Princely abbeys and imperial abbeys of the Holy Roman Empire

File:Abt Rittler Portrait 1.jpg

Anselm Rittler, last Imperial abbot of Weingarten (1784–1804). Starting in 1555, the abbots of Weingarten cast the collective vote of the Imperial abbots of Swabia at the Imperial Diet.

File:Swabia in the late 18th century.jpg

Imperial abbeys in Swabia

File:David Mieser Ravensburg 1625 Weißenau.jpg

Weissenau abbey, c. Template:Trim

Princely abbeys (Template:Langx, Fürststift) and Imperial abbeys (Template:Langx, Reichskloster, Reichsstift, Reichsgotthaus) were religious establishments within the Holy Roman Empire which enjoyed the status of imperial immediacy (Reichsunmittelbarkeit) and therefore were answerable directly to the Emperor. The possession of imperial immediacy came with a unique form of territorial authority known as Landeshoheit, which carried with it nearly all the attributes of sovereignty.

Princely abbeys and imperial abbeys

The distinction between a princely abbey and an imperial abbey was related to the status of the abbot: while both prince-abbots and the more numerous imperial abbots sat on the ecclesiastical bench of the College of ruling princes of the Imperial Diet, prince-abbots cast an individual vote while imperial abbots cast only a curial (collective) vote alongside his or her fellow imperial abbots and abbesses. Eight princely abbeys (including similar status priories) and roughly 40 imperial abbeys survived up to the mass secularisation of 1802–03 when they were all secularized.

File:Anselm Reichlin von Meldegg 18. Jh.JPG

An 18th-century prince-abbot: Anselm Reichlin von Meldegg of Kempten

The head of an Imperial abbey was generally an Imperial abbot (Reichsabt) or Imperial abbess (Reichsäbtissin). (The head of a Reichspropstei—an Imperial provostry or priory—was generally a Reichspropst). Collectively, Imperial abbots, provosts and priors were formally known as Reichsprälaten (Imperial Prelates). A small number of the larger and most prestigious establishments had the rank of princely abbeys (Fürstsabtei), and were headed by a prince-abbot or a prince-provost (Fürstabt, Fürstpropst), with status comparable to that of Prince-Bishops. Most however were imperial prelates and as such participated in a single collective vote in the Imperial Diet as members of the Bench of Prelates, later (1575) divided into the Swabian College of Imperial Prelates and the Rhenish College of Imperial Prelates. Despite their difference of status within the Imperial Diet, both the Imperial Prelates and the Prince-Abbots exercised the same degree of authority over their principality.

Some abbeys, particularly in Switzerland, gained the status of princely abbeys (Fürstsabtei) during the Middle Ages or later but they either didn't have a territory over which they ruled or they lost that territory after a short while. This was the case with Kreuzlingen, Allerheiligen, Einsiedeln, Muri and Saint-Maurice abbeys. One major exception was the large and powerful Abbey of St. Gall which remained independent up to its dissolution during the Napoleonic period, despite the fact that, as a Swiss abbey, it had stopped taking part in the Imperial Diet and other institutions of the Holy Roman Empire once the independence of the Swiss Confederacy was recognized in 1648. Elsewhere, the Prince-Abbot of St. Blaise's Abbey in the Black Forest held that title, not on account of the status of the abbey, which was not immediate, but because it was conferred on him by the abbey's ownership of the immediate County of Bonndorf (later annexed to the Principality of Heitersheim of the Knights of Malta).

Lists of Imperial abbeys

List of Imperial abbeys with seat and voice at the Imperial Diet of 1792

Source:

The following list includes the Imperial abbeys which had seat and voice at the Imperial Diet of 1792. They, along with the two Teutonic Order commanderies whose commanders ranked as prelates, are listed according to their voting order on the two Benches of Prelates of the Diet. Not shown are the abbeys of Stablo, Kempten and Corvey, whose abbots had princely status and sat on the Ecclesiastical Bench of the College of Ruling Princes. For additional information on individual abbeys, see: List A: Imperial abbeys named in the Matrikel below this list.

List A: Imperial abbeys named in the Matrikel of 1521

The religious houses listed here as List A are those named in the Matrikel, or lists of those eligible to vote in the Imperial Diet, including those whose votes were collective rather than individual. Three of these lists survive and are accessible, from 1521, 1755 (or thereabouts) and 1792.

