List of Imperial abbeys

As Reich prelates one called abbots, abbesses, and priors and priors of direct imperial monasteries, Carthusian monasteries, abbeys, cathedral chapter, collegiate and woman pins in the Holy Roman Empire, which reported directly to the emperor. They were represented in the Reichstag and, divided into two colleges, the Rhenish and Swabian prelate Bank, which granted them each a Kuriatstimme and thus participation in matters of imperial politics. Most abbots led even without your own Virilstimme the title of prince-abbot and exercised in their area of ​​the secular territorial dominion. The head of internal rich ladies walking sticks partly contributed the title Abbess.

Status

From the status of imperial immediacy, a number of freedoms and privileges were. They enjoyed immunity, no prince had suzerainty and could even acquire large territories where they had the country's sovereignty and usually also were able to exercise the lower and high courts. In particular, the high court they presented the same prince. They possessed the empire state stem and were in addition to the archbishops and prince-bishops with whom they ruled the clergy areas of the Empire, members of the imperial church. The fewest Empire prelates were awarded Virilstimmen own, which they then completely the other ecclesiastical and secular princes equated as abbots or prince provosts in the proper sense.

History and composition

Some of the most prosperous kingdom monasteries emerged in the High Middle Ages in the area of ​​Lake Constance and in Upper Swabia, where after the dissolution of the duchy of Swabia very many cities and monasteries, imperial immediacy was granted.

The Reichsmatrikel of 1521 lists a total of 83 imperial prelate whose number was reduced to 1792 by mediations, secularization, assignments to other European countries and surveys in the imperial princes to 40.

At the beginning of the early modern period were among the 14 abbesses of Quedlinburg, Essen, Herford, Niedermünster in Regensburg, Thorn, Obermünster in Regensburg, Kaufungen, Lindau, Gernrode, Buchau, Rottenmünster, Heggbach, Good cell and Baindt and the bailiwicks of the German Order of Koblenz, Alsace and Burgundy, Austria and at the Adige to the kingdom prelate stand on. Furthermore, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order and the Grand Master of the Knights belonged to it.

At the end of the early modern period were only that remained of the bailiwicks in Koblenz and of Alsace and Burgundy, while a. Of the abbesses only two, by secularization, the other no longer counted by elevation to the imperial princes to the inner circle of the imperial prelates

The abbots and provosts of Fulda, Kempten, White Castle, Muri, Ellwangen, Murbach Lüders, Corvey, Stavelot, Prüm Berchtesgaden and were ennobled and given a seat and vote in the Imperial Council of the Reichstag. The Imperial abbeys in Hersfeld, Saalfeld, Walk Ried, Maulbronn, Herrenalb and Königsbronn were secularized and some others, such as Reichenau, St. Blaise, Riddagshausen, Selz and St. Peter in the Black Forest lost their kingdom stand shaft. But the emergence of the Swiss Confederation helped to reduce the number of imperial prelate, since, among other St. Gallen, Schaffhausen and Einsiedeln, and thus the local monasteries no longer belonged to the kingdom.

The territories that belonged to the kingdom of prelates were mostly very small and sometimes included only a few buildings. However, they were often cultural centers.

In the course of secularization and mediatization the imperial immediacy were deprived of 1802-1806 the kingdom monasteries. Most of them were subsequently canceled altogether - their territorial and material acquis came to make profit from the larger secular principalities such as Baden, Bavaria and Württemberg.

Role of the imperial prelate in the Reichstag

The Empire prelates were in the Reichstag on either the Swabian or the Rhenish prelate College and had with the other prelates ever a common voice ( = Kuriatstimme ), then as much as the single voice ( = Virilstimme ) was one of the imperial princes.

In the Rhenish College 19 prelates from the southern and western half of the empire were assembled. So were becoming, Corneli Minster, the Abbey of St. Emmeram in Regensburg and the two local ladies pins of Obermünster and Niedermünster. Furthermore, the abbess was a member of the important woman abbey food, the Cistercian Abbey Kaisheim and St. Ulrich and Afra in Augsburg.

