In times when the reigning duke was a minor, a so-called privy council received supervision of the central authorities, as was the case with the death of Johann Friedrich in 1628. When his son and successor, Eberhard III, came of age in 1633, the council stayed under pressure from the estates, who were committed to both the Duke and the estates. After the turmoil of the Thirty Years' War, the Chancellery Order of 1660 stipulated that the Privy Council was only responsible to the Duke. The Privy Council consisted of the Landhofmeister (state steward), the chancellor and three other heads of the central authorities. Of these five councils, three usually came from the nobility and two from the bourgeoisie. Since then, the Oberrat (principal legal councilor), Rentkammer (treasury councilor) and Kirchenrat (church councilor) have been subordinate to the Privy Council.
