The term Ständekammer has several meanings in the sources and in scholarly usage. It denotes a central structural element of representative political institutions and is used primarily for the constitutional parliaments of the 19th century, less often for the early modern assemblies of estates (Estates, assembly of).

Beginning in the late 18th century, everyday German referred to the sectional assemblies of structured representative institutions as Ständekammern. This very broad understanding did not imply any further distinctions based on method of appoi…