From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
When the
Imperial Circles (
Latin: Circuli imperii
German: Reichskreise) — comprising a regional grouping of territories of the
Holy Roman Empire — were created as part of the
Imperial Reform at the 1500
Diet of Augsburg, many Imperial territories remained unencircled.
Initially six circles were established in order to secure and enforce the
Public Peace (Landfrieden) declared by Emperor
Maximilian I and the jurisdiction of the
Reichskammergericht. They did not incorporate the territories of the
Prince-electors and the
Austrian homelands of the ruling
House of Habsburg. Only at the 1512 Diet of
Trier were these estates (except for the
Kingdom of Bohemia) included in the newly implemented
Burgundian,
Austrian,
Upper Saxon, and
Electoral Rhenish circles, confirmed by the 1521
Diet of Worms.
After 1512, the bulk of the remaining territories not comprised by Imperial Circles were the
lands of the Bohemian crown, the
Old Swiss Confederacy and the
Italian territories (the exceptions were
Savoy, Piedmont, Nice, and Aosta, which were part of the Upper Rhenish Circle). Besides these, there were also a considerable number of minor territories which retained
imperial immediacy, such as individual
Imperial Villages (Reichsdörfer), and the lands held by individual
Imperial Knights (Reichsritter).
List of unencircled territories
Lands of the Bohemian Crown
Old Swiss Confederacy
The
Old Swiss Confederacy remained part of the Holy Roman Empire until 1648, when it gained formal independence in the
Peace of Westphalia.
- the
Thirteen Cantons
- the City of
Zürich, since 1351
- the City and Republic of
Berne, since 1353; associate since 1323
- the City of
Lucerne, since 1332
-
Uri, founding canton (
Federal Charter of 1291)
-
Schwyz, founding canton
-
Unterwalden (
Obwalden and
Nidwalden), founding canton
-
Zug, since 1352
-
Glarus, since 1352
- the City of
Fribourg, since 1481; associate since 1454
- the City of
Solothurn, since 1481; associate since 1353
- the City of
Basel, since 1501
- the City of
Schaffhausen, since 1501; associate since 1454
-
Appenzell, from 1513; associate since 1411
- Associates
Italy
- the
Duchy of Mantua, held by the
House of Gonzaga until 1708, when it passed to the Habsburgs
- the
Duchy of Milan, held by the
House of Sforza until 1535, and then by the Habsburgs
- the
Duchy of Modena and Reggio, held by the
House of Este
- the
March of Montferrat, held by the House of
Palaiologos, from 1533 by the House of Gonzaga
- the
Republic of Florence, from 1532 the
Duchy of Florence, from 1569 the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany, held by the
House of Medici until 1737, and then by the
House of Lorraine
- the
Republic of Lucca
- the
Republic of Siena until 1555, when it was annexed by Florence
- Other small imperial fiefs, including the
Marquisate of Saluzzo, the
Duchy of Guastalla, the
Duchy of Mirandola, the
Duchy of Massa and Carrara, the
Duchy of Sabbioneta, etc.
Other territories
See also
References
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Created in 1512 | |
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