Meaning of free imperial city | Babel Free

Definitions

A self-ruling city within the Holy Roman Empire that had some autonomy and was represented in the Imperial Diet.

historical

Equivalents

Examples

“A free imperial city held the status of Imperial immediacy, and was thus subordinate only to the Holy Roman Emperor, whereas a territorial city or town (Landstadt) was subordinate to a territorial prince – either an ecclesiastical lord (prince-bishop or prince-abbot) or a secular prince (duke (Herzog), margrave, count (Graf), etc.).”

“The city-states of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire had their origins as free imperial cities, a term coined in the late eleventh century.”

“Verdun was an ancient bishopric and a free imperial city, which France conquered in 1552 (together with Metz and Toul) and made into a fortress to protect its eastern borders.”

“Like many free imperial cities, Augsburg in the early Middle Ages was an Episcopal city.”

CEFR level