imperial city · Germany and Central Europe
Free Imperial City of Kempten
Origins
The town of Kempten grew beside the Prince-Abbey of Kempten, which originally held lordship over it. The burghers gained growing autonomy, and in 1289 King Rudolf I granted them the rights of an imperial city. Disputes with the abbey continued for centuries.
Rule and society
A council of guilds and patricians governed the small walled town, which lived from crafts, linen and trade on the Iller. In 1525, in the so-called Great Purchase, the town bought out the abbot's remaining rights over it. It adopted the Reformation, becoming a Lutheran island beside the Catholic abbey town. Both towns were damaged in the Thirty Years War.
Decline and legacy
Bavaria annexed the imperial city in 1802 and the abbey in 1803, and in 1818 the two were united into one town. Kempten is now a Bavarian city, and its old imperial town and abbey quarter remain distinct.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Free Imperial City of Kempten was part of Holy Roman Empire1289 CE – 1802 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Free Imperial City of Kempten. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-kempten
- MLA
- “Free Imperial City of Kempten.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-kempten. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Free Imperial City of Kempten.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-kempten.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Free Imperial City of Kempten’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-kempten (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