Reichstag (institution): Difference between revisions

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== The ''Reichstag'' in the Holy Roman Empire ==
 
While the [[Holy Roman Empire]] lasted (formally until [[1806]]), the ''Reichstag'' never was a parliament in today's sense; instead, it was the assembly of the various leaders that Empire was comprised of. More precisely, it was the convention of the ''[[Imperial state|Reichsstände]]'' (imperial states), those legal entities that, according to [[Feudal Lawlaw]], had no authority above them besides the Emperor himself (see [[Holy Roman Empire]] for details).
 
The precise role and function changed over the centuries, as did the Empire itself, while the states gained more and more control at the expense of the imperial power. Initially, there was neither a fixed time nor ___location for the ''Reichstag''. It started as a convention of the dukes of the old Germanic tribes that formed the [[Frankish kingdom]] when important decisions had to be made, probably based on the old Germanic law that each leader relied on the support of his leading men. For example, already under [[Charlemagne]], the ''Reichstag'' in [[Aachen]] in [[802]]/[[803]] officially declared the laws of the [[Saxons]] and other tribes. In 1158, the ''Reichstag'' in [[Roncaglia]] finalized four laws that would significantly alter the (never formally written) [[constitution]] of the Empire, marking the beginning of the steady decline of the central power in favor of the local dukes. In 1356, the [[Golden Bull]] cemented the concept of ''Landesherrschaft'', the largely independent rule of the dukes over their respective territories.