Imperial circle

A imperial circle or circle of Germany (in German Reichskreis , plural Reichskreise ) was a grouping of States of the Saint Germanic Roman Empire, primarily instituted for the organization of a common defense and the collection of imperial taxes, but also like structure of organization within the Diète of Empire.

One gave this name to divisions of the Germanic empire which have several times varied. In 1387, the emperor Venceslas Ier of the Holy roman Empire divided for the first time Germany in four large circles, including/understanding:

the High-Saxony and Lower Saxony
the Rhenish Province
the Austria, the Bavaria and the Souabe
the Thuringe and the Franconie.

In 1438, the emperor Albert II establishes six circles, which were under the government of the voter of Brandebourg, of the archbishop of Salzburg, of the count of Wurtemberg, the bishop of Mainz, the voter of Cologne and the voter of Saxony.

Finally in 1512, under Maximilien I {{er}}, the empire was divided definitively in ten circles, namely: those of Austria, of Bavaria, of Souabe, Franconie, High and Lower Saxony, of Westphalia, Haut-Rhin and the Low-Rhine and of Burgundy.

Formation of the circles

Six circles were created at the origin in 1500, following the diet of Augsburg:

the Circle of Bavaria
the Circle of Souabe
the Circle of Haut-Rhin
the Circle of Low-Rhine-Westphalia
the Circle of Franconie
the Circle of Lower Saxony

Four other circles were instituted in 1512 then 1522 at the time of the Diète of Nuremberg:

the Circle of Burgundy
the Circle of Austria
the Circle of High-Saxony
the electoral Circle of the Rhine

These ten circles remained essentially unchanged until in the Années 1790, time following which the wars succeeding the French revolution induirent of important changes in the structure of the Saint Worsens.

Each circle was controlled by a director, chair of a circular assembly, and by convening princes. This division remained until the beginning of the 19th century; she disappeared during the formation of the Confédération of the Rhine, in 1806. Each circle had a Kreistag (Diet of circle), although all the members of the Kreistag could not automatically belong to the Reichstag .

States apart from the circles

Certain a number of state did not integrate the circles:

territories depending on the crown of Bohemia: (Bohemia, Moravie, Silesia, as well as the High and Low-Lusace);
territories of the Swiss Confederation, which although concerning the Saint nominally Worsens, enjoyed an quasi-independence;
various territories in Italy septentrional, also virtually independent;
various small States, of which the county of Montbeliard (Mömpelgard) and the seigniory of Schmalkalden.

Diets of Circle

The decisions concerning the Circles (in particular taxes of the Empire as the Month Romain) are made in assemblies, the Diète of Circle , not to confuse with the diets of Empire (one can sit at the Diet of Empire without having of seat to the Diet of the Circles). The diets of the Circles are reserved to the owners of a immediate state, and each state gives a voice whatever the row of its owner (several Count S can sit for the same county but that gives only one vote and noble having several immediate states has several voices), contrary to the Diet of Empire or the voice all the more has importance that the voter is high.

And still it is not enough to be noble, prince or duke, with great territorial possessions to sit at the Kreisrat , but it is necessary moreover to have a ground still called an immediate state which gives this right. By sets of alliances or successions, conquests or repurchases, these unmittelbach Stand will be distributed between the hands of a handle of large Houses (Brandebourg, Hohenzollern, Saxony, Bavaria…).

The Palatinat comprises fourteen thus Baillage S, on both sides of the the Rhine, which confers on the Elector Palatine a seat with the diets of the Circle of Westphalia for the county of Juliers and a seat with the Circle of Bavaria for the principality of Sulzbach and the seigniory of Stauf-Ehrenfels. In the same way the voter of Brandebourg vote with the diets of the Circle of Westphalia for the duchy of Clèves and the principality of Manners and with the diets of the Circle of High Saxony for the county of Hohenstein.

Certain Circles organize their hierarchy within the diets of the Circles in the form of benches, as with the Diets of the Empire: the Circle of Franconie includes/understands a bench of the ecclesiastical princes, a bench of the secular princes, a bench of the counts and lords and a bench of the cities. What distinguishes from the Circles of Empire, they are certain princes admitted with the bench of the secular princes of the Diets of Circles (Nassau-Ussingen, Nassau-Saarbrück, Oettingen, Hohenzollern-Zigmaringen…) and which is not allowed in the benches of the princes of the Diets of the Empire.

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