File:Zwiefalten 1890.jpg

The former Imperial abbey of Zwiefalten in 1890. Most Imperial abbeys belonged to the Benedictine order.

This list includes the Principalities, Imperial abbeys (Reichsabteien and -klöster), Imperial colleges (Reichsstifte), Imperial provostries or priories (Reichspropsteien) and the single Imperial charterhouse (Reichskartause).

The word "Stift", meaning a collegiate foundation or canonry, possibly belonging to a variety of different orders or to none at all, and either with or without rules and vows, for either men ("Herrenstift") or for women (Frauenstift), has been left untranslated, except when it specifically refers to the chapter of a church.

File:Germania benedictina.jpg

Germania Benedictina

Some of the imperial abbeys were dissolved during the Reformation; others were absorbed into other territories at various times in the general course of political life. Those in Alsace and Switzerland passed out of the Empire in 1648, when Alsace was ceded to France and Switzerland became independent. The great majority of these religious bodies however were secularized during the brief period that included the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and their aftermath, especially as a result of the German mediatization (Reichsdeputationshauptschluss) of February 1803. Any that survived lost their Imperial status when the Holy Roman Empire was wound up in 1806.

Abbreviations

• Description and Imperial status column:
  • RA stands for Reichsabtei (Imperial abbey)
  • RF stands for "Reichsfürstentum" (Princely Abbey)
  • RP stands for "Reichspropstei" (Imperial provostry)
• Lost imm. column:
  • imm. Imperial immediacy
  • Sec. secularised
  • Med. mediatised
  • Switz. Switzerland
  • Hel. Helvetic Republic
• College column:
  • RC stands for "Rhenish College"
  • SC stands for "Swabian College"
  • RF stands for "Reichsfürst", i.e., the head of the house in question had the status of prince with an individual seat and voice in the Imperial Diet; there were ten of those (Fulda, Kempten, Ellwangen, Murbach-Lüders, Berchtesgaden, Weissenburg, Prüm, Stablo-Malmedy, Corvey and St. Gall).

