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TheUpper Rhenish Circle (German:Oberrheinischer Reichskreis) was animperial circle of theHoly Roman Empire established in 1500 on the territory of the formerDuchy of Upper Lorraine and large parts ofRhenish Franconia including theSwabianAlsace region and theBurgundianduchy of Savoy. Many of the circle's states west of theRhine river were annexed byFrance under KingLouis XIV during the 17th century, sealed by the 1678/79Treaties of Nijmegen.

The circle was made up of the following states:

Name	Type of entity	Commentate
Andlau	Abbey	FormerPrelature toFrance since 1681.
Bar	Duchy	United withLorraine since 1483. Only the eastern part –Barrois non mouvant [fr] – lay within the Empire and therefore within the Upper Rhenish Circle; the western part –Barrois mouvant [fr] – was French territory since 1301. Annexed by France in 1766.
Basel	Prince-Bishopric	Established in the 8th century above the ancientAugusta Raurica, gained independence fromBurgundy about 1000, residence atPorrentruy (Pruntrut) from 1527; 41st seat to theReichstag
Baugé	County	Inherited by theHouse of Savoy in 1272. Raised to a county in 1424. Annexed by theKingdom of France in theTreaty of Lyon in 1601.
Besançon	Prince-Archbishopric	(Bisanz) Annexed by France in 1679; its 8th seat to theReichstag became vacant
Besançon	Free imperial city	City gained status as an free imperial city in 1184. The city lost status as a free city in 1654. Annexed in 1678 byFrance
Beuil	County	Initially created as a Lordship, Bueil was inherited by a cadet branch of theHouse of Grimaldi. Bueil became a nominal vassal of theCounty of Savoy in 1388. Raised by Savoy to a county in 1581. Annexed by theFrench First Republic in 1793 and restored to theKingdom of Sardinia in 1813.
Bresse	Lordship	Inherited by theHouse of Savoy in 1272. Annexed by theKingdom of France in theTreaty of Lyon in 1601.
Bretzenheim	Lordship	Held byCologne, granted to Count Karl August of Heydeck, illegitimate son of ElectorCharles Theodore of Bavaria in 1772, Imperialcounty in 1774,principality in 1789.
Bugey	Lordship	Conferred to theHouse of Savoy in 1077 byHenry IV. Annexed by theKingdom of France in theTreaty of Lyon in 1601.
Chablais	Duchy	Established in the 11th century by theHouse of Savoy. Lost toGeneva in 1536.
Château-Chinon	Lordship	Conferred toEmperor Maximilian I in theTreaty of Arras in 1482. Raised to a county in 1506. Ceded toFrance in theTreaty of Noyon in 1516.
Colmar	Imperial City	Reichsfreiheit granted by EmperorFrederick II of Hohenstaufen in 1226, part of theDécapole since 1354.
Dagstuhl	Lordship	Held by the Lords ofFleckenstein, acquired byOettingen-Wallerstein in 1697.
Dombes	Principality	Held by the Dukes ofBourbon since 1400, confiscated by theKingdom of France in 1523.
Falkenstein	Lordship	Held by the Counts ofDaun since 1456, raised tocounty in 1518, fell toLorraine in 1667, administered withFurther Austria from 1782.
Faucigny	Barony	Acquired by theHouse of Savoy by the 1355Treaty of Paris. Annexed by theFrench First Republic in 1792. Returned to Savoy in 1816. Annexed by theSecond French Empire in 1860.
Frankfurt am Main	Imperial City	6th Rhenish City. Since 1220, place of theImperial election by theGolden Bull of 1356.
Friedberg	Imperial City	13th Rhenish City. Since 1252.
Fulda	Prince-Abbacy	Established bySaint Boniface in 744,Reichsfreiheit granted by Emperor Frederick II in 1220, raised to Prince-Bishopric in 1752, 53th seat to theReichstag.
Geneva	Duchy	(Genf) Established in the 10th century as theCounty of Geneva. Capital moved fromLa Roche-sur-Foron toAnnecy in 1219. Purchased by theHouse of Savoy in 1401 and raised to a Duchy in 1564. Annexed by theSecond French Empire in 1860.
Gex	Barony	First mentioned in 1188. Ruled by a cadet branch of theCounty of Geneva until 1353 when annexed byAmadeus VI, Count of Savoy. Contested since 1536 between theDuchy of Savoy and theOld Swiss Confederacy until annexed by theKingdom of France in theTreaty of Lyon in 1601.
Haguenau	Imperial City	(Hagenau) Since about 1260, capital of theDécapole since 1354.
Hanau-Lichtenberg	County	Partitioned from the County ofHanau as Hanau-Babenhausen in 1456, inherited the lordship ofLichtenberg in 1474, fell toHesse-Darmstadt in 1736.
Hanau-Münzenberg	County	Partitioned from the County of Hanau in 1456, reunited with Hanau-Lichtenberg in 1642, fell toHesse-Kassel in 1736.
Heitersheim	Principality	Held by theOrder of St John since 1272,Reichsfreiheit granted by EmperorCharles V in 1548.
