Reichskammergericht und Universitäten in der ersten Hälfte des 16. Jahrhunderts

Abstract

The paper deals with the profile of training of assessors (judges) in the Imperial Chamber Court of the Holy Roman Empire after the formal establishment of the court in Speyer in 1529 down to its temporary closing in 1544. Apparently, the decisive criterion for acceptance into the circle of assessors was the quality of their training. The Imperial Estates and Imperial Circles were interested in putting forward highly qualified personnel for the Imperial Chamber Court. During the course of 1530s, they began to give greater attention to the ´correct´ religious beliefs of candidates as well. This led to sharp conflicts specifically within the Imperial Districts ( Reichskreise ). In addition, it proved very difficult to recruit qualified assessors from the ranks of the nobility. In order to comply with the Imperial Court statutes, which stipulated that half of the posts at the Court were to be filled by appointees from the nobility, the qualified candidates were raised to the rank of nobleman shortly after taking up their duties. The universities of Bologna and Freiburg had a special importance in the education of the assessors. In the 15-year period under focus, some 42 percent of assessors appointed had attended the University of Bologna. Many of the assessors had even studied there together, so that networks were formed. A further network of alumni was associated with the Freiburg professor Ulrich Zasius. In contrast with earlier research, this study shows that it was not just the large number of former pupils of Zasius which had a basic formative impact on the Imperial Chamber Court. Rather, the significant factor was the long tenure of Zasius′s pupils at the Court, and their function as president or so-called Kammerrichter there. Both university-based circles also established ties with the circle of humanists on the Upper Rhine.