An Imperial State or Imperial Estate (German singular: Reichsstand, plural: Reichsstände) was an entity in the Holy Roman Empire with a vote in the Reichstag or Imperial Diet. Several states had no seats in the Empire, while some officials (such as the Hereditary Usher) were non-voting members; neither qualified as Imperial States. Rulers of Imperial States had no authority above them except the Holy Roman Emperor himself; furthermore, they possessed several important rights and privileges, including a degree of autonomy in the rule of their territories. An Imperial State was also the name for the government of China, which was sometimes controlled by the scholar-official class. This page is about the Germanic empire. ... The term Reichstag (   listen?) [ɹaɪçtak] (in English: Imperial Diet) is a composition of German Reich (Empire) and tag (which does not mean day here, but is a derivate of the verb tagen, which means to meet or assemble). ...

Composition

Imperial States could be either ecclesiastic or secular. The ecclesiastical states were led, for the most part, by Archbishops, Bishops and Abbots (some were led by Priors, Provosts and Grand Masters). Secular states were ruled by rulers of princely rank (including Grand Dukes, Dukes, Counts Palatine, Margraves, Landgraves and most Princes) and rulers of comital rank (including Counts, Lords and some Princes). The rulers who participated in the elections of German Kings ranked as Prince-electors. None of the rulers below the Holy Roman Emperor ranked as Kings, with the exception of the King of Bohemia. In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop heading a diocese of particular importance due to either its size, history, or both, called an archdiocese. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... Abbots coat of arms An abbot (from the Hebrew ab, a father, through the Syriac abba, Latin abbas (genitive form, abbatis), Old English abbad, ; German Abt; French abbé) is the head and chief governor of a community of monks, called also in the East hegumenos or The English version... Prior is a Latin adjective, meaning coming before, as earlier (as in a priori, regardless what comes next). ... Provost (through O. Fr. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... The title of Grand Duke (Latin, Magnus Dux; German, Großherzog, Russian, Великий князь) used in Slavic, Baltic, and Germanic countries, is ranked in honour below King but higher than a sovereign Duke (Herzog) or Prince (Fürst). ... The term duke is a title of nobility which refers to the sovereign male ruler of a Continental European duchy, to a nobleman of the highest grade of the British peerage, or to the highest rank of nobility in various other European countries, including Portugal, Spain and France (in Italy... Graf (from the Latin Grafio scribe from the Greek) is a German noble title equal in rank to a count (derived from the Latin Comes, with a history of its own) or a British earl (an original Anglo-Saxon title). ... Graf (from the Latin Grafio scribe from the Greek) is a German noble title equal in rank to a count (derived from the Latin Comes, with a history of its own) or a British earl (an original Anglo-Saxon title). ... Graf (from the Latin Grafio scribe from the Greek) is a German noble title equal in rank to a count (derived from the Latin Comes, with a history of its own) or a British earl (an original Anglo-Saxon title). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A count is a nobleman in most European countries, equivalent in rank to a British earl, whose wife is still a countess (for lack of an Anglo-Saxon term). ... A lord is a male who has power and authority. ... 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. ... The Lands of the Bohemian Crown (Czech Země koruny české, Latin Corona regni Bohemiae) (e. ...

Statehood was normally attached to a particular territory within the Empire, but there were some reichsständische Personalisten, or Imperial Stately Personalists. Originally, the Emperor alone could grant statehood, but in 1653, several restrictions on the Emperor's power were introduced. The creation of a new state required the assent of the College of Electors and of the College of Princes (see Reichstag below). The ruler was required to agree to accept imperial taxation and military obligations. Furthermore, the state was required to obtain admittance into one of the Imperial Circles. Theoretically, personalist states were forbidden after 1653, but exceptions were often made. Events February 2 - New Amsterdam (later renamed New York City) is incorporated. ... An Imperial State or Imperial Estate—German: Reichsstand (singular) Reichsstände (plural)—was an entity in the Holy Roman Empire with a vote in the Reichstag, or Imperial Diet. ... In 1495, the Holy Roman Empire was divided into Imperial Circles (in German: Reichskreise). ... Events February 2 - New Amsterdam (later renamed New York City) is incorporated. ...

