Circle Colonel


The Circle Colonel was an office in the Imperial Circles of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation in the Early Modern Period.
According to the Circle Edict of 1522, every Circle had to nominate a Captain and notify the Emperor. He was not, however, primarily the military superior of the circle troops, but was to carry out all the tasks laid down in the Circle Edict. In the Augsburg reforms of 25 September 1555 his duties were set forth again, this time under the title of Circle Colonel.

Duties

The most important duties of the circle colonels were:
Where a Circle Captain or Circle Colonel was actually nominated in the Imperial Circles, the office was usually transferred to the most senior secular Imperial Estate in the Circle for them to fill.

Remarks

Literature