The Holy Roman Empire comprised over 350 semiautonomous states, most of them in Germany. In theory all these lands were ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor but in practice real power lay with princes and bishops who ruled over each state. The seven leading princes were known as the Electors and they alone had the right to vote for a new emperor. There were also 85 Imperial Free Cities that guarded their independence fiercely. Finally there was an imperial Parliament called the Diet, at which decisions were made for the whole of the empire. The absence of central authority meant that papal taxation was high and the appointment of foreign nobles to German Sees was rife.