Hersfeld	Abbacy	Established about 736 bySaint Sturm,Reichsfreiheit granted byCharlemagne in 775,secularised to a principality by the 1648Peace of Westphalia, held byHesse-Kassel
Hesse	Landgraviate	Established after theWar of the Thuringian Succession in 1247, residence atKassel, partitioned after the death of LandgravePhilip I in 1567.
Hesse-Kassel	Landgraviate	Subdivision of Hesse from 1567, Electorate of Hesse in 1803.
Hesse-Rheinfels	Landgraviate	Subdivision of Hesse from 1567 including the formerCounty of Katzenelnbogen withBurg Rheinfels, line extinct in 1583, fell to Hesse-Kassel.
Hesse-Darmstadt	Landgraviate	Subdivision of Hesse from 1567,Grand Duchy of Hesse in 1806.
Hesse-Marburg	Landgraviate	Subdivision of Hesse from 1567, line extinct in 1604, annexed by Hesse-Darmstadt.
Hesse-Homburg	Landgraviate	Cadet branch of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1622, gainedReichsfreiheit in 1768.
Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein	County	Subdivision of the County ofIsenburg established in 1511 (Oberisenburg), again divided in 1628.
Isenburg-Birstein	County	Subdivision of Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein from 1628, merged intoIsenburg-Offenbach in 1644, restored in 1711, raised to principality in 1744.
Isenburg-Büdingen	County	Subdivision of Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein from 1628.
Isenburg-Meerholz	County	Split off Isenburg-Büdingen in 1673.
Isenburg-Wächtersbach	County	Split off Isenburg-Büdingen in 1673.
Kaysersberg	Imperial City	(Kaisersberg) Part of theDécapole since 1354.
Königstein	County	Held by theLords of Eppstein, raised toReichsgrafen by EmperorMaximilian I of Habsburg in 1505, inherited byStolberg in 1535, seized byMainz in 1581.
Kriechingen	County	Former fief ofLorraine aroundCréhange, raised to Imperial county in 1617, held by the Princes ofEast Frisia from 1697, toWied-Runkel in 1726.
Landau	Imperial City	Reichsfreiheit granted byRudolph I of Habsburg in 1291, seized by theBishop of Speyer in 1324, restored by Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg in 1511, joined theDécapole in 1521.
Leiningen-Westerburg	County	Subdivision of the former County ofLeiningen since 1317, inherited by the Lords ofWesterburg in 1467.
Leiningen-Dagsburg	County	Subdivision of the former County of Leiningen since 1317, raised to principality in 1779.
Lorraine	Duchy	(Lothringen) Former UpperLotharingia, acquired byRené of Anjou, Duke ofBar in 1431, swapped by DukeFrancis III of Habsburg-Lorraine for theGrand Duchy of Tuscany in 1735, annexed by France in 1766.
Maurienne	County	Subdivision of the county of Savoy in 1032.
Mensfelden	Lordship	Condominium ofTrier andNassau.
Metz	Prince-Bishopric	Established by 535,Reichsfreiheit confirmed byCharles IV of Luxembourg in 1357, occupied by KingHenry II of France in 1552, part of the FrenchThree Bishoprics by the 1648 Peace of Westphalia.
Metz	Imperial City	Since 1189, occupied by King Henry II of France in 1552.
Mulhouse	Imperial City	(Mülhausen) Since about 1268, part of theDécapole since 1354, joinedSwiss Confederacy in 1515, France in 1798.
Munster, Haut-Rhin	Imperial City	(Münster )Reichsfreiheit granted by Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen in 1235, part of theDécapole since 1354.
Murbach	Imperial Abbey	Principality since 1548, to France in 1680, demolished during theRevolution.
Nassau-Idstein	County	Split off Nassau-Weilburg in 1627, fell to Nassau-Ottweiler in 1721.
Nassau-Saarbrücken	County	3rd Rhenish County, established in 1381, fell to Nassau-Ottweiler in 1723.
Nassau-Ottweiler	County	Split off Nassau-Saarbrücken in 1659, fell to Nassau-Usingen in 1728.
Nassau-Usingen	County	1st Rhenish County, split off Nassau-Saarbrücken in 1659, principality in 1688,Duchy of Nassau from 1806.
Nassau-Weilburg	County	2nd Rhenish County, principality in 1688,Duchy of Nassau from 1806.
Nomeny	Margraviate	Held by theBishopric of Metz until 1548, margraviate established by EmperorMaximilian II of Habsburg in 1567, to Lorraine in 1612.
Noyers	Lordship	Conferred toEmperor Maximilian I in theTreaty of Arras in 1482. Ceded toFrance in theTreaty of Noyon in 1516.
Obernai	Imperial City	(Oberehnheim) Since about 1240, part of theDécapole since 1354, annexed by France in 1679.
Odenheim	Provostry	Monastery established in 1122, Imperial college ofcanons(Reichsstift) since 1494, moved toBruchsal in 1507.
