Reichshofrat agent
A Reichshofrat agent (also Reichsagent) was the representative mostly of several imperial estates and private persons at the Reichshofrat .
history
The Imperial Court Council was brought into being by Maximilian I's court order of 1498. In the second half of the 16th century, the first agents of the Imperial Court Council appeared, representing the interests of Imperial estates and private individuals at the Imperial Court and before the Imperial Court Council. In the period from 1558 to 1740 there were only 20 to 30 approved Reichshofratsagenten, who therefore often represented around 20 clients. The majority of these agents were Catholic. Your tasks were varied. In addition to leading litigation before the Reichshofrat, they also represented their clients in feudal matters and took on diplomatic tasks. Next to the official appearances, the building of networks and the informal contact with important persons of the imperial court belonged to the handicraft of the agents. This also included gifts to the key people, which entered the gray area of corruption. In addition, the agents acted as an intelligence service and at times also as buyers of art and luxury goods for their clients. According to the range of tasks, network of relationships and reputation at court were the most important criteria of the estates for the selection of their agents.
Whoever wanted to become an agent had to apply to the President of the Reichshofrat and the Reichsvizekanzler and was then subjected to an examination by two members of the Reichshofrat, whereby origin, reputation, legal knowledge and legal practice played a role. Appointed agents had to take a special oath and were entered in a register. But even the admission to the exam was a high hurdle that could only be overcome through good relationships. The agents were then mostly active for life or until they gave up their position due to old age. From 1650 on, agent families emerged; H. the successors often came from the family of the previous agent. Agents existed until the end of the old empire in 1806.
literature
- Johann Jacob Moser : New German constitutional law part 8.2: From the German constitution of justice. Zweyter Theil, Franckfurt and Leipzig 1774, pp. 63–72 digitized ; Pp. 105-116 digitized version
- Thomas Dorfner: Mediator between head and limbs. The Reichshofratsagenten and their role in proceedings (1658-1740) (= negotiating, proceeding, deciding. Historical Perspectives, Vol. 2), Münster 2015. ISBN 978-3-402-14656-9 (also: Münster, University, dissertation 2014 ).
- Thomas Dorfner: Servant of many masters. The Imperial Agents at the Imperial Court (1558–1740) , in: Potestas. Estudios del Mundo Clásico e Historia del Arte 10 (2017), 87-101. Digitized
- Susanne Gmoser: List of Reichshofratsagenten , 2016 digitized