria, Bavaria, Saxony, and Brandenburg, down to the several hundred tiny immediate estates of the
386:
53:
88:) which had nearly all the attributes of sovereignty, but fell short of true sovereignty since the rulers of the Empire remained answerable to the Empire's institutions and basic laws. In the
357:. If successful, that would have evoked Imperial immediacy and would have put Overijssel in a stronger negotiating position, for example giving the province the ability to appeal to the
146:
promulgated by the
Imperial Diet, entities privileged by imperial immediacy eventually found themselves vested with considerable rights and powers previously exercised by the emperor.
284:
At the same time, there were classes of "princes" with titular immediacy to the
Emperor which they exercised rarely, if at all. For example, the Bishops of
126:
incorporate them into their own territorial lordships, thus making them 'mediate' by cutting them off from direct legal relationship with the crown.
338:("blood justice") through which capital punishment could be administered. These rights varied according to the legal patents granted by the emperor.
84:
The possession of this imperial immediacy granted a constitutionally unique form of territorial authority known as "territorial superiority" (
401:, most of the free imperial cities and the ecclesiastic states lost their imperial immediacy and were absorbed by several dynastic states.
364:
Disadvantages might include direct intervention by imperial commissions, as happened in several of the southwestern cities after the
440:
630:
293:
599:
450:
285:
77:) and not to any other intermediate authorities, while one that did not possess that status was defined as 'mediate' (
425:
358:
17:
197:
296:(Sacken) were practically subordinate to the prince-bishop of Salzburg, but were formally princes of the Empire.
361:
in any debate with
Charles. For that reason, the Emperor strongly rejected and blocked Overijssel's attempt.
246:(abbots and abbesses), and 50 Imperial Cities, each of whose "banks" only enjoyed a single collective vote (
154:
159:
380:
in 1801 required the emperor to renounce all claims to the portions of the Holy Roman Empire west of the
113:
The position of the princes with regard to the crown had strengthened progressively since the reign of
377:
559:
Jonathan Israel, "The Dutch
Republic:Its Rise, Greatness and Fall 1477–1806", Ch. 4, p. 66.
415:
398:
114:
110:
was the capacity to assert and enforce one's claim to immediacy against competing claims.
8:
191:
89:
522:
133:, and for those bishops, abbots, and cities then the main beneficiaries of that status,
410:
278:
350:
325:
43:
30:
435:
373:
365:
354:
274:
270:
243:
130:
93:
69:) was the status of an individual or a territory which was defined as 'immediate' (
445:
430:
390:
369:
342:
289:
266:
57:
420:
239:
229:
187:
35:
96:
of only a few square kilometers or less, which were by far the most numerous.
624:
221:
121:. They were intended to be the only direct vassals, apart from the Imperial
591:
584:
577:
225:
166:
Several immediate estates held the privilege of attending meetings of the
137:
could be exacting and often meant subjection to the fiscal, military, and
332:
313:
143:
346:
317:
321:
211:
138:
106:
207:
281:
and since then had mostly been given in pledge to the princes.
478:, Volume II, Oxford University Press, 2012, Glossary, p. 652.
381:
305:
203:
304:
Additional advantages might include the rights to collect
309:
593:
505:
L'espace du Saint-Empire du Moyen-Âge à l'époque moderne
586:
579:
550:, Oxford University Press, 1988 (translation), p. 274.
353:
in his capacity as Holy Roman
Emperor rather than as
99:
507:. Presse Universitaire de Strasbourg. p. 117.
257:Further immediate estates not represented in the
622:
328:. The last of these might include the so-called
273:, the remains of those territories which in the
490:Reich and Empire as Idea and Reality, 1763–1806
299:
27:Constitutional status in the Holy Roman Empire
384:. At the last meeting of the Imperial Diet (
330:
259:
168:
535:Princes and Territories in Medieval Germany
349:in 1528 tried to arrange its submission to
277:had been under the direct authority of the
248:
176:
537:, Cambridge University Press, 1991, p. 34.
524:, Historisches Lexicon der Schweiz, 2012.
487:
174:in person, including an individual vote (
492:. Indiana University Press. p. 4–5.
242:, together with 99 immediate counts, 40
153:
29:
441:List of states of the Holy Roman Empire
14:
623:
502:
600:Historical Dictionary of Switzerland
24:
617:. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
451:Autonomous administrative division
25:
642:
476:Germany and the Holy Roman Empire
426:Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)
100:Acquisition of imperial immediacy
198:Princes of the Holy Roman Empire
503:Lebeau, Christine, ed. (2004).
553:
540:
527:
511:
496:
481:
468:
397:) in 1802–03, also called the
269:as well as several abbeys and
13:
1:
456:
395:Reichsdeputationshauptschluss
149:
631:Law of the Holy Roman Empire
461:
300:Advantages and disadvantages
7:
548:Medieval Germany, 1156–1273
404:
10:
647:
566:
488:Gagliardo, J. G. (1980).
370:French Revolutionary wars
119:maiores imperii principes
73:) to Emperor and Empire (
615:German History 1770–1866
345:, the Dutch province of
38:, "immediate and exempt"
613:Sheehan, James (1989).
