In relation to the outside the "Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen" had the status of an imperial estate (, plural: "Reichsstände") with a vote in the Diet () of the Holy Roman Empire. A prerequisite for being an "imperial estate" was "imperial immediacy" (, or "Reichsfreiheit") of the rulers or ruling bodies, meaning that they had no other authority above them except of the "Holy Roman Emperor" himself. Furthermore, such rulers or ruling bodies (such as Chapters or city councils) possessed several important rights and privileges, including a degree of autonomy in the rule of their territories.