People under imperial ban, known as Geächtete (from about the 17th century, colloquially also as Vogelfreie, lit. "free as a bird"), lost all their rights and possessions. They were legally considered dead, and anyone was allowed to rob, injure, or kill them without legal consequences. The imperial ban automatically followed the
excommunication of a person, as well as extending to anyone offering help to a person under the imperial ban.
Those banned could reverse the ban by submitting to the legal authority. The Aberacht,[citation needed] a stronger version of the imperial ban, could not be reversed.
The imperial ban was sometimes imposed on whole
Imperial Estates. In that case, other estates could attack and seek to conquer them. The effect of the ban on a city or other Estate was that it lost its
Imperial immediacy and in the future would have a second overlord in addition to the emperor.
Famous people placed under the imperial ban included:
1521 -
Martin Luther and his supporters, for claiming that some doctrines practiced by the
Catholic Church were contrary to the Bible or had no biblical basis.