A territorial lord (German: Landesherr) was a ruler in the period beginning with the Early Middle Ages who, stemming from his status as being immediate (unmittelbar), held a form of authority over a territory known as Landeshoheit. This authority gave him nearly all the attributes of sovereignty.[1] Such a lord had authority or dominion in a state or territory, but this fell short of sovereignty since as a ruler of the Holy 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) or clergy, who was the title bearer or office holder of an existing or constituent state through the custom of primogeniture or feudal law.
In the Holy Roman Empire, the lords of the individual member states, the imperial states or Reichsstände (excluding the Holy Roman Emperor), were the territorial lords of the regions ruled by them. During the High Middle Ages, the system was further expanded as the lords began reclaiming territories and this was done by granting vassals jurisdiction over the acquired lands.[3] It is also suggested that this development has led to the freedom of the peasants, since there were instances where they were granted freedom and, in practice, ownership of the land.[3]
