Free Imperial City of Strasbourg

Origins

The burghers of Strasbourg had long resented the rule of their bishops. In 1262 they defeated Bishop Walter of Geroldseck at the battle of Hausbergen and won self-government, and the city soon became a free city of the Holy Roman Empire, outside the Prince-Bishopric of Strasbourg.

Rule and society

From 1332 the guilds shared power with the patricians in a council and magistracy. Strasbourg traded along the Rhine, finished its cathedral spire in 1439, and hosted Johannes Gutenberg's early work. It adopted the Reformation in the 1520s under Martin Bucer, while Jacob Sturm led its diplomacy and Johannes Sturm founded its Gymnasium. The first printed newspaper appeared there in 1605.

Decline and legacy

In 1681, during peacetime, Louis XIV's troops surrounded Strasbourg and forced it to surrender. It kept its Lutheran churches and local institutions, but became part of the Kingdom of France, confirmed by the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697.