A map of the Imperial Circles as in 1512. Unencircled territories are shown in white.

An Imperial Circle (German: Reichskreis, plural Reichskreise) was a regional grouping of territories of the Holy Roman Empire, primarily for the purpose of organizing a common defense and of collecting imperial taxes, but also as a means of organization within the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) and the Reichskammergericht. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in The Reichstag ( German for "Imperial Diet " was the Parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, the North German Confederation, The Reichskammergericht (Imperial Chamber Court was one of two highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire, the other one being the Reichshofrat

Each circle had a Kreistag (Circle Diet), although not every member of the Kreistag would also be a member of the Reichstag as well.

Formation of the circles

Initially six circles were created in 1500 as part of the Reichsreform (Imperial Reform):

• the Bavarian Circle (Brown on the map)
• the Swabian Circle (Yellow on the map)
• the Upper Rhenish Circle
• the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle (sometimes called Westphalian Circle)
• the Franconian Circle
• the Saxon Circle (later the Lower Saxon Circle)

Originally, the territories held by the Habsburg dynasty and the Electors were not encircled. In 1495, an attempt was made at a Reichstag in the city of Worms to give the disintegrating Holy Roman Empire a new structure commonly referred The Bavarian Circle (Bayerischer Reichskreis was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. The Swabian Circle (Schwäbischer Reichskreis was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. The Upper Rhenish Circle (Oberrheinischer Reichskreis was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. The Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle (Niederrheinisch-Westfälischer Reichskreis was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. The Franconian Circle (Fränkischer Reichskreis was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. The Lower Saxon Circle (Niedersächsischer Reichskreis was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1512, these were organized into four more circles:

• the Burgundian Circle
• the Austrian Circle
• the Upper Saxon Circle
• the Electoral Rhenish Circle

These ten circles remained largely unchanged until the early 1790s, when the Wars of the French Revolution brought about significant changes to the political map of the Empire. The Burgundian Circle (Burgundischer Reichskreis was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. The Austrian Circle (Österreichischer Reichskreis was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. The Upper Saxon Circle (Obersächsischer Reichskreis was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire, created in 1512. The Electoral Rhenish Circle (Kurrheinischer Reichskreis was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire, created in 1512. Events and trends French Revolution ( 1789 - 1799) It is considered to have effectively ended on November 9, 1799 when The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts from 1792 until 1802 fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states

Territories outside the circles

A number of territories were never encircled:

• The lands of the Bohemian crown (Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia and Lusatia)
• The territories of the Swiss Confederation
• Imperial territories in Italy
• Territories of Imperial Knights
• Minor territories, such as the County of Montbéliard, the Lordship of Schmalkalden, Jever and the peasant republic of Dithmarschen