Financial Relations between Emperor and Empire 1600-1740

In contrast to the importance of financial systems in the research of political reigns during the early modern times, public finance within the Holy Roman Empire have so far rarely been subject of historical academic research. Espacially the Emperor`s income drawn from the Empire after 1600 and his business connections with merchant bankers, individual imperial princes and imperial towns have been highly neglected and rarely investigated into. This gab is to be closed by the project "Financial Relations between Emperor and Empire 1600-1740". The project looks at the financial relations between Emperor and Empire on various levels: 1) Institutions and Individuals: while 16th -century-treasurers of the imperial taxes ("Reichspfennigmeister") have been looked extensively, the holders of this office during the 17th and 18th centuries are almost unknown. Therefore, the imperial treasurers are to be researched prosopographically - their qualifications, careers and thier appointments are in the centre of interest. Further, the role and importance of the Imperial Chamber ("Hofkammer") of the Imperial Aulic Council ("Reichshofrat"), of the "Reichshoffiskal" and the "Reichskameraldeputation" created by Charles VI in order to enforce the endeavours of the imperial court to make profit drawn from the Empire, shall be looked at in detail. 2) Tax to support the war against the Ottoman Empire ("Reichstürkenhilfe") and other financial aids by the Empire to support imperial warfare: as in the 16th century, the imperial estates approved the "Reichstürkenhilfe" for the war against the Ottoman Empire in the 17th and early 18th centuries. In addition, imperial financial and military aid was also provided during the Thirty Years War and the wars against France - especially during the early 18th century. It is the aim of this project to ascertain the quantity of imperial financial aid and to compare it with the imperial income drawn from the Habsburg lands. 3) Attempts to reactivate the imperial prerogatives: starting with Leopold I, imperial politics increasingly turned towards the financially appropriable prerogatives of the Emperor. Objects of this attempt to financially use the available prerogatives were the taxes of the imperial towns, the taxes of the Jews ("Kronsteuer" and "Opferpfennig"), the taxes of the imperial immediate rules who were not recorded in the imperial circle-register, fiscal penalties and returnd imperial fiefs. 4) The financial relations between Emperor and individual imperial princes and the importance of the Empire as a financial centre: the Holy Roman Empire was not only financially important in its entirety, but the Emperor also had close financial relations with individual imperial estates, which will also be looked into. In addition, it will be clarified where and on which scale the Emperor took out loans within the Empire.

In contrast to the importance of financial systems in the research of political reigns during the early modern times, public finance within the Holy Roman Empire have so far rarely been subject of historical academic research. Especially the Emperor`s income drawn from the Empire after 1600 and his financial connections with individual imperial princes and imperial towns have been highly neglected and rarely investigated into. Closing this gap was the aim of the triennial project "Financial Relations between Emperor and Empire 1600-1740 carried out at the Department of History of the University of Vienna. The project focussed at the financial relations between Emperor and Empire on various levels: 1) Institutions and Individuals: While 16th-century-treasurers of the imperial taxes (Reichspfennigmeister) have been looked extensively, the holders of this office during the 17th and 18th centuries were almost unknown. Therefore, the imperial treasurers and their administration were of great interest. Although the office of the imperial treasurers existed until the middle of the 18th century, the project could show that it lost importance because of the modifications of imperial warfare and war finance since the Thirty Years War. The Reichspfennigmeister who were important imperial counsellors and agents to take out loans in the Empire in the 16th century became bearer of a political barely influential honorary office. 2) Lost War and Lost Revenues: One of the turning points of the relations between the Emperor and the Estates of the Holy Roman Empire was the end of the Thirty Years War. Financial history shows clearly the extend of the defeat of the Emperor against his enemies, especially the Crown of Sweden. Whereas Sweden could ensure 5 Million thaler compensation money for the cost of the Swedish army, Emperor Ferdinand III only achieved an informal promise of the Estates to take over a part of his expenditures. Especially the larger Estates hardly fulfilled their promises. In contrary: In the 1650s the Emperor had to pay high amounts for the election of his son as a King of Romans. 3) Comeback of Imperial Power and failed Reforms: Since the 1680s the Emperor could raise his power. At the same time the Viennese Court tried to augment the income from the Empire. Because these efforts failed and the imperial Estates supported the Emperor in wartime with troops and not with money, the Estates became more and more allies not subjects of the Emperor. This process can be interpreted as the financial aspect of the disintegration of the Holy Roman Empire.