123:
509:
341:) in the Diet and each comital family was allowed to cast one fractional vote toward a bench's vote: A majority of fractional votes determined how that bench's vote would be cast on any issue before the Diet. Four benches were recognised (membership in each being determined by which quadrant of the Empire a count's fief lay within). By being seated and allowed to cast a shared vote on a Count's bench an imperial count obtained, the "seat and vote" within the Imperial Diet which, combined with
458:'s re-organisation of the continental map squeezed not only all imperial counts but most princes out of existence as quasi-independent entities by the time of the Holy Roman Empire. Each was annexed by its largest German neighbor, although many were swapped by one sovereign to another as they sought to shape more cohesive borders or lucrative markets. In 1815 the
536:
as retaining their titles and rank above counts elevated by lesser sovereigns, even if their family had never held imperial immediacy within the Empire. A comital or other title granted by a German sovereign conferred, in principle, rank only in that sovereign's realm, although usually recognised as
376:
imperial counts pegged their interests and status to those of the imperial princes. In 1521 there were 144 imperial counts; by 1792 only 99 were left. The decrease reflected elevations to higher title, extinction of the male line, and purchase or annexation (outright or by the subordination known as
560:
Titular imperial counts usually had no role in the ruling of the Empire, although there were exceptions. Sometimes, when a prince wished to marry a lady of lower rank and have her share his title, the
Emperor might elevate her to Imperial countess or even princess (often over the objections of his
466:'s politics, but not on the winnowing of Germany's ruling dynasties and myriad maps. The imperial counts and princes were compensated for the loss of their rights as rulers with largely symbolic privileges, gradually eroded but not extinguished until 1918, including
202:
emperors, they came to constitute a class, whose land management on behalf of the ruling princes favoured their evolution to a status above not only peasants and burghers, but above landless knights and the landed gentry. Their roles within the
238:) of the emperor. Nobles who inherited, purchased, were granted or successfully seized such counties, or were able to eliminate any obligation of vassalage to an intermediate suzerain (for instance, by the purchase of his feudal rights from a
253:
A parallel process occurred among other authorities and strata in the realm, both secular and ecclesiastical. While commoners and the lowest levels of nobles remained subject to the authority of a lord, baron or count, some knights and lords
296:) in the Diet that belonged to electors and princes. In order, however, to further their political interests more effectively and to preserve their independence, the imperial counts organized regional associations and held
264:) secured the exclusive privilege of voting to choose a Holy Roman Emperor, from among their own number or other rulers, whenever a vacancy occurred. Those just below them in status were recognised as
242:), were those on whom the emperor came to rely directly to raise and supply the revenues and soldiers, from their own vassals and manors, which enabled him to govern and protect the empire. Thus their
246:
tended to secure for them substantial independence within their own territories from the emperor's authority. Gradually they came also to be recognised as counselors entitled to be summoned to his
168:
or "county"). A lord designated to represent the king or emperor in a county requiring higher authority than delegated to the typical count acquired a title which indicated that distinction: a
260:) avoided owing fealty to any but the emperor yet lacked sufficient importance to obtain consistent admission to the Diet. The most powerful nobles and bishops (
333:
They participated with the emperor, electors and princes in ruling the Empire by virtue of being entitled to a seat on one of the Counts' benches (
17:
484:
by
Napoleon. Most of these were also mediatised by the Congress of Vienna. A few of their dynasties held on to their sovereignty until 1918:
122:
402:
207:
tended to become hereditary and were gradually integrated with those of the ruling nobility by the close of the medieval era.
