other · Germany and Central Europe

Lusatian League

1346 CE – 1815 CE

An alliance of six Upper Lusatian towns, formed in 1346, that dominated the politics and trade of their province for centuries.

Origins

In 1346 Bautzen, Görlitz, Zittau, Kamenz, Löbau and Lauban, towns of the Margraviate of Upper Lusatia, then a land of the Kingdom of Bohemia, formed a league to suppress robber knights and protect their trade. Charles IV, as king of Bohemia, approved the alliance, which became a permanent political force.

Rule and society

The six towns met in regular diets, kept a common treasury and troops, and formed a separate estate in the Upper Lusatian diet alongside the nobility. Their wealth came from cloth and linen weaving and from the Via Regia trade road through Görlitz. They fought the Hussites in the 15th century and mostly turned Lutheran in the 16th.

Decline and legacy

In 1547 Ferdinand I punished the towns for refusing aid in the Schmalkaldic War, confiscating lands and privileges. Upper Lusatia passed to the Electorate of Saxony in 1635, and the league lingered until 1815, when Görlitz and Lauban went to Prussia.

Connections (1)

More states of Germany and Central Europe →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lusatian League. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lusatian-league
MLA
“Lusatian League.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lusatian-league. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lusatian League.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lusatian-league.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lusatian League’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lusatian-league (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