1. Concept and content
Following various regulations introduced in the Reichspolizeiordnungen of the 16th century (Police [political order]), the Reichshandwerksordnung (“Imperial Artisanal Crafts and Trades Ordinance”) of 1731 was the first piece of imperial legislation in the history of the Holy Roman Empire to be exclusively devoted to the regulation of the crafts and trades. Its key aims were to impose discipline and official control on the corporative world of the craftsmen as part of …