627:
386:
273:
395:
472:; the right to inter-marry with Germany's (and, by extension, Europe's) still reigning dynasties, a prerogative most
247:
83:
31:
70:) from the emperor, rather than from a prince who was a vassal of the emperor or of another sovereign, such as a
384:
In 1792 there were four associations (benches) of counties contributing the votes of 99 families to the Diet's
517:
436:
649:
508:
95:
by the emperor in his specific capacity as ruler of the Holy Roman Empire (rather than, e.g. as ruler of
163:
302:("countly councils"). In the Imperial Diet, starting in the 16th century, and consistently from the
127:
619:
612:
292:
era, immediate counts were definitively excluded from possessing the individual seat and vote (
439:, those deemed to have resisted the French were compensated with secularized Church lands and
424:
160:("Count") was an official who exercised the royal prerogatives in an administrative district (
561:
other family members), but this conferred upon her neither the same title nor rank borne by
493:
477:
378:
96:
8:
570:
468:
359:, i.e. the semi-sovereignty which distinguished Germany and Austria's high nobility (the
108:
361:
550:
459:
440:
342:
243:
231:
223:
104:
100:
67:
135:
623:
542:
463:
416:
169:
55:
444:
199:
497:
346:
265:
215:
58:. During the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an
47:
538:
529:
525:
481:
448:
409:
369:), who had no representation in the Diet and usually answered to an over-lord.
303:
261:
210:
The possessor of a county within or subject to the Holy Roman Empire might owe
185:
75:
643:
533:
194:
86:
until 1806. Imperial counts rank above counts elevated by lesser sovereigns.
513:
355:
337:) in the Diet. Each "bench" was entitled to exercise one collective vote (
562:
428:
289:
181:
147:
234:
himself, in which case he was deemed to hold directly or "immediately" (
327:
239:
131:
512:
Patent awarding the title of
Imperial Count to Baron Anton Schenk von
607:
323:
204:
189:
546:
455:
315:
256:
227:
177:
173:
277:
151:
489:
451:, were denied compensation due to failure to resist the French.
432:
319:
219:
314:. Early in the 16th century, such associations were formed in
272:) who, through the hereditary vote each wielded in the Diet's
485:
307:
306:(1663–1806), the imperial counts were grouped into "imperial
91:
78:. These imperial counts sat on one of the four "benches" of
211:
156:
71:
63:
38:
89:
In the post–Middle Ages era, anyone granted the title of
557:, nor ranked with comparable precedence even post-1806.
119:), whether he reigned over an immediate county or not.
353:) and conferred upon him and his family the status of
30:"Imperial county" redirects here. For other uses, see
218:, theoretically of any rank, who might himself be a
611:
82:, whereat each exercised a fractional vote in the
641:
276:, served as members of a loose legislature (cf.
447:, were generously compensated. Others, such as
437:Final Recess of the Imperial Delegation of 1803
545:rulers in their capacity as Kings of Hungary,
297:
161:
606:
503:
283:
198:, appointed administrators, but under the
27:Title of nobility in the Holy Roman Empire
618:. New York: Barnes & Noble. pp.
524:Those counts who received their title by
507:
121:
614:Titles: How the King became His Majesty
576:
403:Wetterau Association of Imperial Counts
14:
642:
602:
600:
598:
596:
594:
592:
590:
588:
586:
532:were recognized within the subsequent
480:. A few counties had been elevated to
427:of 1800, princely domains west of the
462:sought to turn back the clock on the
396:Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Association
381:) by more powerful imperial princes.
326:association was created in 1640, the
435:, including imperial counts. In the
345:, made of his chief land holding an
583:
419:of Imperial Counts, with 17 members
412:of Imperial Counts, with 24 members
398:of Imperial Counts, with 33 members
226:; or the count might have no other
24:
569:, prevent the marriage from being
25:
661:
620:49, 67–69, 74–75, 84–85, 108–112
32:Imperial County (disambiguation)
288:As the Empire emerged from the
134:in 1640, after an engraving by
476:families had enjoyed prior to
443:. Some of the counts, such as
18:Count of the Holy Roman Empire
13:
1:
541:elsewhere. Titles granted by
192:. Originally the counts were
7:
365:) from the lower nobility (
10:
666:
222:of another lord or of the
141:
36:
29:
188:, a large territory by a
504:Status of Imperial count
284:Power and political role
528:from the emperor or an
310:associations" known as
128:Perpetual Imperial Diet
115:, an "Imperial Count" (
521:
417:Franconian Association
298:
214:allegiance to another
162:
138:
51:
511:
330:association in 1653.
