imperial city · Germany and Central Europe

Free Imperial City of Gelnhausen

1170 CE – 1803 CE (approx.) · capital Gelnhausen

Town on the Kinzig founded by Frederick Barbarossa, whose imperial palace hosted the 1180 diet that stripped Henry the Lion of his duchies.

Origins

Emperor Frederick Barbarossa founded Gelnhausen in 1170 as a market town, granting it privileges and building an imperial palace on an island in the Kinzig river. It lay on the trade road from Frankfurt to Leipzig. In 1180 the palace hosted the imperial diet that issued the Gelnhausen Charter, dividing the lands of Henry the Lion.

Rule and society

As an imperial city Gelnhausen was governed by a council of burghers under the emperor's protection, prospering from trade along the road between Frankfurt and the east. Its Marienkirche, with an unusual eastern tower group, and the ruined palace are among the finest Hohenstaufen buildings. The town was too small to defend its autonomy for long once Hohenstaufen power collapsed.

Decline and legacy

In 1349 King Charles IV pledged the city to the Counts of Schwarzburg, and the pledge later passed to the Counts of Hanau and the Electoral Palatinate, which ruled it jointly. It kept a nominal imperial status until 1803, when it went to Hesse-Kassel. It is now a town in Hesse.

Lineage

Free Imperial City of GelnhausenLandgraviate of Hesse-Kassel 1567 CE – 1803 CE

Connections (1)

More states of Germany and Central Europe →

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