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Electoral Agreement of King and Emperor Leopold I (July 18, 1658)

The Electoral Agreement of King and Emperor Leopold I of July 18, 1658, further strengthened the territorial princes’ domestic political authority and practical sovereignty. With this agreement, the emperor rejected the territorial estates’ authority to levy and administer taxation independent of the territorial princes. The agreement also effectively prevented subjects from appealing to the Imperial Chamber Court [Reichskammergericht] against their princes and annulled individual privileges deemed offensive to the princes.

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The Third Article

The king will (1) allow all estates in the Holy Roman Empire their dignities, rights, etc.; (2) not suspend anyone who has attendance and voting rights at the Imperial Diet; (3) confirm the regalia, privileges, and good customs of those mentioned in 2; (4) annul those [of them] that were granted before or at the peace treaty, and thereafter disapproved of; (5) not free any of his subjects from subordination, taxes, etc.; (6) not allow the territorial estates [Land-Ständen] (except the territorial lords) to take control of territorial taxes, establish convents, or free themselves from their dues; (7) not hear them, if the territorial estates or subjects would desire to appeal to the Imperial Aulic Council [Reichs-Hof-Rath] or Chamber Court [Cammer-Gericht], but instead direct them to appear before their territorial lords; and (8) declare as null and void all surreptitiously gained privileges, etc., not least suits and mandates from the Imperial Aulic Council and Chamber Court.

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