Diet of Worms Imperial Reform

Timeline

1. 1495Worms · WormsMaximilian convened the Imperial Diet citing the situation in Italy and defense against the Turks, demanding troops and money from the Estates. On April 27 he announced that he wished to first discuss imperial government, the Eternal Peace, and the imperial court before turning to foreign aid. The Estates thus linked their reform proposals to military funding, opening prolonged negotiations.
2. 1495Worms · WormsThe Estates insisted on permanently banning private warfare and enforcing the peace through an Imperial Chamber Court independent of the king's itinerant court; financially, they imposed a four-year head-and-property tax, the Common Penny. On July 26 the final drafts of the Eternal Public Peace, the Chamber Court ordinance, the measures for war and peace, and the tax regulations were submitted to the king. The plan for an Imperial Government (Reichsregiment) was shelved.
3. 1495Worms · WormsOn August 7 the revised official texts were promulgated: the Eternal Public Peace abolished lawful private combat; the Imperial Chamber Court was established as a permanent supreme judicial body with judges appointed jointly by the king and the Estates; the Common Penny funded imperial defense and justice. Though unevenly enforced, these statutes shaped imperial constitutional order for a long time, until 1806.