Aterritorial lord (German:Landesherr) was a ruler in the period beginning with theEarly Middle Ages who, stemming from his status as beingimmediate (unmittelbar), held a form of authority over a territory known asLandeshoheit. This authority gave him nearly all the attributes ofsovereignty.[1] Such alord had authority or dominion in astate orterritory, but this fell short of sovereignty since as a ruler of theHoly Roman Empire, he remained subject to imperial law and supreme authority,[2] including imperial tribunals and imperial war contributions. The territorial lord was generally a member of the high aristocracy (Hochadel) orclergy, who was the title bearer or office holder of an existing or constituent state through the custom ofprimogeniture orfeudal law.
In the Holy Roman Empire, the lords of the individual member states, theimperial states orReichsstände (excluding theHoly Roman Emperor), were the territorial lords of the regions ruled by them. During theHigh Middle Ages, the system was further expanded as the lords began reclaiming territories and this was done by grantingvassals jurisdiction over the acquired lands.[3] It is also suggested that this development has led to the freedom of thepeasants, since there were instances where they were granted freedom and, in practice, ownership of the land.[3]
The territorial lord usually had the rights ofcoinage andjurisdiction over his domain. A prerequisite for being a territorial lord was the combination of property and estate ownership, as well as sovereignty, in one person as a unified legal concept. The lords' economic domination, particularly in theWestern European territories, can be demonstrated in the way ownership of themill was vested in their hand.[4] This ensured the dependence of the peasantry, since they were forced to grind theirgrains in their lord's mill.
An account cited that a uniquely good phenomenon that resulted from the emergence of the territorial lords was the way they manifested claim to dominion, which was responsible for the thrivingforests inEurope today.[5] Based on available forest history, these forests became a foundation of political power, and were thus not only subsumed within a territory but also protected rather than cleared.[5] This was significant because it protected the great forests from the increasing appetite for wood of the emergentmining industry, particularly inGermany.[5]
