Imperial Village
A kingdom village was the Holy Roman Empire a rich immediate location, but had no empire state stem. The kingdom of villages were in 1648 recognized the Peace of Westphalia in addition to the estates of the empire and the imperial knights.
Function and history
Empire villages were the remains of the old crown lands resolved in the 15th century. Residents of villages Empire were not subjected to serfdom, and had to do no forced labor. These rights were always observed even in the not infrequent pledges to local princes. With certain restrictions, the kingdom villages exercised the sovereign right out in church and school affairs. Since the Reformation, it also had the freedom of religion. Empire villages chose their Schultheiße (mayor) and judges, with low, partly high jurisdiction, even and sat firmly village orders. You only paid imperial taxes.
In the 14th century there were more than 100 villages Empire, whose number decreased gradually by pledging, gift and submission. At the end of the Holy Roman Empire ( Reich 1803 ) were mediated the few remaining villages Empire. These were:
- The fresco on Leutkircher Heide ( in the territory of today's districts Reichenhofen, Herlazhofen and Wuchzenhofen the city Leutkirch im Allgäu)
- The Taunus Sulzbach villages (now Sulzbach ( Taunus) ), Holzhausen (now as Burgholzhausen district of Friedrichsdorf ) and Soden (now Bad Soden am Taunus)
- The Lower Franconian villages Gochscheim and Senn near Schweinfurt
- The free Reichstal Harmersbach
List of Empire villages
The 40 former imperial villages and Reichweiler in Alsace
- Empire villages
- Batzendorf
- Bernolsheim
- Berstheim
- Bilwisheim
- Bitschhoffen
- Bossdorf
- Dangolsheim
- Eschbach
- Ettendorf
- Forstheim
- Grassendorf
- Gunstett
- Hegeney
- Hochstett
- Kindwiller
- Kriegsheim
- Kuttolsheim
- Lixhausen
- Minversheim
- Mittelschaeffolsheim
- Mommenheim
- Morschwiller
- Mutzen Hausen
- Niederschaeffolsheim
- Ohlungen
- Ringeldorf
- Rottelsheim
- Scherlenheim
- Soufflenheim
- Surburg
- Überach
- Wahlheim
- Walk
- Wingersheim
- Wintershausen
- Witternheim
Reichweiler:
- Gebolsheim ( to Witternheim )
- Keffendorf ( to Ohlungen )
- Rumersheim ( to Berstett )