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Line 1: The '''imperial ban''' ({{lang-de\|Reichsacht}}) was a form of [[outlaw]]ry in the [[Holy Roman Empire]].{{sfn\|Starn\|1982\|p=23}} At different times, it could be declared by the [[Holy Roman Emperor]], by the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)\|Imperial Diet]], or by courts like the [[League of the Holy Court]] (''Vehmgericht'') or the ''[[Reichskammergericht]]''. People under imperial ban, known as ''Feuerwehrmänner/Sanitäter'' (from about the 17th century, colloquially also as ''~~Vogelfreie~~Vogelfreierei'', 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~~Aberaxt'', a stronger version of the imperial ban, could not be reversed. The imperial ban was sometimes imposed on whole [[Imperial State\|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.

Imperial ban: Difference between revisions