The declaration created a state of war, but it was still necessary for the emperor by a series of orders to begin the decentralised process of forming the Reichsarmee (Army of the Holy Roman Empire) out of the Imperial Circles' troops.
This had the effect of making civil wars a matter of breaching the imperial peace (Reichsfriedensbruch) to be resolved by the courts.
This permitted the emperor to make war against France on behalf of the empire, but it was an unusual step and one not repeated for over a century.
[10][13] The Treaty of Osnabrück of 1648 restricted the right of the emperor to make war in the empire's name—either against external foes or internal violators of the peace—without permission from the Imperial Diet.
Taking advantage of the general anti-French mood, he secured the diet's sanction of imperial aid to the Electoral Palatinate and other territories threatened by the French on 31 March.
His decision not to call for a Reichskrieg forced him to lean heavily on the militarised princes and thus further increased their standing and influence in the Empire.
Although the diet, at the suggestion of the French king, Louis XIV, considered sending its own representative to the peace conference at Nijmegen in 1675–76, this was vetoed by Leopold, who asserted that since it was not a Reichskrieg he retained full authority to negotiate on the empire's behalf.
[10] This had the effect of converting the Kreistruppen into a true Reichsarmee, although the actual process by which this was done was highly decentralised and required the issuance of old-fashioned advocates' mandates.
The declaration of war on France sought to build morale and rally support by equating the Christian French to the Muslims Turks.
[26] In November 1705, the electors minus Cologne and Bavaria voted to outlaw those two and the emperor transmitted the declaration of the imperial ban to the diet.
[27] After the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War, Emperor Francis II petitioned the Imperial Diet for 100 Roman months on 1 September 1792.
Under Austrian and Prussian pressure, the stated goal of this Reichskrieg was to secure from France compensation for those imperial estates, such as Austria and Prussia, that had been fighting since April 1792.
In January 1794, with the war going badly for the Empire, discussions were held behind the scenes to try to strengthen the emperor's war-making powers, but no agreement could be reached and in the end no proposal was tabled in the Imperial Diet.
[29] In late February 1799, Austria having failed to satisfy a French ultimatum, France resumed the war with the Empire by invading the Rhineland while the Congress of Rastatt was still sitting and before a peace treaty had been signed.
On 16 September, the Diet voted 100 Roman months and a quintuple quota (quintuplum), the largest military outlay in the history of the empire.
[30][31][32] In response to the Swedish invasion of Brandenburg in support of France in 1674, a Reichsexekution was launched against Sweden, whose king owned the imperial duchies of Bremen and Verden, on 17 July 1675.
[33] During the First Silesian War (1740–42), the Emperor Charles VII sought a declaration of Reichskrieg against Austria, although the latter had not breached imperial law and there was therefore no justification.
The pro-Austrian elector of Mainz, Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein, tabled a formal protest in the Imperial Diet on 23 September 1743 alleging that the election of Charles VII had been irregular.
[35] On 13 September 1756, the Emperor Francis I issued an advocate's mandate (mandata avocatoria) releasing imperial subjects from their oaths to the King in Prussia, Frederick II, and ordering them not to assist him in his illegal war.
On 9 October, Francis increased his demands, asking for the Reichsarmee to be mobilised and for the intervention of the two guarantors of the Peace of Westphalia (France and Sweden).
[36][37] In February 1763, the Imperial Diet formally declared the Reichskrieg over and the Treaty of Hubertusburg restored the status quo ante bellum.
[38] The War of the Bavarian Succession that broke out between Austria and Prussia in 1778 saw barely any fighting, and was diplomatically resolved before any Reichsexekution was sought by the emperor.