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In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (‹See Tfd› German: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (Freie Reichsstadt, Latin: urbs imperialis libera), was used from the 15th century to denote a self-ruling city that had a certain amount of autonomy and was represented in the Imperial Diet.
In 1262, Strasbourg became a free city of the Germanic Holy Roman Empire, under the authority of a Magistrate. Behind its impressive fortified walls, power within this mini republic was based in the Pfalz, or town hall, built in 1322 in the new geographical centre of the city, right next to what is now place Gutenberg.
Gutenberg was in Strasbourg from 1434 to 1444 and lived there at the gates of the city in St. Arbogast. The Free Imperial City of Strasbourg, located upstream of the Rhine, was with 25,000 inhabitants much larger than Mainz. It was also an important trading city.
Dec 13, 2018 · For a long time, Strasbourg was a city directly subjected to the kings and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. Its established governor was none other than Strasbourg’s bishop, avoiding thusly a count, a duke or any other titled individual.
The Free Cities (Freie Städte; Urbes liberae) were those, such as Basel, Augsburg, Cologne and Strasbourg, that were initially subjected to a prince-bishop and, likewise, progressively gained independence from that lord.
Imperial city, any of the cities and towns of the Holy Roman Empire that were subject only to the authority of the emperor, or German king, on whose demesne (personal estate) the earliest of them originated. The term freie Reichsstadt, or Free Imperial City, was sometimes used interchangeably with.
The Free City of Strasbourg remained neutral during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), and retained its status as a Free Imperial City. However, the city was later annexed by Louis XIV of France to extend the borders of his kingdom.
