Free Imperial City - Origin

Origin

The evolution of some German cities into self-ruling constitutional entities of the Empire was slower than that of the secular and ecclesiastical princes. In the course of the 13th and 14th century, some cities were promoted to the status of Imperial Cities (Reichsstädte) by the emperor essentially for fiscal reasons. Those cities, which had initially been administered by royal stewards, gradually gained independence as city magistrates assumed the duties of administration and justice.

The Free Cities (Freie Städte) were those, such as Basle, Augsburg, Cologne and Strassburg, that were initially subjected to a prince-bishop and, likewise, progressively gained independence from that lord. In a few cases, such as with Cologne, the former ecclesiastical lord continued to claim the right to exercise some residual feudal privileges over the Free City, a claim that gave rise to constant litigation almost until the end of the Empire.

Over time, the difference between Imperial Cities and Free Cities became increasingly blurred so that they became collectively known as "Free Imperial Cities", or "Free and Imperial Cities", and by the late 15th century many cities included both "Free" and "Imperial" in their name. As the other Imperial Estates, they could wage war, make peace, control their own trade, and they permitted little interference from outside. In the later Middle Ages, a number of Free Cities formed Städtebünde (city leagues), such as the Hanseatic League, to promote and defend their interest.

In the course of the Middle Ages, cities gained, and sometimes lost, their freedom through the vicissitudes of power politics. Some favored cities gained a charter by gift. Others purchased one from a prince in need of cash. Some won it by force of arms during the troubled 13th and 14th century and other lost their privileges during the same period. Some cities became free through the void created by the extinction of dominant families, like the Hohenstaufen. Some voluntarily placed themselves under the protection of a territorial ruler and therefore lost their independence.

A few, like Protestant Donauwörth, which was annexed to the Catholic Duchy Bavaria in 1607, were stripped of their status as Free City by the Emperor for genuine or trumped-up reasons. However, this rarely happened after the Reformation and of the roughly 50 Free Imperial Cities that remained at the Peace of Westphalia all continued to exist until the mediatisation of 1803.