In the centuries that followed up until Secularization in 1803, Kemmern remained an "Obleidorf" (from Mediaeval Latin "oblaia", an old term for things donated to spiritual institutions or monasteries; "Dorf" is “village” in German) of the Bamberg Cathedral Chapter, but it nevertheless had at its disposal quite early on a definite measure of autonomy. So Kemmern could deal with its local business under a regulation, the village charter, which required no lordly sanction. For its protection, Kemmern had at its disposal a water-filled moat and three gatehouses. In the German Peasants' War in 1525, Kemmerners actively fought on the rebels’ sides. In the winter of 1631-1632, Kemmern was beset by Swedish troops. How much suffering the Thirty Years' War brought Kemmern can be seen in what had happened by 1638 in the cathedral chapter households, of which there were 68, and of which only 26 were still occupied by this time.