Imperial ban
Theimperial ban(‹See Tfd›German:Reichsacht) was a form ofoutlawryin theHoly Roman Empire.[1]At different times, it could be declared by theHoly Roman Emperor,by theImperial Diet,or by courts like theLeague of the Holy Court(Vehmgericht) or theReichskammergericht.[2]
People under imperial ban, known asGeächtete(from about the 17th century, colloquially also asVogelfreie,lit. "free as a bird" ), 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 imperial ban automatically followed theexcommunicationof a person, as well as extending to anyone offering help to a person under the imperial ban.
Those banned could reverse the ban by submitting to the legal authority. TheAberacht,a stronger version of the imperial ban, could not be reversed.[citation needed]
The imperial ban was sometimes imposed on wholeImperial Estates.In that case, other estates could attack and seek to conquer them. The effect of the ban on a city or other Estate was that it lost itsImperial immediacyand in the future would have a second overlord in addition to the emperor.
Famous people placed under the imperial ban included:
- 1180 -Henry the Lion,for refusing military support toFrederick I, Holy Roman Emperoragainst the cities of theLombard League.
- 1225 - CountFrederick of Isenberg,for killing his uncleEngelbert II of Berg,Archbishop ofCologne.
- 1235 - KingHenry (VII) of Germany,for his rebellion against his father theEmperor Frederick II.
- 1276 - KingOttokar II of Bohemia,for his capture of imperial lands fromRudolph I.
- 1309 -John Parricida,for the murder of his uncle KingAlbert I of Germany.
- 1415 -Frederick IV, Duke of Austriafor aiding the flight ofAntipope John XXIIIfrom theCouncil of Constance.
- 1512 and 1518 -Götz von Berlichingen,the first time forrobbery,the second forkidnapping.
- 1521 -Martin Lutherand his supporters, for claiming that some doctrines practiced by theCatholic Churchwere contrary to the Bible or had no biblical basis.
- 1546 -John Frederick I, Elector of SaxonyandPhilip I, Landgrave of Hesse,for leading theSchmalkaldic League.
- 1566 -Wilhelm von Grumbach,forinsurgency.
- 1621 -Frederick V, Elector Palatine,and his supportersPrince Christian I of Anhalt-BernburgandGeorg Friedrich of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein-Weikersheim,for seizing power inBohemia.
- 1706 -Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria,andJoseph Clemens, Elector of Cologne,for supporting France in theWar of the Spanish Succession(ban reversed in 1714).
- 1708 -Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat,for supporting France in the War of the Spanish Succession. TheDuchy of Mantuawas confiscated by the emperor as a result.
- 1793 -Georg Forster,for collaboration with theFrench Republic.
The imperial ban imposed by theEmperor Rudolf IIon the city ofDonauwörthafter an anti-Catholic riot was one of theincidentsleading to theThirty Years' War.
An imperial ban on Bremen preceded the1654 Swedish attack on Bremen.
See also
[edit]- King's ban,a royal order or prohibition in the Holy Roman Empire.
References
[edit]- ^Starn, Randolph (1982).Contrary Commonwealth: The Theme of Exile in Medieval and Renaissance Italy.Berkeley:University of California Press.p. 23.ISBN0-520-04615-3.OCLC8052509.
- ^Marquardt, Bernd (2015)."Imperial ban".Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online.doi:10.1163/2352-0272_emho_sim_026352.
