Beiträge zur Rechtsgeschichte Österreichs 2 / 2015, pp. 191-214, 2015/12/11
Frühneuzeitliche Supplikationspraxis und monarchische Herrschaft in europäischer Perspektive
Contrary to previous assumptions, in the Ancien Régime ordinary subjects were allowed to entreat the emperor directly. The supplications addressed to Emperor Rudolf II and processed by the Imperial Aulic Council corresponded to the social backgrounds of the female or male Jewish or Christian supplicants: subjects in need, mainly servants of the imperial court, appealed to the emperor for a mark of favour (Gunsterweis), ambitious merchants and craftsmen requested imperial intercessions or privileges (Begnadung), individuals prosecuted as criminals supplicated for judicial assistance or restitution (Begnadigung). In order to illuminate the particular circumstances of individual cases, not only the Imperial Aulic Coucil’s records, but also parallel sources in state and community archives have to be sought out and analysed. Accordingly, the case of Caspar Silberradt, citizen of the imperial town Offenburg, illustrates the political significance of supplication as an act of communication and an important component of the political order of the Holy Roman Empire.
Keywords: supplication, subjects, Holy Roman Empire, grace, political communication, Imperial Aulic Council