List of Free Imperial Cities

This is a list of Free Imperial Cities of the Holy Roman Empire as of 1792, with their religious status after the Reformation:

  1. Aachen (Catholic)
  2. Aalen (Lutheran)
  3. Augsburg (bi-denominational)
  4. Biberach (bi-denominational)
  5. Bopfingen (Lutheran)
  6. Bremen (Lutheran)
  7. Buchau (Catholic)
  8. Buchhorn (Catholic)
  9. Cologne (Catholic)
  10. Dinkelsbühl (bi-denominational)
  11. Dortmund (Lutheran)
  12. Esslingen am Neckar (Lutheran)
  13. Frankfurt am Main (Lutheran)
  14. Friedberg (Lutheran)
  15. Gengenbach (Catholic)
  16. Giengen (Lutheran)
  17. Goslar (Lutheran)
  18. Hamburg (Lutheran)
  19. Heilbronn (Lutheran)
  20. Isny im Allgäu (Lutheran)
  21. Kaufbeuren (Lutheran)
  22. Kempten (Lutheran)
  23. Leutkirch im Allgäu (Lutheran)
  24. Lindau (Lutheran)
  25. Lübeck (Lutheran)
  26. Memmingen (Lutheran)
  27. Mühlhausen (Lutheran)
  28. Nordhausen (Lutheran)
  29. Nördlingen (Lutheran)
  30. Nuremberg (Lutheran)
  31. Offenburg (Catholic)
  32. Pfullendorf (Catholic)
  33. Ravensburg (bi-denominational)
  34. Regensburg (Lutheran)
  35. Reutlingen (Lutheran)
  36. Rothenburg ob der Tauber
  37. Rottweil (Catholic)
  38. Schwäbisch Gmünd (Catholic)
  39. Schwäbisch Hall (Lutheran)
  40. Schweinfurt (Lutheran)
  41. Speyer (Lutheran)
  42. Überlingen (Catholic)
  43. Ulm (Lutheran)
  44. Wangen (Catholic)
  45. Weil (Catholic)
  46. Weißenburg in Bayern (Nordgau) (Lutheran)
  47. Wetzlar (Lutheran)
  48. Wimpfen (Lutheran)
  49. Windsheim (Lutheran)
  50. Worms (Lutheran)
  51. Zell am Harmersbach (Catholic)

Other cities which were once Free Imperial cities, but had ceased to be so by 1792, include:

  1. Baden (formally only?)
  2. Basel (became a Swiss Canton, 1501, independence from the Empire recognized 1648)
  3. Bern (became a Swiss Canton, 1351, independence recognized 1648)
  4. Bisanz (Besançon) (annexed by Spain, 1648)
  5. Brakel (annexed by the bishop of Paderborn)
  6. Bremgarten (formally only?)
  7. Kamerich (Cambrai) (to France, 1677)
  8. Diessenhofen
  9. Deventer
  10. Donauwörth (to Bavaria, 1617)
  11. Duisburg (to Cleves, 1290)
  12. Düren (to Jülich)
  13. Frauenfeld
  14. Freiburg im Üechtland (Fribourg) (became a Swiss Canton)
  15. Gelnhausen (to Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel), 1745)
  16. Hagenau (annexed by France, 1670s)
  17. Herford (to Brandenburg)
  18. Colmar (annexed by France, 1673, confirmed 1697)
  19. Kampen
  20. Kaisersberg (annexed by France, 1648)
  21. Kessenich
  22. Konstanz (annexed by Austria, 1548)
  23. Landau (annexed by France, 1648)
  24. Lemgo (to Lippe)
  25. Lucerne (became a Swiss Canton, independence recognized 1648)
  26. Mainz (returned to the control of its archbishop, 1462)
  27. Metz (annexed by France, 1552)
  28. Mühlhausen (Mulhouse) (an associate of the Swiss Confederation after 1648, annexed by France, 1798)
  29. Münster im Elsass (annexed by France, 1648)
  30. Murten (to Savoy, 1255)
  31. Nijmegen (to Guelders, 1247)
  32. Oberehnheim (annexed by France, 1648)
  33. Rapperswil
  34. Rheinfelden (to the Habsburgs, 1330)
  35. Riga (to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, 1581)
  36. Rosheim (annexed by France, 1648)
  37. Saarburg (Sarrebourg) (annexed by France)
  38. Schaffhausen (became a Swiss Canton, 1501, independence recognized 1648)
  39. Schmalkalden (to Hesse, 1581)
  40. Schlettstadt (Sélestat) (annexed by France, 1670s)
  41. Soest (to Duchy of Cleves/Brandenburg, 1609)
  42. Solothurn (became a Swiss Canton, 1481, independence recognized 1648)
  43. Strassburg (annexed by France, 1681, confirmed 1697)
  44. Toul (annexed by France, 1552)
  45. Türkheim (Turckheim) (annexed by France, 1648)
  46. Verden (to Duchy of Verden, 1648)
  47. Verdun (annexed by France, 1552)
  48. Warburg (annexed by the prince-bishop of Paderborn)
  49. Winterthur
  50. Weißenburg (Wissembourg) (annexed by France, 1648)
  51. Zug (became a Swiss Canton, independence recognized 1648)
  52. Zürich (became a Swiss Canton, 1351, independence recognized 1648)

See also

List of states in the Holy Roman Empire
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Z
Free Imperial Cities - Imperial abbeys
 
As of 1792

Free Imperial Cities as at 1648
 
Cities that lost Imperial immediacy or gained independence before 1792
D: Member of the Décapole.   H: Member of the Hanseatic League.   S: Member or associate of the Swiss Confederacy.