CoA	Religious house	Location	Founded	Imm.	Lost imm.	To...	Description and status	College
File:CoA Baindt Abbey, BW.svg	Baindt Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Cistercian nunnery; reichsunmittelbar but remained subordinate to Salem Abbey. RA	SC
File:Wappen Fürstpropstei Berchtesgaden.svg	Berchtesgaden Provostry	Bavaria	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Augustinian Canons. Fürstpropstei ("Prince-Provostry"). RF from 1380 or 1559	RF
File:CoA Baindt Abbey, BW.svg	Buchau Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Frauenstift. RA. RF	RC
File:Wappen Abtei Burtscheid.svg	Burtscheid Abbey	North Rhine-Westphalia (Aachen)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery; from 1220/21 Cistercian nunnery. RF	RC
File:Reichskartause Buxheim coat of arms.svg	Buxheim Charterhouse	Bavaria	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts/03 Sec.		Canons; Carthusians from 1402 (the only Reichskartause). RP	SC and RC
File:Wappen Comburg.png	Comburg	Baden-Württemberg (Schwäbisch Hall)	Template:Ntss	Template:Ntsh before 15th century	Template:Nts Med.		Benedictine monastery, later Herrenstift. Mediatised by Württemberg 1587; secularised 1803. RA	SC
File:Party per fess or and gules.svg	Corvey Abbey	North Rhine-Westphalia (Höxter)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RA; RF no later than 1582	RF
File:CHE Disentis Muster COA.svg	Disentis Abbey	Switzerland	Template:Nts	Template:Ntshearly 8th century	Template:Nts Hel.		Benedictine monastery; secularised 1798; re-established 1803. RA	SC
File:Coat of arms echternach luxbrg.svg	Echternach Abbey	Luxembourg	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. Mediatised by Austria sometime after 1521 RA
File:Einsiedeln-Abbey-coat of arms.svg	Einsiedeln Abbey	Switzerland	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Switz.		Benedictine monastery. Ceased to be part of the HRE in 1648; secularised 1798; re-established 1803. RA
File:Wappen Oberelchingen.png	Elchingen Abbey	Bavaria	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RA	SC
File:Wappen Propstei Ellwangen.gif	Ellwangen Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery; Fürstpropstei ("Prince-Provostry"). Possibly founded as early as 732. RF	RF
File:Wappen Stift Essen.svg	Essen Abbey	North Rhine-Westphalia	Template:Nts	Template:Ntsh betw. 874 and 947	Template:Nts Sec.		Frauenstift. RA	RC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Frauenchiemsee Abbey (aka Frauenwörth)	Bavaria	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine nunnery. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Fraumünster Abbey	Switzerland (Zürich)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine nunnery. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Fürstenfeld Abbey	Bavaria (Fürstenfeldbruck)	Template:Nts	Uncertain	Template:Nts Sec.		Cistercian monastery. RA	SC
File:CHE Köniz COA.svg	Fulda Abbey	Hesse	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RF	RF
File:Party per pale sable and or.svg	Gandersheim Abbey	Lower Saxony	Template:Nts	Template:Nts (de facto 877)	Template:Nts Sec.		Frauenstift. The abbey asserted Imperial immediacy but owned no reichsunmittelbar estates, and was claimed until 1709 by Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. RA	RC
File:Wappenbuch Circulus Suevicus 26.jpg	Gengenbach Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts–35	Template:Ntsh 9th century	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Gernrode Abbey	Saxony-Anhalt	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Med.		Frauenstift. De facto sovereignty lost to Anhalt in 1570. RA	RC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Göss Abbey	Austria (Leoben)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine nunnery. RA	SC
File:Wappen Kloster Gutenzell.svg	Gutenzell Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Cistercian nunnery. RA	SC
File:Kloster Heggbach Wappen.svg	Heggbach Abbey	Baden-Württemberg (Maselheim)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Beguines; Cistercian nunnery from 1248. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Helmarshausen Abbey	Hesse (Bad Karlshafen)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RA	SC
File:POL heraldy - pas.svg	Herford Abbey	North Rhine-Westphalia	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Frauenstift. Lutheran from 1533. RA	RC
File:DEU Bad Herrenalb COA.svg	Herrenalb Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts/48	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Med.		Cistercian monastery. RA	SC
File:Reichsabtei Hersfeld.svg	Hersfeld Abbey	Hesse	Template:Nts–42	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. De facto mediatised to Hesse-Kassel from 1606. RA	RC
File:Reichsabtei Irsee coat of arms.svg	Irsee Abbey	Bavaria	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RA	SC
File:Wappen Markt Kaisheim.png	Kaisheim Abbey (sometimes Kaisersheim Abbey)	Bavaria	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Cistercian monastery. Immediacy was not recognised by the Wittelsbachs, who were the Vögte; a legal agreement was reached with their successors in 1656, confirming Reichsfreiheit. RA	SC and RC
File:DEU Kaufungen COA.png	Kaufungen Abbey	Hesse (Kassel)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Med.		Benedictine nunnery. Given to the Hessische Ritterschaft 1532; still extant as a private foundation. RA
File:Fuerststift Kempten coat of arms.png	Kempten Abbey	Bavaria	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery; Fürststift from 1524. RA / RF	RF
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Klingenmünster Abbey	Rhineland-Palatinate	Template:Nts?	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Possibly founded in 636, definitely before 780. Benedictine abbey until 1490; then Herrenstift. RA / RP	RC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Königsbronn Abbey	Baden-Württemberg (Heidenheim)	Template:Nts	Template:Ntsh probably 15th century	Template:Nts Med.		Cistercian monastery, taken over and made Protestant by Württemberg. It remained Protestant despite failed attempts to revert to Catholicism in 1630–32 and 1635–48; it was finally secularised in 1710. RA
File:Wappen Reichsabtei Kornelimünster.svg	Kornelimünster Abbey	North Rhine-Westphalia (Aachen)	Template:Nts	Template:Ntsh by mid-9th century	Template:Nts		Benedictine monastery. RA	RC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Kreuzlingen Abbey	Switzerland	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Switz.		Augustinian Canons. Dissolved by the cantonal government in 1848. RA
