Imperial Ducal Abbey of Kempten in the Allgäu Free City of Kempten in the Allgäu Reichsfürststift Kempten im Allgäu Freie Stadt Kempten im Allgäu
Imperial Abbey of the Holy Roman Empire
← 1213–1802/3 →
Coat of arms
Capital		Kempten Abbey
Government		Theocracy
Historical era		Middle Ages
-	Abbey founded	747
-	Abbey rebuilt	941 1213
-	Reichsfreiheit     as a Duke-Abbey	1213
-	Abbey property sold,     became Free City	1525
-	Mediatised to Bavaria	1802/3 1802
-	Cities united	1819
Coordinates: 47°43′40″N 10°18′48″E / 47.7277°N 10.3132°E / 47.7277; 10.3132

Residence of Kempten

The Imperial Ducal Abbey of Kempten in the Allgäu, was a city state in the Holy Roman Empire.

Early years[edit]

Kempten Abbey was built around 748. It had financial and political support from Hildegard, wife of Charlemagne and become one of the more prominent monasteries in the Frankish Empire. It was rebuilt in 941 by the abbot Ulrich of Augsburg after Magyar raids.

Imperial Status[edit]

In 1213, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II declared the abbot of Kempten a member of the Reichstag and granted the abbot the right to bear the title of Duke.

In 1289 the neighbouring settlement became a Free Imperial City, starting a rivalry. In 1525 the last property rights of the abbots in the Imperial City were sold in the so-called “Great Purchase”, marking the start of the co-existence of two independent cities bearing the same name next to each other.

Kempten had a territory of around 40,000 people and was one of the larger monastery states.^[1]

Thirty Years' War[edit]

More conflict arose after the Imperial City converted to Protestantism in direct opposition to the Catholic monastery (and Free City) in 1527. During the Thirty Years' War (1632–33), the abbey was destroyed by Swedish troops.

Roman Giel of Gielsberg, the abbot commissioned a new monastery church including a residence for the Duke-Abbots, one of the first major churches to be built in Germany after the Thirty Years' War.

Kempten was the center of a religious controversy in 1706 when the abbot confiscated a Reformed church, which provoked Frederick I of Prussia to confiscate all Benedictine monasteries and churches until the church was returned.^[2]

Secularisation[edit]

The abbey ordered the last execution of a witch in the Holy Roman Empire in 1775.^[1]

During the Napoleonic Wars the Abbey came under Bavarian rule (1802–03) and was formerly dissolved in the German Mediatisation with its territory being annexed by Bavaria. In 1819, the abbey's territory was united with the territory of the Imperial City into a single communal entity.

Bibliography[edit]

Notes

References

• Beales, Derek Edward Dawson (2003). Prosperity and Plunder: European Catholic Monasteries in the Age of Revolution, 1650-1815 (2003 ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521590907.  - Total pages: 395
• Whaley, Joachim (2011). Germany and the Holy Roman Empire: Volume II: The Peace of Westphalia to the Dissolution of the Reich, 1648-1806 Oxford History of Early Modern Europe Series (2011 ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199693078.  - Total pages: 752

v t e Catholic League (1609–35) within the  Holy Roman Empire     Abbacies Ellwangen Kempten Bishoprics Augsburg Constance Eichstätt Passau Speyer Straßburg Worms Würzburg  and Bamberg Archbishoprics Mainz Cologne Trier Duchies Bavaria

v t e Swabian Circle (1500–1806) of the Holy Roman Empire Ecclesiastical Augsburg Constance Ellwangen Kempten Abbey Lindau Secular Baden Buchau Heiligenberg Hohenzollern-Hechingen Klettgau Liechtenstein Tengen Waldburg Scheer Trauchburg Waldsee Wolfegg Wurzach Zeil Württemberg Prelates Baindt Buchau Elchingen Gengenbach Gutenzell Heggbach Irsee Kaisheim Mainau Marchtal Neresheim Ochsenhausen Petershausen Roggenburg Rot Rottenmünster Salmanweiler St. George's in Isny Schussenried Söflingen Ursberg Weingarten Weißenau Wettenhausen Zwiefalten Counts Lords Altshausen Baar Bondorf Eberstein Eglingen Eglofs Fugger Jakob Johann Markus Gundelfingen Gutenstein Hausen Heiligenberg Hohenems Hohengeroldseck Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Justingen Kinzigerthal Königsegg and Aulendorf Lustenau Meßkirch Mindelheim / Schwabegg Oberdischingen Öttingen Baldern Öttingen Wallerstein Rechberg Rothenfels and Stauffen Stühlingen and Hohenhöwen Tettnang / Langenargen Thannhausen Wiesensteig Cities Aalen Augsburg Biberach Bopfingen Buchau Buchhorn Dinkelsbühl Eßlingen Gengenbach Giengen Heilbronn Isny Kaufbeuren Kempten Leutkirch Lindau Memmingen Nördlingen Offenburg Pfullendorf Ravensburg Reutlingen Rottweil Schwäbisch Gmünd Schwäbisch Hall Überlingen Ulm Wangen Weil Wimpfen Zell

We're sorry, but there's no news about "Imperial Ducal Abbey of Kempten" right now.