Free Imperial City
In the Holy Roman Empire, a Free Imperial City (Freie Reichsstadt) was a self-ruling city that enjoyed Imperial immediacy, and as such, was subordinate only to the emperor, as opposed to a territorial city or town (Landstadt) which was subordinate to a territorial lord - such as a lay prince (duke, margrave, count, etc.) or an ecclesiastical prince (prince-bishop, prince-abbot).
Free Imperial Cities were Imperial Estates and had representation in the Reichstag.
Read more about Free Imperial City: Distinction Between Free Imperial Cities and Other Cities, Origin, Development
Famous quotes containing the words free, imperial and/or city:
“The American adolescent, then, is faced, as are the adolescents of all countries who have entered or are entering the machine age, with the question: freedom from what and at what price? The American feels so rich in his opportunities for free expression that he often no longer knows what it is he is free from. Neither does he know where he is not free; he does not recognize his native autocrats when he sees them.”
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—Winston Churchill (1874–1965)
“The great city is that which has the greatest man or woman:
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world.”
—Walt Whitman (1819–1892)