Army of the Holy Roman Empire | |
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Latin: Exercitus Imperii | |
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Active | 1422–1806 |
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Branch | Army |
Headquarters | Vienna |
Engagements | |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders |
The Army of the Holy Roman Empire (French: Armée du Saint-Empire; German: Reichsarmee, Reichsheer, or Reichsarmatur; Latin: Exercitus Imperii) was created in 1422 and came to an end when the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806 as a result of the Napoleonic Wars.
The Army of the Empire was not a standing army. When there was danger, it was mustered from among the elements constituting it,[1] in order to conduct a military campaign or Reichsheerfahrt during an Imperial War (Reichskrieg) or an Imperial Execution (Reichsexekution). It could only be deployed with the consent of the Imperial Diet and should not be confused with the Imperial Army (Kaiserliche Armee) of the Holy Roman Emperor.
In practice, the various forces of the Army of the Empire often had stronger local allegiances than to the Holy Roman Emperor.