NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Reichsacht

Reichsacht (engl. Imperial Ban) was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by courts like the Vemgericht or the Reichskammergericht, or by the Reichstag. Butch Cassidy, a famous Western American outlaw An outlaw, a person living the lifestyle of outlawry, meaning literally outside of the law. ... The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (German: Heiliges RÃ¶misches Reich Deutscher Nation â–¶ (helpÂ· info), Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium Nationis Germanicae, see names and designations of the empire) was a political conglomeration of lands in Central Europe in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. ... The Holy Roman Emperor was, with some variation, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the predecessor of modern Germany, during its existence from the 10th century until its collapse in 1806. ... The League of the Holy Court, Vehmgericht, or just the Vehm was a secret tribunal of Westphalia during the Middle Ages, the principal seat of which was in Dortmund. ... The Reichskammergericht was the highest judicial institution in the Holy Roman Empire, founded in 1495 by the Reichstag in Worms. ... The Reichstag (German for Imperial Diet) was the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, the North German Confederation, and of Germany until 1945. ...

People under Reichsacht, known as Geächtete or Vogelfreie, lost all their rights and possessions. They were legally considered dead and anyone was allowed to rob, injure or kill them without legal consequences. The Reichsacht automatically followed the excommunication of a person, as well as extending to anyone offering help to a person under the imperial ban.

Vogelfreie could reverse the ban by submitting to the legal authority. The Aberacht, a stronger version of the Reichsacht, could not be reversed.

The Reichsacht was sometimes imposed on whole Imperial Estates. In that case, other estates could attack and possibly conquer them. For the banned state that meant that they would loose their Reichsunmittelbarkeit and in the future have a second overlord in addition to the emperor. An Imperial State or Imperial Estate (German singular: Reichsstand, plural: ReichsstÃ¤nde) was an entity in the Holy Roman Empire with a vote in the Reichstag or Imperial Diet. ... The Reichsfreiheit or Reichsunmittelbarkeit (adjectives reichsfrei, reichsunmittelbar) was a special, privileged status a city or region could attain in the Holy Roman Empire. ...

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