Once a territory attained statehood, it could lose the attribute under very few circumstances. A territory ceded to a foreign power ceased to be a state; furthermore, a mediatized state (that is, a state that came to be under the authority but not the sovereignty of a foreign power) could lose statehood. From 1648 onwards, inheritance of the state was limited to one family; a territory inherited by a different family ceased to be a state unless the Emperor explicitly allowed otherwise. Finally, a territory could lose statehood by being subjected to the imperial ban (the most notable example involved the Count Palatine of the Rhine, who was banned in 1621 for his participation in the Bohemian Revolt). // Events Peace treaty signed at Westphalia ends the Thirty Years War. ... A palatinate is an area administered by a count palatine, originally the direct representative of the sovereign but later the hereditary ruler of the territory subject to the crowns overlordship. ... Events February 9 - Gregory XV is elected pope. ... The victory of Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) The Thirty Years War was a conflict fought between the years 1618 and 1648, principally in the Central European territory of the Holy Roman Empire, but also involving most of the major continental powers. ...

Rights and privileges

Rulers of Imperial States enjoyed precedence over other subjects in the Empire. Electors were originally styled Durchlaucht (Serene Highness), princes Hochgeboren Fürst (High-Born Prince) and counts Hoch- und Wolhgeboren (High and Well-Born). In the eighteenth century, the electors were upgraded to Durchläuchtigste (Most Serene Highness), princes to Durchlaucht (Serene Highness) and counts to Erlaucht (Illustrious Highness).

Imperial States enjoyed several rights and privileges. Rulers had autonomy insofarasmuch as their families were concerned; in particular, they were permitted to make rules regarding the inheritance of their states without imperial interference. They were permitted to make treaties and enter into alliances with other Imperial States as well as with foreign nations. The electors, but not the other rulers, were permitted to exercise certain regalian powers, including the power to mint money, the power to collect tolls and a monopoly over gold and silver mines. An alliance can be: an agreement between two parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests. ... A mint is a facility which manufactures coins for currency. ... The word toll has several meanings. ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Atomic mass 196. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Atomic mass 107. ...

Reichstag

The Reichstag, or Imperial Diet, was divided into three collegia: the Council of Electors, the Council of Princes and the Council of Cities. Electoral states belonged to the first of the aforementioned councils; other states, whether ecclesiastical or secular, belonged to the Council of Princes. 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. ...

Votes were held in right of the states, rather than personally. Consequently, an individual ruling several states held multiple votes; similarly, multiple individuals ruling parts of the same state shared a single vote. These rules were not formalized until 1582; prior to this time, when multiple individuals inherited parts of the same state, they sometimes received a vote each. Votes were either individual or collective. Princes and senior clerics generally held individual votes (but such votes, as noted above, were sometimes shared). Prelates without individual votes were classified into two benches — the Bench of the Rhine and the Bench of Swabia — each of which enjoyed a collective vote. Similarly, Counts and Lords were grouped into four benches with a collective vote each — the Bench of Wetterau, the Bench of Swabia, the Bench of Franconia and the Bench of Westphalia. Events January 15 - Russia cedes Livonia and Estonia to Poland February 24 - Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian Calendar. ... The Rhine canyon (Ruinaulta) in Graubünden in Switzerland Length 1,320 km Elevation of the source Vorderrhein: approx. ... Swabia (German: Schwaben) is both a historic and linguistic region in Germany. ... The Franconian Rake is the symbol and unofficial coat of arms of Franconia, also appearing in emblems of many Franconian cities Franconia (German: Franken), an historic region in Germany, now forms three administrative districts of the state of Bavaria: Lower Franconia (Unterfranken), Middle Franconia (Mittelfranken), and Upper Franconia (Oberfranken). ... Westphalia (German: Westfalen) is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Münster, Bielefeld, and Osnabrück and included in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. ...

No elector ever held multiple electorates; nor were electorates ever divided between multiple heirs. Hence, in the Council of Electors, each individual held exactly one vote. Electors who ruled states in addition to their electorates also voted in the Council of Princes; similarly, princes who also ruled comital territories voted both individually and in the comital benches. In the Reichstag in 1792, for instance, the Elector of Brandenburg held eight individual votes in the Council of Princes and one vote in the Bench of Westphalia. Similarly, among ecclesiastics, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order held one individual vote in the Council of Princes and two in the Bench of the Rhine. The Holy Roman Empire was one of the strangest political structures in the world. ... Surrounding but excluding the national capital Berlin, Brandenburg is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). ... Teutonic Knights, charging into battle. ...

References

• Velde, F. R. (2003), Royal Styles
• Velde, F. R. (2004), The Holy Roman Empire

Links:

[1] www.almanachdeholyromanempire.org

[2] www.imperialcollegeofprincesandcounts.com

[3] www.almanachdegotha.com

[4] www.almanachdechivalry.com

[5] www.imperialcollegeofheraldry.org