The Vehmic courts, Vehmgericht, holy vehme, or simply Vehm, also spelt Feme, Vehmegericht, Fehmgericht, are names given to a tribunal system of Westphalia in Germany active during the later Middle Ages, based on a fraternal organisation of lay judges called "free judges". The original seat of the courts was in Dortmund. Proceedings were sometimes secret, leading to the alternative titles of "secret courts", "silent courts", or "forbidden courts". After the execution of a death sentence, the corpse could be hanged on a tree to advertise the fact and deter others.

Maximilian I was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death in 1519. He was never crowned by the Pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed himself elected emperor in 1508 at Trent, thus breaking the long tradition of requiring a papal coronation for the adoption of the Imperial title. Maximilian was the only surviving son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, and Eleanor of Portugal. Since his coronation as King of the Romans in 1486, he ran a double government, or Doppelregierung, with his father until Frederick's death in 1493.