sentences:  It was put under Imperial protection on several occasions, and at some point during this period was granted "Reichsfreiheit" as an Imperial abbey in an effort to shield it.Königsbronn was always a small community, on several occasions during the 15th century so severely reduced and demoralised that it barely survived.In 1513 Melchior Ruff became abbot of Königsbronn and for the first time in its history was able to put it on a stable financial and political footing.