A ''Wildbann'' ("wildlife ban") in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

was a specific form of

royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

hunting privilege. The

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

referred to in a ''Wildbann'' was called a ''Wildbannforst'' ("wildlife ban forest") or ''Bannforst'' ("ban forest"). Originally only the king had the right to hunt in a ''wildbann''.

Hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

rights were also delegated to others for a fee. They had to pay the so-called ''wildgeld'' ("wildlife money"). Before the 9th century, royal forests were known as ''forestes'' ingular: ''forestis'' A ''forestis'' was a legally recognised region that could be used by the king. This right included the use of forest produce (such as timber), hunting,

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

and clearing. Royal rights over any unoccupied land ''(ius eremi)'' were the legal basis for the establishment of the ''forestes''. From the 8th century the Church and the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

also established such ''forestes'' or took over former royal ''forestes''. As a result of the increasing importance of hunting during the 9th century, the designation of these areas changed from ''forestis'' to ''wildbann''. The ''wildbann'' was a hunting area under the king's ban, which extended over a region that could belong to a number of landowners. In addition to hunting rights, the king also exercised supervision of the forest within his ''wildbann''. In the 15th century the word ''wildbann'' was replaced by the term ''Forst'' ("forest"). A ''Forst'' was an area over which "forest sovereignty" (''Forsthoheit'') was exercised. To protect such a forest and its wildlife, several so-called ''Wildhuben'' ("wildlife hides", probably forester's huts) were established. These were lived in by

forester A forester is a person who practises forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including ecological restoration and management of protected areas. Foresters manage forests to ...

s. The management of a ''wildbann'' lay in the hands of a ''

vogt During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...

'' (bailiff). Together the bailiffs and foresters guaranteed oversight of the king's forest.

Literature

* Richard B. Hilf: ''Der Wald. Wald und Weidwerk in Geschichte und Gegenwart - Erster Teil''

eprint In academic publishing, an eprint or e-print is a digital version of a research document (usually a journal article, but could also be a thesis, conference paper, book chapter, or a book) that is accessible online, usually as green open access, w ...

Aula, Wiebelsheim, 2003, * Hans Hausrath: ''Geschichte des deutschen Waldbaus. Von seinen Anfängen bis 1850''. Series by the Institute for Forest and Regional Administration of the University of Freiburg. Hochschulverlag, Freiburg im Breisgau, 1982, {{Authority control Medieval law Forest history Hunting legislation Legal history of the Holy Roman Empire Legal history of Austria Legal history of Germany

See also

Literature