{{Short description, Exercise of royal jurisdiction
''Königsbann'', literally king's ban ( lat, bannus, more rarely ''bannum'', from the OHG: ''ban''), was the exercise of royal jurisdiction in the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
.
A specific ban (German: ''Bann'') identified:
* the actual order or prohibition
* the penalties for contravening the ban
* the region to which the ban applied
The king's ban in the legal history of the Holy Roman Empire was divided into several distinct types depending on their function:
* ''
Heerbann
The ''Heerbann'' (also formerly ''Heermannie'', MHG ''herban'', OHG: ''heriban'', Mid. Latin: ''Heribannus''), in the Imperial Military Constitution (''Reichsheeresverfassung'') of the Holy Roman Empire, was the call to all free landowners capab ...
'', the right to raise an army,
* ''Blutbann'' (''
blood court
High, middle and low justices are notions dating from Western feudalism to indicate descending degrees of judicial power to administer justice by the maximal punishment the holders could inflict upon their subjects and other dependents.
Low just ...
capital punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...
),
* ''Friedensbann'' (special royal protection of people and property),
* ''Verordnungsbann'' (the authority to decide legal standards) and
* ''Verwaltungsbann'' (the force to be used).
The king used a so-called '' Bannleihe'' ("ban investiture") to transfer (invest) the ban, especially the ''Blutbann'', to
count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...
s or
advocates
An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...
to exercise.
See also
*
Imperial ban
The imperial ban (german: Reichsacht) was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by the Imperial Diet, or by courts like the League of the Holy Court (''Vehmgericht'') or t ...
, decree of outlawry in the Holy Roman empire
* Zwing und Bann, lower level jurisdiction in Switzerland
*
Anathema
Anathema, in common usage, is something or someone detested or shunned. In its other main usage, it is a formal excommunication. The latter meaning, its ecclesiastical sense, is based on New Testament usage. In the Old Testament, anathema was a cr ...
, called ''Kirchenbann'' in German
Literature
* Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch, I 1967, Sp. 1341 - 1348 s.v. ''bannus''
* Heinrich Mitteis; Heinz Lieberich, ''Deutsche Rechtsgeschichte. Ein Studienbuch''. Munich, 1974 u.ö.