''Königsbann'', literally king's ban ({{langx, la, bannus, more rarely ''bannum'', from the OHG: ''ban''), was the
exercise of royal jurisdiction in the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
.
A specific ban (German: ''Bann'') identified:
* the actual order or prohibition
* the penalties for contravening the ban
* the region to which the ban applied
The king's ban in the legal history of the Holy Roman Empire was divided into several distinct types depending on their function:
* ''
Heerbann
The ''Heerbann'' (also formerly ''Heermannie'', Middle High German, MHG ''herban'', Old High German, OHG: ''heriban'', Mid. Latin: ''Heribannus''), in the Imperial Military Constitution (''Reichsheeresverfassung'') of the Holy Roman Empire, was th ...
'', the right to raise an army,
* ''Blutbann'' (''
blood court
High, middle and low justices are notions dating from Western feudalism to indicate descending degrees of judicial power to administer justice by the maximal punishment the holders could inflict upon their subjects and other dependents. The scale ...
s'';
high jurisdiction
High, middle and low justices are notions dating from Western feudalism to indicate descending degrees of judicial power to administer justice by the maximal punishment the holders could inflict upon their subjects and other dependents. The scale ...
which included
capital punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...
),
* ''Friedensbann'' (special royal protection of people and property),
* ''Verordnungsbann'' (the authority to decide legal standards) and
* ''Verwaltungsbann'' (the force to be used).
The king used a so-called ''
Bannleihe'' ("ban investiture") to transfer (invest) the ban, especially the ''Blutbann'', to
count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
s or
advocates
An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. Howeve ...
to exercise.
See also
*
Imperial ban
The imperial ban () was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by the Imperial Diet, or by courts like the League of the Holy Court (''Vehmgericht'') or the '' Reichskammerg ...
, decree of outlawry in the Holy Roman empire
*
Anathema
The word anathema has two main meanings. One is to describe that something or someone is being hated or avoided. The other refers to a formal excommunication by a Christian denomination, church. These meanings come from the New Testament, where a ...
, called ''Kirchenbann'' in German
Literature
* Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch, I 1967, Sp. 1341 - 1348 s.v. ''bannus''
* Heinrich Mitteis; Heinz Lieberich, ''Deutsche Rechtsgeschichte. Ein Studienbuch''. Munich, 1974 u.ö.
External links
''bann'' in the German Legal Dictionary
Konigsbann
German feudalism
Law of the Holy Roman Empire