ABSTRACT
The focus of the preceding four chapters has been on national politics and the relative success of the formal network of collective security and conflict resolution in preserving the Reich throughout the prolonged warfare of 16551721. It is now time to switch attention to an important aspect of war and German politics that has been largely ignored due to the parochial perspective of much of the writing on this period. Co-operation between individual territories had long existed alongside the formal mechanisms for peace and security, supplementing them or substituting for any breakdown in official structures. Such action was not in itself unconstitutional provided it remained within the spirit of imperial law and was intended to counter internal breaches of the peace and external threats to territorial integrity. It remained a key element of imperial politics after the revival of formal collective security after 1648, contributing to the preservation of the weaker territories and their participation in international relations.
