The Residenzstadt, a city or town with the seat of a reigning prince, came into being with the transition in the 15th century from medieval itinerant rule to princely exercise of authority from (at first) a few fixed sites, and (later on) a single central site. In many cases, the prince initially had to impose his control over the town as a residence by force (e.g. Berlin and Vienna, late 15th and early 16th centuries), but we also frequently see a gradual process of subjection (Dresden, Munich). The territorial sovereign (Territorial sovereignty [Holy Roman Empire]) thus secured a s…