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Lindau Abbey	Bavaria	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts		Frauenstift, possibly later a Reichsfürstabtei; RA.	SC
File:Coat of Arms of the Bishopric of Konstanz.svg	Lorsch Abbey	Hesse (Darmstadt)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts (confirmed)	Template:Nts Med.		Benedictine monastery until 1248; thereafter Premonstratensian until dissolution in 1556. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Malmedy Abbey	Belgium	Template:Nts	Template:Nts?	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery, forming a single principality with Stavelot. RA	RF
File:Wappen Kloster Marchtal.svg	Marchtal Abbey (also Marchthal)	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Ntsh before 776	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Premonstratensian monastery. Refounded 1171. RA	SC
File:Blason ville fr Marmoutier Bas-Rhin.svg	Marmoutier Abbey; also Maursmünster	Alsace	Template:Nts	Template:Ntsh 659	Template:Nts		Benedictine monastery. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Maulbronn Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Cistercian monastery. Seized by Württemberg in 1504, secularised in 1534, alternated between Cistercianism and Protestantism until settled to the latter by Peace of Westphalia in 1648. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Memleben Abbey	Saxony-Anhalt	Template:Nts	Template:Ntsh uncertain, poss. late 10th century	Template:Nts Med.		Benedictine monastery. RA	RC
File:DEU Siegburg COA.svg	Michaelsberg Abbey (also known as Siegburg Abbey)	North Rhine-Westphalia (Siegburg)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Med.		Benedictine monastery. Secularised in 1803. RA	RC
File:Wappen Rot an der Rot.svg	Mönchrot Abbey, also Mönchroth, Münchenroth, Rot or Rot an der Rot Abbey	Baden-Württemberg (Rot an der Rot)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Med.		Premonstratensian monastery. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Mondsee Abbey	Austria	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts		Benedictine monastery. Imperial immediacy lost to the Bishopric of Regensburg 831–1142. RA	SC
File:Blason de la ville de Munster (68).svg	Abbey of Münster im Gregoriental	Alsace	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RA	SC
File:Blason Murbach.svg	Murbach Abbey (incl Lüders)	Alsace	Template:Nts	Template:Ntsh 792	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. Effectively French since 1648, but anomalously remained legally part of the Empire; dissolved during the Revolution. RF	RF
File:Muri-district-blason.png	Muri Abbey	Switzerland	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Switz.		Benedictine monastery. The abbey was never immediate, but the abbot was created Reichsfürst in 1701. RA
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Neresheim Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. The abbey's status was the subject of litigation with the County of Oettingen until after 1760. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Niedermünster	Bavaria (Regensburg)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Frauenstift. Refounded 788, 948–55. RA	RC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Nordhausen chapter	Thuringia	Template:Ntsh poss. mid-10th century	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Chapter of Nordhausen Cathedral. RA
File:Reichsstift Obermuenster coat of arms.svg	Obermünster	Bavaria (Regensburg)	Template:Ntsh early 9th century	Template:Nts	Template:Nts		Benedictine nunnery, later Frauenstift. RA. RF from 1315	RC
File:DEU Gessertshausen COA.svg	Oberschönenfeld Abbey	Bavaria	Template:Nts	Template:Nts?	Template:Nts Sec.		Beguines until c 1211, then Cistercian nunnery, formalised from 1248. RA
File:Wappen Ochsenhausen.svg	Ochsenhausen Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec		Benedictine monastery. RA	SC
File:Wappen Odenheim.png	Odenheim Abbey (originally Wigoldsberg; later also Odenheim and Bruchsal)	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts–03 Sec		Benedictine monastery; Herrenstift from 1496. RA	RC
File:CoA Ottobeuren Abbey.svg	Ottobeuren Abbey	Bavaria	Template:Nts	Template:Nts, regranted 1710	Template:Nts Sec	(File:Coat of Arms of the Bishopric of Augsburg.svg Bishopric of Augsburg 1624–1710)	Benedictine monastery. RA	SC
File:Wappen Kloster Petershausen.svg	Petershausen Abbey	Baden-Württemberg (Konstanz)	Template:Nts	Template:Ntsh early 13th century	Template:Nts Sec		Benedictine monastery. RA	SC
File:Pfäfers-blazon.svg	Pfäfers Abbey	Switzerland	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Switz.		Benedictine monastery. Ceased to be part of HRE in 1648 (secularised 1798; re-established 1803). RA
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Prüfening Abbey	Bavaria (Regensburg)	Template:Nts	Template:Ntsh Unknown	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RA	SC
File:DEU Prüm COA.svg	Prüm Abbey	Rhineland-Palatinate	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. Annexed by France 1794. RF	RF
File:Wappen Landkreis Quedlinburg 1939.svg	Quedlinburg Abbey	Saxony-Anhalt	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts		Frauenstift; Lutheran from 1540. RA	RC
File:DEU Recklinghausen COA.svg	Recklinghausen Abbey (also Rechenhausen)	North Rhine-Westphalia	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown		RA
File:DEU Reichenau COA.svg	Reichenau Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Unknown	Template:Nts or 1548		Benedictine monastery. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Riddagshausen Abbey	Brunswick	Template:Nts/46	Template:Ntsh Uncertain, early	Template:Nts Med.		Cistercian monastery. Mediatised on Reformation to Lutheran seminary; secularised 1809. RA
File:Reichsabtei Roggenburg coat of arms.png	Roggenburg Abbey	Bavaria	Template:Nts	Template:Nts–1485	Template:Nts Sec.		Premonstratensian monastery. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Rottenmünster Abbey	Baden-Württemberg (Rottweil)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Cistercian nunnery. Reopened 1898. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Saalfeld Abbey	Thuringia (Saalfeld)	Template:Nts	Unknown	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RA
