imperial city · Germany and Central Europe

Free Imperial City of Landau

1291 CE – 1680 CE (approx.) · capital Landau

A Palatinate wine town that held imperial-city status for four centuries before Louis XIV annexed it and made it a fortress.

Origins

Founded by the counts of Leiningen around 1260, Landau received town rights from King Rudolf I in 1274, and in 1291 King Rudolf I granted it the privileges of a free imperial city. In the 1320s Louis the Bavarian pledged the town to the bishops of Speyer, and Landau had to buy back its freedom, which it achieved only in 1511.

Rule and society

A walled market town in the vineyards of the southern Palatinate, Landau was governed by a council and lived from wine, crafts and trade. From 1521 it belonged to the Decapolis, the league of Alsatian imperial cities, and it accepted the Reformation in the 16th century. Its position made it a target in every war along the upper Rhine.

Decline and legacy

The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 placed the Decapolis under French protection, and in 1680 Louis XIV's Chambers of Reunion annexed Landau outright; Vauban rebuilt it as a great fortress. It passed to the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1816 and is now Landau in der Pfalz in Germany.

Connections (2)

  • Free Imperial City of Landau was part of Decapolis1521 CE – 1679 CE
  • Free Imperial City of Landau was conquered by Kingdom of France1680 CE

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