imperial city · Germany and Central Europe

Free Imperial City of Constance

1192 CE – 1548 CE (approx.) · capital Konstanz

Lake Constance city that hosted the great Council of 1414 to 1418, which ended the Western Schism and burned Jan Hus, before Austria absorbed it in 1548.

Origins

Constance was a Roman fort and from about 600 the seat of the largest diocese in Germany. Its citizens gradually freed themselves from the bishop's rule, and the Hohenstaufen emperors granted privileges, so that by the late 12th century it was treated as an imperial city.

Rule and society

Merchants and guilds shared power in the council. The city's fine linen was sold across Europe, and it was a member of Swabian and Lake Constance city leagues. From 1414 to 1418 it hosted the Council of Constance, which elected Pope Martin V, ending the Western Schism, and burned Jan Hus. In the 1520s the city adopted the Reformation under Ambrosius Blarer, and the bishop moved to Meersburg.

Decline and legacy

As a member of the defeated Schmalkaldic League, Constance was taken by Charles V in 1548 and given to the Austrian Habsburgs, losing its freedom and returning to Catholicism. It stayed in Further Austria until passing to Baden in 1806.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Free Imperial City of Constance. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-constance
MLA
“Free Imperial City of Constance.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-constance. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Free Imperial City of Constance.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-constance.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Free Imperial City of Constance’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-constance (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