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	St Bartholomäus cathedral chapter	Hesse (Frankfurt am Main)	Template:Nts	Unknown	Template:Nts Sec.		Chapter of the Kaiserdom in Frankfurt. RP	RC
File:Wappen St Blasien.svg	St. Blaise's in the Black Forest	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Ntsh Uncertain	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. The Prince-Abbot of St. Blaise's had princely status (RF) not because of the abbey itself but because the abbey had acquired the County of Bonndorf, which carried princely status with it from 1609
File:DEU Reichsabtei Sankt Emmeram COA.svg	St. Emmeram's Abbey	Bavaria (Regensburg)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RA	RC
File:Coa Abbey Saint Gall.svg	St. Gall	Switzerland	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec. (1648 Switz.)		Benedictine monastery; later Fürstabtei. Swiss associate from 1451; secularised temporarily 1527–32. RA / RF	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	St George's at Isny in the Allgäu	Baden-Württemberg (Isny im Allgäu)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RA	SC
File:Stein am Rhein-coat of arms.svg	St. George's Abbey, Stein am Rhein	Switzerland (Stein am Rhein)	Template:Ntsh 9th century	Template:Ntsh 15th century	Template:Nts–26 Sec.		Founded 9th century on the Hohentwiel; moved to Stein am Rhein c. 1007. RA
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	St. Giles' Abbey, Nuremberg (Schottenkloster Sankt Ägidien)	Bavaria	Template:Nts	Unknown	Template:Nts Med.		"Schottenkloster"; Benedictine monastery from 1418. Absorbed by Nuremberg in 1525 (possibly 1567) as unable to document immediacy. RA
File:Stadtwappen Helmstedt.png	St. Ludger's Abbey	Lower Saxony (Helmstedt)	Template:Nts	Unknown	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RA	RC
File:Wappen Reichsabtei Sankt Maximin.svg	St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier	Rhineland-Palatinate	Template:Ntsh 4th century	Template:Ntsh before early 12th century	Template:Nts Med.		Benedictine monastery. Mediatised to the Electorate of the Palatinate in the 16th century, but status not finalised until immediacy definitively surrendered to Trier in 1669. RA	RC
File:DEU St. Peter COA.svg	St. Peter's Abbey in the Black Forest	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Template:Ntsh 1093	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RA
File:Boudevilliers-coat of arms.svg	St. Ulrich's and St. Afra's Abbey	Bavaria	Template:Ntsh c. 10th century	Template:Nts de jure 1643 de facto	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery from 1006–12; probably refounded from a 5th- or 6th-century predecessor. The abbey was made immediate in 1577, but its status was challenged by the Bishop of Augsburg in litigation until 1643/44. RA	RC
File:Wappen Reichsabtei Salem.svg	Salem Abbey aka Salmansweiler	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Template:Nts–52	Template:Nts Sec.		Cistercian monastery. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Schaffhausen Abbey	Switzerland	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Med.		Benedictine monastery. RA
File:Schänis-blazon.svg	Schänis Abbey	Switzerland	Template:Ntsh 9th century	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Med.		Frauenstift. Frederick IV, King of Germany confirmed the abbatial rights in 1442, but the link with the Empire was broken; the abbess continued to bear the title of Princess of the Holy Roman Empire until secularisation to the canton of St. Gallen under the Act of Mediation in 1803. Suspended during the Protestant Reformation 1529–31. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Schussenried Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Premonstratensian monastery. RA	SC
File:Wappen Schuttern.png	Schuttern Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. Not to be confused with Schottern Abbey in Austria, secularised in the 15th century. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Selz Abbey	Baden, later Alsace	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Med.		Benedictine monastery / nunnery. Secularised in 1803. RA
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Söflingen Abbey (sometimes Söfflingen)	Baden-Württemberg (Ulm)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Poor Clares. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Stablo or Stavelot Abbey (also Stablingen)	Belgium	Template:Nts	Template:Nts?	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. Formed a single principality with Malmedy. RF.	RF
File:Thorn gemeentewapen.svg	Thorn Abbey	The Netherlands (Limburg)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Frauenstift. RA. RF from 1793.	RC
File:DEU Ursberg COA.svg	Ursberg Abbey	Bavaria	Template:Nts–28	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Premonstratensian monastery. Not to be confused with Urspring Abbey. RA	SC
File:DEU Waldsassen COA.svg	Waldsassen Abbey	Bavaria	Template:Nts–32	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Med.		Cistercian monastery. Secularised to the Electorate of Bavaria in 1803; reopened as Cistercian nunnery 1863. RA	SC
File:Wappen Walkenried.svg	Walkenried Abbey	Lower Saxony	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Med.		Cistercian monastery. RA	RC
File:Wappen Weingarten.svg	Weingarten Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RA	SC
File:Weißenau Requisitenhalle Heimatfest Wappen Kloster.jpg	Weissenau Abbey	Baden-Württemberg (Ravensburg)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts		Premonstratensian monastery. RA	SC
File:Blason Wissembourg 67.svg	Weissenburg Abbey	Alsace	Template:Ntsh 7th century	Unknown	Template:Nts Med.		Reichspropstei. Raised to Imperial city 1306, joined Décapole 1354, annexed by France 1697. RP / RF (status later assumed by Bishop of Speyer).	RF
File:Reichsabtei Werden-Helmstedt.svg	Werden Abbey	North Rhine-Westphalia (Essen)	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts		Benedictine monastery. RA	RC
File:Reichsstift Wettenhausen coat of arms.png	Wettenhausen Abbey	Bavaria	Template:Nts	Unknown	Template:Nts Sec.		Augustinian Canons. Founded on the site of an earlier foundation, dated 982. RA	SC
File:Coats of arms of None.svg	Zwiefalten Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	Template:Nts	Template:Nts	Template:Nts Sec.		Benedictine monastery. RA	SC
CoA	Religious house	Location	Founded	Imm.	Lost imm.	To...	Description and status	College

