Imperial staircase to imperial staircases are more often of just two flights (hence the name) leaving the ground symmetrically to join one common destination. Occasionally, especially in the architecture of the Sicilian Baroque, they will leave the ground as one flight and then divide, but this is less common. One may also see an imperial staircase in the form of two flights rising to join and then continue as one flight, but this is rare. Imperial staircase An imperial staircase (sometimes erroneously known as a "double staircase") is the name given to a staircase with divided flights. Usually the first flight rises
Imperial Count By being seated and allowed to cast a shared vote on a Count's bench an imperial count obtained, the "seat and vote" within the Imperial Diet which, combined with Imperial immediacy, made of his chief land holding an Imperial estate ("Reichsstand") and conferred upon him and his family the status of "Landeshoheit", i.e. the semi-sovereignty which distinguished Germany and Austria's high nobility (the "Hochadel") from the lower nobility ("Niederadel"), who had no representation in the Diet and usually answered to an over-lord. Thus the "reichsständische" imperial counts pegged their interests and status to those of the imperial princes. In 1521