Free City of Lübeck

Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck
Freie und Hansestadt Lübeck
Free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire Member of the German Confederation Member of the North German Confederation State of the German Empire State of the Weimar Republic
1226–1811 1815–1937
Flag Coat of arms
Location of the Free City of Lübeck within the German Empire
Territory of the Free City of Lübeck, 1815–1937
Capital		Lübeck
Government		Republic
History
•	Gained Imp. immediacy     from Emp. Frederick II	1226
•	Annexed by French Empire	1811
•	Regained sovereignty under     Congress of Vienna	1815
•	Abolished by the     Greater Hamburg Act	1 April 1937
Area
•	1905	297.7 km² (115 sq mi)
Population
•	1834 est.	36,464
•	1871 est.	52,158
•	1900 est.	96,775
•	1933 est.	136,413
Preceded by Succeeded by County of Holstein Schleswig-Holstein Province
Today part of		Germany

The Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck was a city-state from 1226 to 1937, in what is now the German states of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

In 1226 Emperor Frederick II declared the city of Lübeck to be a Free Imperial City. Lübeck law was the constitution of the city's municipal form of government developed after being made a free city. In theory, Lübeck law made the cities which had adopted it independent of royalty. In the 14th century Lübeck became the "Queen of the Hanseatic League", being by far the largest and most powerful member of this medieval trade organization.

In 1359 Lübeck bought the ducal Herrschaft of Mölln from the indebted Albert V, Duke of Saxe-Bergedorf-Mölln, a branch of the ducal house of Saxe-Lauenburg. The City and Duke—with the consent of the Duke's brother Eric—agreed on a price of 9,737.50 Lübeck marks. The parties also agreed to a clause allowing for the repurchase of the lands by the Duke or his heirs, but only if they were buying back the property for themselves and not for a third party. Lübeck considered this acquisition to be crucially important, since Mölln was an important staging post in the trade (especially the salt trade) between Scandinavia and the cities of Brunswick and Lunenburg via Lübeck. Therefore, Lübeck manned Mölln with armed guards to maintain law and order on the roads.

In 1370 Lübeck further acquired—by way of collateral for a loan—the Lordship of Bergedorf, the Vierlande, half the Sachsenwald (Saxon Forest) and Geesthacht from Duke Eric III, who had meanwhile succeeded his late brother Albert V. This acquisition included much of the trade route between Hamburg and Lübeck, thus providing a safe freight route between the cities. Eric III retained a life tenancy of these lands.