Free City of Bremen: Map & History
For most of its 1,200 year history, Bremen was an independent city within the confederal jurisdiction of the Holy Roman Empire.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
For most of its 1,200 year history, Bremen was an independent city within the confederal jurisdiction of the Holy Roman Empire. In the late Middle Ages, its governing merchant guilds were at the centre of the Hanseatic League, which sought to monopolise the North Sea and Baltic trade. To establish and confirm its independence, the city had to contend first with the Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, and then with the Swedes, who had become the masters of the surrounding, former episcopal, duchies after the Thirty Years' War.
Free City of Bremen in Depth
Early history
The marshes and moraines near Bremen have been settled since about 12,000 BC. Burial places and settlements in Bremen-Mahndorf and Bremen-Osterholz date back to the 7th century AD. Since the Renaissance, chroniclers have assumed that Fabiranum or Phabiranon on Ptolemy's Fourth Map of Europe (dating from AD 150) refers to Bremen. However, Ptolemy's coordinates actually suggest a site northeast of the mouth of the river Visurgis (Weser). In Ptolemy's time the Chauci lived in the area now called North-Western Germany or Lower Saxony. By the end of the 3rd century they had merged with the Saxons.
During the Saxon Wars (772–804), Widukind led a prolonged resistance to the western advance of the Franks.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: History of Bremen (city) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Free City of Bremen Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Free City of Bremen appears, with the other states of the time.
Free City of Bremen: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Free City of Bremen exist?
Free City of Bremen is dated to 1806 CE – 1870 CE, in the Industrial era.
How large was Free City of Bremen at its peak?
At its peak in 1870 Free City of Bremen covered about 517 km².
Other Sovereign Realms
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Raigad