city state · Germany and Central Europe
Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck
Origins
Henry the Lion refounded Lübeck on the Trave in 1159 as a German port to the Baltic. After his fall the town came under the emperor, and in 1226 Frederick II granted it the status of a free imperial city. Its merchants soon led the Hanseatic League, which held its diets in Lübeck.
Rule and society
A council of merchant families ruled the city, and Lübeck law was adopted by about a hundred Baltic towns. Wealth came from trade in herring, salt, grain, furs and timber, visible in the Holstentor and St. Mary's Church. Lübeck turned Lutheran in 1530, and under the mayor Jürgen Wullenwever it waged the disastrous Count's Feud against Denmark in 1534 to 1536.
Decline and legacy
As the Hanse faded Lübeck declined. It was annexed by France from 1811 to 1813, then joined the German Confederation and German Empire as a city-state. The Greater Hamburg Act of 1937 merged it into Prussia. Its old town is a World Heritage Site.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (4)
- Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck was part of Holy Roman Empire1226 CE – 1806 CE
- Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck was part of Hanseatic League1356 CE – 1669 CE
- Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck was conquered by French Empire1811 CE – 1813 CE
- Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck was part of German Empire1871 CE – 1918 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-and-hanseatic-city-of-lubeck
- MLA
- “Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-and-hanseatic-city-of-lubeck. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-and-hanseatic-city-of-lubeck.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-and-hanseatic-city-of-lubeck (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