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The Golden Bull (1356)

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Chapter 8
On the legal immunities of the King of Bohemia and of Bohemia's inhabitants

[Summary: Establishes the judicial immunity of the Kingdom of Bohemia and its inhabitants from all other courts.]


Chapter 9
On gold mines, silver mines, and other mines

[Summary: The King of Bohemia, and also the other electors shall have rights to all mineral finds in their lands, and shall also have the power to admit Jews and to raise all tolls that have been collected in earlier days.]


Chapter 10
On the right to mint

[Summary: The King of Bohemia shall have the power of the mint; and the power to buy or receive all kinds of lands and lordships, but without changing their feudal status. If he joins them to his kingdom, he must ensure that the traditional dues to the Empire are paid. This privilege is also extended to all the other electors.]


Chapter 11
On the legal immunity of the electors

[Summary: Establishes the judicial immunity of the three spiritual electorates.]


Chapter 12
On the meetings of the electors

Amidst the many concerns for common affairs that occupy our mind, our Majesty has determined after fundamental consideration that it is necessary that the electors assemble more often to deliberate about the good of the Empire and of the world. For as the foundations and the irreplaceable pillars of our realm, though they are separated by large stretches of territory, they can in this way report about affairs and deliberate, and propose intelligent and useful measures that can provide effective remedies. Therefore at the Diet in Nuremberg, in the presence of the honorable spiritual and eminent secular electors and many other princes and lords, after fitting consultation with the same electors and with their agreement, we have ordained that the electors should assemble in person annually four weeks after Easter, the resurrection of our Lord, in one of the cities of our realm, and that in the coming year such a meeting shall be held in our city of Metz. And in successive years, each meeting shall determine where to meet in the next year. But this ordinance shall only continue as long as it pleases us and them; as long as it does, we take the electors under Imperial protection as they travel to and from such meetings. And in order that the negotiations about the common good and about peace are not delayed by postponements because of amusements, or because of excessive visits at feasts (as has happened in the past), we have unanimously agreed that during such meetings it will not be allowed for anyone to invite all the electors to any affair. Invitations to single electors that do not delay affairs shall, however, be allowed.

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