Holy Roman Imperial city-states, such as Cologne, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Strassberg, and Worms (often part of the Swabian & Rhenish Leagues)  – situated in Southern and Western Germany – exercised their political independence between 1350 A.D. and 1550 A.D.

DAVID S. BACHRACH – Ph.D. Notre Dame University – Professor at University of New Hampshire

Dr. Kolkey,

My work on city-states is confined mostly to Worms in the thirteenth century, but what I have found broadly confirms the model that you have set out. There are two important contemporary chronicles from the late thirteenth century, one written from the perspective of the bishop and one from the perspective of the city secular elite which do provide considerable information about factional politics, which were further complicated by the ongoing civil wars in Germany as well as perpetual tensions between urban elites and surrounding rural-based nobles, who nevertheless also had many urban connections. I wrote an article on this topic which I am attaching here which sheds light on some of these issues. I do not have a pdf of the published version, but it appeared in the Journal German History . “Making Peace and War in the ‘City-State’ of Worms, 1235-1273,” German History 24 (2006), 505-525.
 
I hope this helps.
 
best wishes,
 
David

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