List B: Reichsmatrikel 1521

The Matrikel of 1521 included a number of religious houses which have not been identified:

Religious house	Location	Dates	Description and Imperial status
Beckenried Abbey	Switzerland	ceased to be part of the HRE in 1648	RA
Blankenburg Abbey	nk	nk	nk
Brunnen Abbey	Landstrass, Carinthia (Austria)	nk	nk
Hynoltshusen Abbey	nk	nk	monastery
Kitzingen Abbey	nk	nk	monastery
Rockenhausen	nk	nk	RA
St. Johann (St. John's Abbey)	nk	nk	nk

Inclusion in the 1521 Reichsmatrikel is not by itself conclusive evidence that a particular religious house was in fact an Imperial abbey, and the status of the following abbey listed in the Matrikel is questionable in the absence of further confirmation from other sources:

Religious house	Location	Dates	Description and Imperial status
St. John's Abbey in the Thurtal (Sant Johans im Turital)	Switzerland (Alt St. Johann, later Nesslau)	fdd. before 1152; RU nk (if at all); subordinated to St. Gall's Abbey 1555; ceased to be part of the HRE 1648 (dissolved 1805)	Benedictine monastery. Imperial status unknown

List C: Imperial abbeys not named in the Matrikel

For a variety of reasons a quantity of religious houses that possessed, or claimed, the status of Imperial immediacy either did not attend the Imperial Diet, or were not listed in the surviving Matrikel. The following list is very far from complete, and possibly some of those listed may not in fact have been immediate (reichsunmittelbar).

