prince-abbot

In the Holy Roman Empire, a prince-abbot (German: Fürstabt) was the cleric who headed a princely abbey. The prince-abbot had a seat and an individual vote (votum virile) in the Imperial Diet alongside the prince-bishops. They ranked higher than the imperial abbots and imperial abbesses who although they were also immediate, held only two collective votes in the Diet. Actual prince-abbots were: the Abbot of Fulda, "Archchancellor of the Empress", according to a 1220 decree by Emperor Frederick II, elevated to a Prince-Bishopric by Pope Benedict XIV in 1752 the Abbot of Prüm, elevated by Emperor Frederick II in 1222, held in personal union by the Archbishop of Trier from 1576 the Abbot of Kempten, confirmed by King Charles IV in 1348 the Abbot of Murbach, elevated by King Ferdinand I in 15...