Roman Month

RM) was a basic unit of imperial taxation in the Holy Roman Empire, initially worth around 128,000 Rhenish guilders when the underlying tax was created in 1521 by the emperor Charles V, equivalent to a month's wages for around 4,202 cavalry and 20,063 infantrymen.

[1] It gained this title due to its initial purpose of providing for one month's escort for the King of the Romans' trip to Rome to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope (the Italienzug), though it was rarely, if ever, used for this purpose.

[2] The tax was collected through a system that reflected the divided, corporate nature of the Holy Roman Empire.

[3] Thus, instead of a direct tax collected by the Emperor, obligations were set through the Worms Reichsmatrikel on the individual Electors, Bishops, Princes, Prelates, Counts, Lords, Imperial Towns, and other political structures to provide a set number of horse and footmen, or a set amount of money based on the wages of the requested troops.

[4] This obligation could be multiplied when more funds were required, allowing the Emperor some flexibility in taxing his subjects while keeping the distribution somewhat equal among the various territories of the Holy Roman Empire.