Imperial circle of the Holy Roman Empire
The Franconian Circle as at 1789, before the
French Revolutionary Wars
and the
dissolution
of the
Holy Roman Empire
The
Franconian Circle
(
German
:
Frankischer Reichskreis
) was an
Imperial Circle
established in 1500 in the centre of the
Holy Roman Empire
. It comprised the eastern part of the former
Franconian
stem duchy?roughly corresponding with the present-day
Bavarian
Regierungsbezirke
of
Upper
,
Middle
and
Lower Franconia
?while western
Rhenish Franconia
belonged to the
Upper Rhenish Circle
. The title of a "Duke of Franconia" was claimed by the
Wurzburg bishops
.
Emergence and location
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]
As early as the
Middle Ages
, Franconia had very close links to king and empire. Located between the Rhenish territories of the empire and the
Kingdom of Bohemia
, Franconia, which included the former
Duchy of Franconia
, had been one of the centres of empire for a long time.
By order of Emperor
Louis of Bavaria
, Bamberg, Wurzburg, Eichstatt and Fulda with the Hohenzollern Burgraves of Nuremberg, Counts of Henneberg, the Castell and Hohenlohe, the three episcopal cities, and the imperial cities of Nuremberg and Rothenburg united for the first time in a
Landfrieden
union. But this union (the Franconian
Landfrieden
) did not last long; it disintegrated in the face of opposition from cities and princes.
[1]
[2]
On 2 July 1500, at the
Reichstag of Augsburg
, the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was divided into six imperial circles. These first circles were originally numbered, the Franconian Imperial Circle being given the number 1:
The first circle comprises the princes, principalities, states and territories described below, namely the Bishops of
Bamberg
,
Wirtzburg
,
Eystett
, the Margrave of Brandenburg as
Burgraves of Nuremberg
, the Counts, free and imperial cities, where they are seated and located.
[3]
The circles were later given names that corresponded to their geographical location, which gave rise to the name Franconian Imperial Circle, which appeared for the first time in 1522. In the late Middle Ages, Franconia was understood to mean the area between the forested uplands of the
Spessart
and the
Steigerwald
, mainly comprising the estates of the Bishopric of Wurzburg.
The imperial circle extended from the
Franconian Saale
river to the
Altmuhl
river and encompassed most of the upper and middle reaches of the
River Main
, roughly corresponding to the modern Bavarian provinces of
Upper
,
Middle
and
Lower Franconia
, but without the
Electoral Mainz
estates of the Upper Stift around
Aschaffenburg
.
Using the name Franconia, created an awareness of an inner unity and with an increased sense of togetherness and solidarity which, however, did not exist in the political or sovereign arenas.
Composition
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]
The circle was made up of the following states:
Name
|
Type of entity
|
Comments
|
Ansbach
|
Margraviate
|
Established in 1398, held by the
House of Hohenzollern
, acquired by
Prussia
in 1791, 28th seat to the
Reichstag
|
Bamberg
|
Prince-Bishopric
|
Diocese established in 1007 by King
Henry II
, Prince-Bishopric since about 1245, 11th seat to the
Reichstag
|
Bayreuth
|
Margraviate
|
Established in 1398 at
Kulmbach
, held by the House of Hohenzollern,
personal union
with Ansbach from 1769, acquired by Prussia in 1791, 30th seat to the
Reichstag
|
Castell
|
County
|
Imperial
counts since 1202
|
Eichstatt
|
Prince-Bishopric
|
Established in 741 by
Saint Boniface
; 17th seat to the
Reichstag
|
Erbach
|
County
|
Imperial counts from 1532
|
Franconia
|
Teutonic
bailiwick
|
Seated in
Bad Mergentheim
, 9th seat to the
Reichstag
|
Hausen
|
Lordship
|
Held by
Bamberg
since 1007,
condominium
with
Bayreuth
and
Nuremberg
from 1538
|
Henneberg
|
Princely
County
|
Principality since 1310, line extinct in 1583, acquired by
Saxe-Weimar
and
Saxe-Gotha
in 1660
|
Hohenlohe
|
County
|
Immediate counts since 1450, raised to principality in 1744
|
Limpurg
|
Lordship
|
Territory around Limpurg Castle near
Schwabisch Hall
, held by the
Schenken von Limpurg
, hereditary
cup-bearers
of the Empire for the
Bohemian
kings
|
Lowenstein
|
County
|
Imperial immediacy since 1494, Lowenstein-
Wertheim
from 1574, raised to principality in 1711
|
Nuremberg
|
Imperial City
|
Reichsfreiheit
granted by
Frederick II of Hohenstaufen
in 1219
|
Reichelsberg
|
Lordship
|
Territory around Reichelsberg Castle near
Aub
, originally a
fiefdom
granted by
Bamberg
to
Hohenlohe
, since 1401 a fief of
Wurzburg
|
Rieneck
|
County
|
Territory around
Rieneck Castle
, established in 1168, claimed as a fief by
Mainz
from 1366, line extinct in 1559, acquired by the Imperial counts of
Nostitz
in 1673
|
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
|
Imperial City
|
Reichsfreiheit
granted by
Rudolph of Habsburg
1274
|
Schwarzenberg
|
Lordship
|
Established in 1429 by the Lords of
Seinsheim
, territory around Schwarzenberg Castle near
Scheinfeld
, Imperial county from 1599, principality from 1670
|
Schweinfurt
|
Imperial City
|
Since 1254
|
Seinsheim
|
Lordship
|
Held by the Counts of Schwarzenberg from 1655
|
Weißenburg
|
Imperial City
|
Since 1296
|
Welzheim
|
Lordship
|
Fiefdom of
Wurttemberg
, from 1379 to 1713 in possession of the
Schenken von Limburg
|
Wertheim
|
County
|
Established in 1132, acquired by Lowenstein in 1574
|
Wiesentheid
|
Lordship
|
Imperial county from 1678, acquired by the Counts of
Schonborn
in 1701
|
Windsheim
|
Imperial City
|
Since 1248
|
Wurzburg
|
Prince-Bishopric
|
Established in 741 by
Saint Boniface
, prince-bishopric since 1168, titular "Duke in Franconia", 13th seat to the
Reichstag
|
See also
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]
References
[
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]
- ^
Endres, Rudolf (1967).
Zur Geschichte des frankischen Reichskreises
[On the History of the Imperial Franconian Circle], p. 168.
- ^
Pfeiffer, Gerhard (1971).
Die koniglichen Landfriedenseinungen in Franken
[The Royal Landfrieden Agreements in Franconia] in: Vortrage und Forschungen: Der deutsche Territorialstaat im 14. Jahrhundert II (1986, 2nd edn.) Vol. 14: Vortrage und Forschungen: Der deutsche Territorialstaat im 14. Jahrhundert II (1986, 2nd edn.) Konstanzer Arbeitskreis fur mittelalterliche Geschichte (eds.), p. 231
- ^
c.f.
Maximilian I
: No. 177. (152). Regimental Order of Maximilian I (Augsburg Reichstag). - 2 July 1500; in: Karl Zeumer (ed.):
Quellensammlung zur Geschichte der Deutschen Reichsverfassung in Mittelalter und Neuzeit
, Tubingen, pp. 297-307 , here: §6,
p. 299
Sources
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]
External links
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]
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Created in 1500
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Created in 1512
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and
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