34:Document signed by the
574:Reichsunmittelbarkeit
394:
331:
260:
249:
177:
169:
163:
160:Prince-Bishop of Liège
61:
39:
606:Bryce, James (1865).
519:Reichsunmittelbarkeit
157:
62:Reichsunmittelbarkeit
33:
572: Braun, B.:
416:German mediatization
399:German Mediatisation
115:Frederick Barbarossa
378:Treaty of Lunéville
192:Golden Bull of 1356
90:early modern period
546:Alfred Haverkamp,
411:Free Imperial City
341:As pointed out by
190:designated by the
164:
48:imperial immediacy
40:
608:Holy Roman Empire
603:, 2005-05-03.
533:Benjamin Arnold,
351:Emperor Charles V
326:legal proceedings
324:, and to conduct
244:Imperial prelates
44:Holy Roman Empire
36:Abbot of Marchtal
18:Reichsunmittelbar
16:(Redirected from
638:
595:
588:
581:
560:
557:
551:
544:
538:
531:
525:
515:
509:
508:
500:
494:
493:
485:
479:
474:Joachim Whaley,
472:
436:Imperial Village
389:
366:Schmalkaldic War
355:Duke of Burgundy
336:
275:High Middle Ages
271:minor localities
267:Imperial Knights
263:
252:
240:Imperial Estates
238:They formed the
220:ecclesiastical:
180:
172:
144:legislative acts
131:High Middle Ages
94:Imperial knights
75:Kaiser und Reich
56:
21:
646:
645:
641:
640:
639:
637:
636:
635:
621:
620:
569:
564:
563:
558:
554:
545:
541:
532:
528:
517:Bettina Braum,
516:
512:
501:
497:
486:
482:
473:
469:
464:
459:
446:Tenant-in-chief
431:Imperial Estate
407:
385:
374:Napoleonic Wars
343:Jonathan Israel
302:
230:Prince-Provosts
188:Prince-electors
152:
102:
52:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
644:
634:
633:
619:
618:
611:
604:
597:in the online
568:
565:
562:
561:
552:
539:
526:
510:
495:
480:
466:
465:
463:
460:
458:
455:
454:
453:
448:
443:
438:
433:
428:
423:
421:Imperial Abbey
418:
413:
406:
403:
301:
298:
250:votum curiatum
236:
235:
234:
233:
222:Prince-Bishops
218:
194:
151:
148:
101:
98:
67:Reichsfreiheit
26:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
643:
632:
629:
628:
626:
616:
612:
609:
605:
602:
601:
596:
589:
582:
575:
571:
570:
556:
549:
543:
536:
530:
523:
520:
514:
506:
499:
491:
484:
477:
471:
467:
452:
449:
447:
444:
442:
439:
437:
434:
432:
429:
427:
424:
422:
419:
417:
414:
412:
409:
408:
402:
400:
396:
392:
388:
383:
379:
375:
371:
367:
362:
360:
359:Imperial Diet
356:
352:
348:
344:
339:
337:
335:
334:
327:
323:
319:
315:
311:
307:
297:
295:
291:
287:
282:
280:
276:
272:
268:
264:
262:
255:
253:
251:
245:
241:
231:
227:
226:Prince-Abbots
223:
219:
217:
213:
209:
205:
201:
200:
199:
195:
193:
189:
185:
184:
183:
181:
179:
173:
171:
161:
156:
147:
145:
140:
136:
132:
127:
124:
123:ministeriales
120:
116:
111:
108:
97:
95:
91:
87:
82:
80:
76:
72:
68:
64:
63:
59:
55:
49:
45:
37:
32:
19:
614:
607:
598:
573:
555:
547:
542:
534:
529:
518:
513:
504:
498:
489:
483:
475:
470:
363:
340:
329:
312:, to hold a
303:
283:
258:
256:
247:
237:
215:
178:votum virile
175:
167:
165:
134:
128:
122:
118:
112:
103:
86:Landeshoheit
85:
83:
78:
74:
70:
66:
51:
47:
41:
333:Blutgericht
139:hospitality
129:During the
71:unmittelbar
457:References
347:Overijssel
318:mint coins
212:Landgraves
196:the other
186:the seven
150:Gradations
610:. London.
462:Citations
387:‹See Tfd›
322:bear arms
265:were the
261:Reichstag
208:Margraves
202:secular:
170:Reichstag
135:immediacy
107:hochstift
79:mittelbar
54:‹See Tfd›
625:Category
405:See also
372:and the
286:Chiemsee
594:Italian
567:Sources
279:Emperor
42:In the
587:French
580:German
391:German
376:. The
314:market
294:Seckau
292:, and
216:et al.
58:German
592:.php
585:.php
578:.php
382:Rhine
320:, to
316:, to
310:tolls
306:taxes
204:Dukes
590:and
576:in
308:and
290:Gurk
228:and
158:The
254:).
182:):
81:).
65:or
627::
583:,
521:,
393::
288:,
224:,
214:,
210:,
206:,
60::
46:,
232:.
50:(
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
