- published: 01 Sep 2015
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In the Holy Roman Empire, a free imperial city (German: freie Reichsstadt) was a city formally ruled by the emperor only—as opposed to the majority of cities in the Empire, which were governed by one of the many princes of the Empire, such as dukes or prince-bishops. Free Cities also had independent representation in the Reichstag of the Holy Roman Empire.
There was distinction on paper made between Reichsstädte (Imperial Cities) and Freie Städte (free cities). Imperial Cities were those formally ruled by secular princes. As vassals of the Emperor, they paid taxes to the Emperor and had to supply troops for his military campaigns.
Free Cities were those formally ruled by a prince-bishop. They were not required to pay Imperial taxes or raise troops except during a Crusade, and had other additional rights and privileges (which varied greatly among them). The Free Cities gained independence from their prince-bishops during the High Middle Ages. Examples are Basel (1000), Speyer (1111), Worms (1184), Mainz (1244, revoked 1462), Regensburg (1245), Strasbourg (1262) and Cologne (1288).
Imperial City may refer to:
It can also be a generic term for a major city that dominates the economic activities of a large region and which also builds impressive public and private structures and cultural institutions, even if it possesses a democratic government within the framework of a larger republic (for example, as described in the book Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin by Gray Brechin).
Imperial immediacy (German: Reichsfreiheit or Reichsunmittelbarkeit) was a privileged feudal and political status, which the estates of the realm such as an imperial city, a religious entity, a feudal principality, or a minor lordship could attain within the Holy Roman Empire. A reichsfrei city, abbey or territory was under the direct authority of the Holy Roman Emperor and the Imperial Diet (Reichstag), without any intermediary liege lord(s). In modern terms, it would be understood as a form of sovereignty.
Several immediate estates held the privilege to attend the Reichstag meetings in person including an individual vote (votum virile):
They formed the Imperial Estates together with those Counts and Barons, Imperial prelates and Imperial cities who only held a collective vote (votum curiatum).
Further immediate estates not represented in the Reichstag were the Imperial Knights as well as several abbeys and minor localities, the remains of those territories, which in the High Middle Ages had been under the direct authority of the Emperor and mostly had been given in pledge to the princes meanwhile.