Stavelot Abbey

Imperial abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy
Principauté abbatiale de Stavelot-Malmedy  (French) Preensdom Stavelot-Malmedy  (Limburgish) Abdijvorstendom Stavelot en Malmedy  (Dutch) Fürstabtei Stablo-Malmedy  (German)
Imperial Abbey of the Holy Roman Empire
651–1795
Coat of arms
Stavelot-Malmedy, as at 1560, within the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle
Capital		Stavelot
Government		Principality
Historical era		Middle Ages
•	Malmedy abb. founded	648
•	Stavelot abbey founded	651
•	Abbot Poppo of Deinze	1020–48
•	Abbot Wibald	1130–58
•	Annexed by France	1794
•	Creation of Ourthe	1795
•	Congress of Vienna*	9 June 1815
Area		600 km2 (230 sq mi)
Preceded by Succeeded by Carolingian Empire Ourthe (department)
* Stavelot to  United Kingdom of the Netherlands; Malmedy to  Prussian province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg.

Coordinates: 50°23′N 5°56′E / 50.383°N 5.933°E / 50.383; 5.933

The Principality of Stavelot-Malmedy was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Princely power was exercised by the Benedictine abbot of the imperial double monastery of Stavelot and Malmedy, founded in 651. At 600 km² (230 sq mi), it was among the smaller territories in the Empire. Along with the Duchy of Bouillon and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, it was one of only three principalities of the Southern Netherlands that were never part of the Spanish (later, Austrian) Netherlands, all having been a part of the Lower Rhenish Imperial Circle, rather than the Burgundian Circle.

As a prince-abbot, the abbot of Stavelot-Malmedy sat on the Ecclesiastical Bench of the College of Ruling Princes of the Imperial Diet. Along with the handful of other prince-abbots, he cast a full vote (votum virile), in contrast to the majority of imperial abbots who were only entitled to collectively determine the votes of their respective curial benches.

In 1795, the principality was abolished and its territory was incorporated into the French département of Ourthe. The Congress of Vienna in 1815 assigned Stavelot to the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Malmedy became part of the Prussian district of Eupen-Malmedy. Both are currently parts of the Kingdom of Belgium—since the 1830 Belgian Revolution and the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, respectively.