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1. TerminologyFrom the late Middle Ages on, German used Obrigkeit (formerly  Oberherrlichkeit, “overlordship”) to denote sovereign power (in the abstract) or those wielding it. After 1500, the word in the latter sense was used almost exclusively in reference to secular and clerical authorities in the Empire (Authority). Only in the 19th century did other terms emerge, such as Staatsgewalt (state authority/power) or Landesherrschaft (territorial authority/sovereignty; Territorial sovereignty [Holy Roman Empire]). The early modern term referred to a powe…

1. Catholic1.1. DistinctionsIn contrast to Protestantism, in early modern Catholicism the medieval feudal notion of the religious elite as a separate social estate lived on (Estates, society of) [3]. The clerical class, as distinct from the laity, comprised those who – on the basis of a sacramental understanding of ministerial office – exercised authority (Latin potestas) in the church (Office). The outward distinction of the clerical estate was marked by the claim of exclusive privileges (e.g. immunity in tax matters and criminal cases, separ…