184:or royal estate by a
125:
54:) was a title in the
577:References and notes
650:German noble titles
551:Emperors of Austria
425:Treaty of Lunéville
410:Swabian Association
109:Spanish Netherlands
522:
460:Congress of Vienna
343:Imperial immediacy
274:College of Princes
244:Imperial immediacy
232:Holy Roman Emperor
224:Holy Roman Emperor
176:, a fortress by a
139:
629:978-1-56619-085-5
553:were not thereby
518:Emperor Joseph II
474:reichsunmittelbar
464:French Revolution
405:, with 25 members
280:) of the Empire.
236:reichsunmittelbar
152:Franconian Empire
56:Holy Roman Empire
16:(Redirected from
657:
634:
633:
617:
604:
445:Aspremont-Lynden
431:were annexed to
387:ReichsfĂĽrstenrat
374:reichsständische
301:
266:Imperial princes
257:Reichsfreiherren
167:
111:, etc.) became,
21:
665:
664:
660:
659:
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656:
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654:
640:
639:
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605:
584:
579:
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498:Waldeck-Pyrmont
347:Imperial estate
286:
182:imperial palace
144:
136:Matthäus Merian
126:Meeting of the
66:held directly (
60:imperial county
41:
35:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
663:
653:
652:
636:
635:
628:
581:
580:
578:
575:
565:, nor did it,
539:courtesy title
530:Imperial vicar
526:letters patent
505:
502:
482:principalities
469:EbenbĂĽrtigkeit
421:
420:
413:
406:
399:
304:Perpetual Diet
285:
282:
248:Imperial Diets
186:count palatine
172:was held by a
143:
140:
76:prince-elector
44:Imperial Count
26:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
662:
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534:German Empire
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478:mediatisation
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379:mediatisation
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331:
329:
325:
321:
317:
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279:
275:
271:
270:ReichsfĂĽrsten
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258:
251:
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245:
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233:
229:
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213:
208:
206:
205:feudal system
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195:ministeriales
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84:Imperial Diet
81:
77:
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69:
65:
62:, that is, a
61:
57:
53:
49:
45:
40:
33:
19:
613:
566:
559:
555:Reichsgrafen
554:
523:
514:Stauffenberg
473:
467:
453:
422:
385:
383:
373:
371:
366:
360:
356:Landeshoheit
354:
350:
339:Kuriatstimme
338:
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287:
269:
255:
252:
235:
209:
193:
155:
145:
116:
112:
90:
88:
79:
59:
43:
42:
608:Pine, L. G.
494:Schwarzburg
441:free cities
429:Rhine River
351:Reichsstand
328:Westphalian
312:Grafenbänke
294:Virilstimme
170:border land
148:Merovingian
68:immediately
571:morganatic
567:ipso facto
367:Niederadel
335:Grafenbank
324:Franconian
299:Grafentage
240:liege lord
132:Regensburg
117:Reichsgraf
113:ipso facto
52:Reichsgraf
37:See also:
547:Archdukes
454:By 1806,
372:Thus the
230:than the
190:landgrave
644:Category
610:(1992).
543:Habsburg
456:Napoleon
362:Hochadel
316:Wetterau
290:medieval
262:Electors
228:suzerain
200:Ottonian
178:burgrave
174:margrave
563:dynasts
423:By the
308:comital
278:peerage
146:In the
142:Origins
105:Hungary
101:Bohemia
97:Austria
626:
520:, 1785
433:France
322:. The
320:Swabia
220:vassal
212:feudal
107:, the
80:Counts
48:German
516:, by
486:Lippe
449:Leyen
216:noble
180:, an
92:Count
624:ISBN
496:and
490:ReuĂź
415:the
408:the
401:the
394:the
318:and
157:Graf
154:, a
150:and
72:duke
64:fief
39:Graf
549:or
164:Gau
130:in
74:or
646::
622:.
585:^
573:.
537:a
500:.
492:,
488:,
390::
250:.
103:,
99:,
50::
632:.
349:(
268:(
254:(
46:(
34:.
20:)
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