The Reich laws have their origins in the laws of the
Holy Roman Empire, which were widely accepted as fundamental laws at that time and which were written and adjusted over centuries. Not all of the laws of the Holy Roman Empire were carried over into the new imperial constitution since they were not uniformly accepted. In the first
Constitutional law, agreed upon in the
Concordat of Worms in 1122, there was already a certain independence of the secular and religious powers; one of the first steps on a long path towards solving the
Investiture Controversy. The changing of a
chief to a
duke in the Holy Roman Empire around a century later is seen as a milestone in constitutional law. In 1231 the Emperor
Frederick II had to concede dukedom laws to the Reich dukes at the Reichstag in Worms. Frederick II recognized the duke’s right to create laws the same day. The most important constitutional law was the
Golden Bull of 1356. It was the basis for the orderly election of a king. It restricted the right to
feud and limited the number of prince electors while denying the pope any sort of influence on legislative matters. The German Concord of the year 1447 was seen as a third Reich law. This law dictated the influence and freedom that decisions from the pope had in the Reich. This new Reich law set the foundation for the position and development of the Catholic church in the
Holy Roman Empire over the following years. The fourth Imperial Constitutional Law was the
perpetual peace act which was published in the Reichstag in Worms on the 7th August 1495. The
Imperial Chamber Court was formed to consolidate the act. Through this foundational new law the right to feud was also prohibited, which had been commonly allowed up until then in order ton push through a nationwide monopoly on the use of force for the state. Disputes within the nobility and the right to enforce laws by the nobility themselves was also prohibited. These issues were solved by a local court from that point onward. Should the perpetual peace be broken, the lawbreaker would face an
Imperial Ban or a high fine. The fifth Imperial Constitutional Law was the
Imperial Military Constitution decided in Worms in 1521. This law was a directory of the people with power in the Reich, which was used to manage the maintenance of the imperial military. Other laws and decrees which were pronounced Reich Laws included the
Peace of Augsburg from 1555, "the Imperial enforce decree" and the "decree for the imperial privy council". The
Peace of Westphalia was an agreement which was made after the ratification bill had been exchanged in 1694 and was established as the
eternal fundamental law of the Reich. Many territorial changes and local sovereignty were put into effect with this contract, while
Reformed Christianity was declared a fully fledged religious denomination. Because of this, more rules on religious freedom and other imperial religious institutions were put in place. With all of this the founding of the Reich Constitution was fully completed. == Legislative powers of the Reich ==