Religious house	Location	Dates	Description and Imperial status
Amorbach Abbey	Bavaria
Edelstetten Abbey	Bavaria	fdd. 1126; more a charitable institution for daughters of the lower Swabian nobility than a monastery. Except for the abbesses, the women were free to leave after some time and get married. Imperial abbey status in 1783 only. Secularized in 1803 and given as a principality to Prince Charles-Joseph de Ligne. One year later, he sold his principality to Nikolaus II, Prince Esterházy.	Augustinian monastery. RA
Engelberg Abbey	Switzerland	Founded in 1120 by Count Blessed Conrad of Seldenburen. Engelberg Abbey (German: Kloster Engelberg) is a Benedictine monastery in Engelberg, Canton of Obwalden, Switzerland. Initially, the abbey was placed under the immediate jurisdiction of the Holy See, which condition continued until the formation of the Swiss Congregation in 1602 when Engelberg united with the other monasteries of Switzerland and became subject to a president and general chapter. In 1873 a colony from Engelberg founded Conception Abbey, at Conception, Missouri in the United States; in 1882, Mount Angel Abbey was founded near what is now Mount Angel, Oregon, also in the United States. William Wordsworth wrote a poem about the abbey entitled "Engelberg, The Hill of Angels"	Benedictine monastery. RA
Munsterbilzen Abbey	Belgium
Nienburg Abbey	Saxony-Anhalt	fdd 975; RA temp. Otto II; mediatised 1166 by the Archbishop of Magdeburg; secularised 1563 by the Prince of Anhalt-Dessau	Benedictine monastery. RA	RC
Nivelles Abbey	Belgium
Schöntal Abbey	Baden-Württemberg	fdd. 1157; RA from 1418 to 1495; secularised 1803	Cistercian; RA
Tegernsee Abbey	Bavaria	fdd 760s; granted RA status by Otto II around 978 but unable to exercise effective Imperial immediacy; remained subordinate to Bavaria until secularization in 1803.	Benedictine; RA
Wiblingen Abbey	Baden-Württemberg, Ulm	fdd. 1037; subordinate to Habsburg high jurisdiction (Oberhoheit) from about 1500; gained more autonomy in 1701 but was unable to gain immediacy and remained part of Further Austria until secularization in 1806.	Benedictine;

See also

• Hochstift

Bibliography

In German:

• Matthäi, George, 1877: Die Klosterpolitik Kaiser Heinrichs II. Ein Beitrag zur *Geschichte der Reichsabteien. Grünberg i.Schl.
• Brennich, Max, 1908: Die Besetzung der Reichsabteien in den Jahren 1138–1209. Greifswald.
• Polzin, Johannes: Die Abtswahlen in den Reichsabteien von 1024–1056.
• Riese, Heinrich, 1911: Die Besetzung der Reichsabteien in den Jahren 1056–1137.
• Feierabend, Hans, 1913, repr. 1971: Die politische Stellung der deutschen Reichsabteien während des Investiturstreites. Breslau 1913; Aalen 1971
• Wehlt, Hans-Peter, 1970: Reichsabtei und König
• Vogtherr, Thomas, 2000: Die Reichsabteien der Benediktiner und das Königtum im hohen Mittelalter (900–1125) (Mittelalter-Forschungen, vol. 5)

External links

• Reichstag participants 1521, c. 1755 and 1792, on Heraldica website Template:In lang
• 1521 Reichsmatrikel Template:In lang
• Sarah Hadry: Reichsstifte [Imperial Abbeys]. In: Historisches Lexikon Bayerns. Onlineversion
• Sarah Hadry: Reichsprälatenkollegium [Council of Imperial Abbeys]. In: Historisches Lexikon Bayerns. Onlineversion

Free Imperial Cities, Imperial abbeys, Imperial Knights, Imperial Villages