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Imperial Abbey of Kaisersheim
*Reichsstift Kaisersheim*
Imperial Abbey of Kaisersheim Reichsstift Kaisersheim
1135–1802 (de jure); 1135–1327 and 1656–1802 (de facto)
	Coat of arms
	Kaisersheim in the 18th century
Status	Imperial Abbey
Government	Elective principality
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Foundation charter	21 September 1135
• Dedicated by Bp Augsburg	1183 1135
• Cty Lechsgemünd extinct	1327
• Immediacy confirmed by; Emperor Charles IV	; 1346
• Pfalz-Neuburg inherited; the County of Graisbach	; 1505
• Immunity agreed with; Philip of Pfalz-Neuburg	; 1656
• Secularised to Bavaria	1802
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	County of Lechsgemünd
Electorate of Bavaria
Today part of	Germany

The Imperial Abbey of Kaisersheim (German:Reichsstift Kaisersheim or Kloster Kaisersheim), was a Cistercian monastery in Kaisersheim (now Kaisheim), Bavaria, Germany.

As one of the 40-odd self-ruling imperial abbeys of the Holy Roman Empire, Kaisersheim was a virtually independent state. Its abbot had seat and voice at the Imperial Diet where he sat on the Bench of the Prelates of Swabia. At the time of its secularisation in 1802, the Abbey covered 136 square kilometers and has 9,500-10,000 subjects.^[1]

History

The monastery was founded by Henry II, Count of Lechsgemünd (d. 1142) and his wife Liutgard, and was a daughter house of Lucelle Abbey in Alsace. Count Henry's initial gift of the land was made in 1133; the foundation charter was dated 21 September 1135. The first church was dedicated in 1183 by the Bishop of Augsburg, but was damaged in a fire in 1286, and re-built in its entirety between 1352 and 1387, when the new building was dedicated.

The foundation charter guaranteed the new monastery immunity and independence from secular powers, but on the extinction of the Counts of Lechsgemünd in 1327, their territories passed to the Wittelsbach Counts of Graisbach, who were unwilling to honour the original terms. Although in 1346 the abbey succeeded in obtaining from the Emperor Charles IV a confirmation of the rights included in the charter, and was declared an Imperial abbey (German: Reichstift), the Wittelsbachs were not inclined to honour it.

In 1505, the territory of Pfalz-Neuburg was created, which inherited the rights of the County of Graisbach, including territorial rights over Kaisheim. During the Reformation, the conversion of Otto Henry, Duke of Neuburg and Elector Palatine, to Protestantism, led to fears the abbey would be dissolved, although this danger soon passed.

Finally, in 1656 the then abbot George IV Müller reached agreement with Duke Philip of Pfalz-Neuburg that the abbey's Imperial immediacy (German: Reichsfreiheit) would be respected.^[2] This carried with it the obligation however to provide troops to the imperial army when required, and from this date onwards the abbey had to accommodate a small standing force of soldiers of some 80 men.

The buildings underwent a major re-building in the 1720s in the Baroque style.

The former abbey as a penitentiary

In 1802, the abbey was dissolved in the secularisation of Bavaria, and its assets taken by the Bavarian state. The premises were at first used for military purposes, later as accommodation for the displaced Bavarian Franciscans. From 1816, the buildings have been used as a prison, and now house the Justizvollzugsanstalt Kaisheim.

The Kaiser's Hall and the library are of particular architectural interest. In the east wing, known as the Kaiser's wing, the Bayerisches Strafvollzugsmuseum (English: Bavarian Museum of Punishment) has displayed the permanent exhibition Behind Bars since 1989.

The tomb of Henry III, Count of Lechsgemünd, in Kaisheim Abbey
Plan of Kaisheim Abbey church

Abbots of Kaisersheim

Udalrich 1133-1155
Konrad I 1155-1165
Diethelm 1165-1174
Albert 1174-1194
Ebbo 1194-1210
Konrad II 1210-1228
Heinrich I 1228-1239
Richard 1239-1251
Wolvich 1251-1262
Heinrich II 1262-1266
Trutwin 1266-1287
Heinrich III 1287-1302
Johann I Chonold 1302-1320
Ulrich I Zoller 1320-1339
Ulrich II Nubling 1339-1360
Johann II Zauer 1360-1379
Johann III Molitor 1379-1400
Johann IV Scherb 1400-1422
Kraft von Hochstadt 1422-1427
Leonhard Weinmayer 1427-1440
Nikolaus Kolb 1440-1458
Georg I 1458-1479
Johann V Vister 1479-1490
Georg II Kastner 1490-1509
Konrad III Reutter 1509-1540
Johann VI Zauer 1540-1575
Ulrich III 1575-1586
Georg III 1586-1589
Domenicus 1589-1594
Sebastian 1594-1608
Johann VII 1608-1626
Jakob 1626-1637
Georg IV 1637-1667
Benedikt 1667-1674
Hieronymus 1675-1681
Elias 1681-1696
Judas Thaddäus 1696-1698
Roger von Röltz 1698-1739
Cölestin I Meermols 1739-1771
Cölestin II Angelsbrucker 1771-1783
Franz Xaver Müller 1783-1803

Notes and references

^ "Reichsstifte in Schwaben – Historisches Lexikon Bayerns".
^ Also at this time the abbey took over responsibility for the noblewomen's collegiate foundation (Damenstift) at Pielenhofen Abbey, previously administered by the state, as a subpriory.