imperial city · Germany and Central Europe
Free Imperial City of Haguenau
Origins
Haguenau grew beside a castle of the Hohenstaufen dukes on an island in the Moder, in the great Haguenau Forest. Frederick Barbarossa granted it a charter in 1164 and rebuilt the castle as an imperial palace where the regalia were kept. After the Hohenstaufen fell, it was established as an imperial city by around 1260.
Rule and society
Haguenau was seat of the imperial bailiff of Alsace and, from 1354, the leading member of the Decapolis, the league of ten Alsatian imperial cities. A council of burghers ran its affairs, with trade, forestry and crafts as its economy. In the early 16th century it was a printing centre. The city remained largely Catholic.
Decline and legacy
The Peace of Westphalia gave France rights in Alsace, and French troops burned Haguenau in 1677; the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1679 confirmed French rule. It is now a town in Alsace, France.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Free Imperial City of Haguenau was part of Decapolis1354 CE – 1679 CE
- Free Imperial City of Haguenau was conquered by Kingdom of France1673 CE – 1679 CE
More states of Germany and Central Europe →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Free Imperial City of Haguenau. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-haguenau
- MLA
- “Free Imperial City of Haguenau.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-haguenau. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Free Imperial City of Haguenau.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-haguenau.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Free Imperial City of Haguenau’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-haguenau (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