The Swabian College comprised exclusively the many small Prelatures from the Upper Swabian region. Among them were the abbeys of Elchingen, Irsee, Rye Castle, shot Ried, Ursberg, Rot an der Rot, Wettenhausen, Marchtal, Ochsenhausen, Zwiesel and wine garden. The college also belonged to the Benedictine Abbey of Ottobeuren, but it was not represented in the Reichstag. In fact, it was in the Swabian kingdom prelate usually the Benedictine College and Norbertine that mutually zuspielten the most important positions and alternately presented the directors of the College. Most frequently asked the Abbey Weingarten the Director. The imperial abbey of Salem, although they stood in the ranking at the top, it only once managed to make with Anselm Schwab, the Director.

The Swabian kingdom prelate College was formed in 1575 due to the developed by the geographical proximity of Prelatures cohesion and strengthened them. Due to the cohesion of the faculty members, it reached much more political weight than the Rhenish College. Thus, the Swabian kingdom prelates were always send a representative to interständische committees and had the abbot of the monastery of Upper Swabia Weingarten a legally enshrined since 1555 representatives in Ordinary Reichsdeputationstag.

To the Imperial Council of prelates belonging Empire

The names are ordered according to the ranking.

• Abbot of Fulda, later Bishop of Fulda
• Abbot of Kempten
• Provost of Ellwangen
• Abbot of Murbach and Lüders (French Lure )
• Provost of Berchtesgaden
• Provost of White Castle, a personal union with the Bishop of Speyer
• Abbot of Prüm, personal union with the Archbishop of Trier
• Abbot of Stavelot and Malmedy
• Abbot, later Bishop of Corvey

When Prince abbeys also be mentioned:

• Abbot of Hersfeld. 1648 secularized
• Abbot of St. Emmeram, since 1731
• Abbot of St. Gallen

Swabian kingdom prelate College

• Abbess of GeopathSchänis, 1529-31 secularized temporarily
• Abbot of Marmoutier, after 1790 secularized

Cistercian:

• Abbot of Kaisheim
• Abbot of Salem / Salman Because ( he )
• Abbess of Baindt
• Abbess of Heggbach
• Abbess of good cell
• Abbess of Rottenmünster
• Secularized Abbot of Herrenalb, 1536
• Abbot of forest Assen, 1543 loss of imperial immediacy, later repeated secularized and reconstituted
• Abbot of Fürstenfeld
• Abbot of Maulbronn 1504 loss of imperial immediacy in favor of Württemberg, in 1555 finally secularized

Benedictine:

• Abbot of Weingarten
• Abbot of Ochsenhausen
• Abbot of Elchingen
• Abbot of Irsee
• Abbot of Peter Hausen
• Abbot of Zwiesel
• Abbot of Gengenbach
• Abbot of Neresheim
• Abbot of St. Georg
• Provost of Comburg
• Abbot of Disentis
• Abbess of Chiemsee Woman
• Secularized Abbess of woman Münster, 1524
• Secularized Abbess of Göß, 1782
• Abbot of Schuttern
• Abbot of Ottobeuren
• Abbot of Prüfening
• Abbot of St. Emmeram
• Abbot of Reichenau, 1540 waiver of imperial immediacy in favor of the diocese of Constance
• Secularized Abbot of Mondsee, 1791
• Secularized Abbot of St. Gallen, 1527-32 temporarily and 1798

Premonstratensian:

• Abbot of Ursberg
• Abbot of Rye Castle
• Abbot of Weißenau
• Abbot of Schussenried
• Abbot of Marchtal
• Abbot of Red
• Secularized provost of Lorsch, 1556

Augustinian canons:

• Abbot of Wettenhausen

Poor Clares:

• Abbess of Söflingen

Minoriten:

• Secularized Abbess of Lindau, 1528

Rhenish kingdom prelate College

Information for 1792

• Monastery Kaisheim
• Deutschordensballei Koblenz
• Deutschordensballei Alsace and Burgundy
• Ritterstiftskirche Odenheim and Bruchsal
• Werden Abbey
• Monastery of St. Ulrich and Afra in Augsburg
• Monastery Isny
• Imperial Abbey Kornelimünster
• Kloster Sankt Emmeram
• Essen Abbey
• Pin Buchau
• Pin Quedlinburg
• Herford Abbey
• Pin Gernrode 1728 secularized
• Monastery Niedermünster to Regensburg
• Upper Monastery Cathedral of Regensburg
• Abbey Burtscheid
• Pin Gander Home
• Pin Thorn