Olbrück	Lordship	Territory around Olbrück Castle nearNiederdürenbach, originally held byWied.
Orange	Principality	(Oranien) Created in 1033 as theCounty of Orange. Raised to a principality in 1163. Conceded to theKingdom of France in 1713.
Palatinate-Simmern	County Palatine	Split offElectoral Palatinate in 1410, inheritedElectoral Palatinate in 1559 with 8th vote to theReichstag.
Palatinate-Lautern	County Palatine	Subdivision of Palatinate from 1576 with 6th vote to theReichstag.
Palatinate-Veldenz	County Palatine	FormerCounty of Veldenz inherited by Palatinate-Zweibrücken in 1444, 16th vote to the Reichstag
Palatinate-Zweibrücken	County Palatine	Former County ofZweibrücken, in personal union with Palatinate-Simmern until 1459, fell toPalatinate-Birkenfeld in 1734, 14th seat to the Reichstag
Prüm	Prince-Provostry	(Re-)established by KingPepin the Short in 752,Reichsfreiheit granted by Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen in 1222, administered byTrier from 1576, 65th seat to theReichstag
Reipoltskirchen	Lordship	Since about 1300.
Romont	County	Raised to a county in 1439. Vassal of theDuchy of Savoy. Joined the Free Imperial City of Fribourg after the Bernese conquests in Savoy of 1536.
Rosheim	Imperial City	Since 1303, part of theDécapole since 1354, annexed by France in 1679.
Salm	Principality	Upper Salm since 1165, large parts held by theWild- and Rhinegraves from 1475 and partitioned in 1499,Salm-Salm raised to princes in 1623 with the 84th seat to theReichstag.
Salm-Dhaun	County	Subdivision of Salm since 1499, line extinct in 1750, inherited by Salm-Grumbach.
Salm-Grumbach	County	Split off Salm-Dhaun in 1561, annexed by France in 1801.
Salm-Stein-Grehweiler	County	Split off Salm-Grumbach in 1668.
Salm-Salm	County	Split off Salm-Dhaun in 1574, princely county from 1623 asPrincipality of Salm.
Salm-Kyrburg	County	Subdivision of Salm from 1499, residence atKirn, princely county from 1743, Principality of Salm from 1802.
Savoy	Duchy	(Savoyen) Former county, part of theKingdom of Burgundy inherited by EmperorConrad II in 1032,Reichsfreiheit granted by EmperorCharles IV of Luxembourg in 1361, raised to duchy in 1416.
Sayn-Wittgenstein	County	Former Counts ofSayn, a cadet branch of theHouse of Sponheim, acquired County ofWittgenstein in 1361, partitioned in 1607.
Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg	County	14th Rhenish County. Subdivision of Sayn-Wittgenstein from 1607.
Sayn-Wittgenstein-Wittgenstein	County	15th Rhenish County. Subdivision of Sayn-Wittgenstein from 1607,Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein from 1657.
Sélestat	Imperial City	(Schlettstadt)Reichsfreiheit granted by Frederick II of Hohenstaufen in 1216, part of theDécapole since 1354.
Solms-Braunfels	County	Subdivision of Solms since 1258, raised to principality in 1742.
Solms-Lich	County	Subdivision of Solms(-Braunfels) since 1409, Solms-Hohensolms-Lich from 1544, raised to principality in 1792.
Solms-Laubach	County	Subdivision of Solms-Lich from 1544.
Solms-Rödelheim	County	Subdivision of Solms-Laubach from 1607, Solms-Rödelheim-Assenheim from 1635.
Speyer	Prince-Bishopric	Established before 614,Reichsfreiheit granted around 969 by EmperorOtto I, 19th seat to theReichstag
Speyer	Imperial City	5th Rhenish City. City rights acknowledged by the Speyer bishops in 1294, venue of 50Reichstag assemblies, including theDiet of Speyer (1529) (Protestation at Speyer).
Sponheim	County	Established in the 11th century by the RhenishHouse of Sponheim, held jointly by the Margraves ofBaden and theHouse of Palatinate-Simmern since 1437.
Strasbourg	Prince-Bishopric	(Straßburg) Established in the 4th century, prince-bishopric since 982; 21st seat to theReichstag
Strasbourg	Imperial City	(Straßburg) Since 1262. Ceded to France in 1681
Tarentaise	Prince-Bishopric	Established in the 10th century, prince-bishopric since 1186.
Toul	Prince-Bishopric	(Tull) Established in 365 by SaintMansuetus,Reichsfreiheit confirmed by KingHenry I in 928, occupied by King Henry II of France in 1552, part of the French Three Bishoprics by the 1648 Peace of Westphalia.
Toul	Imperial City	(Tull) Since the 13th century(Tull), occupied by King Henry II of France in 1552.
Turckheim	Imperial City	(Türkheim) Since 1312, part of theDécapole since 1354.
Vaud	Barony	(Waadt) Established in 1234. Incorporated into theHouse of Savoy in 1359. Annexed by theCanton of Bern in 1536.
Verdun	Prince-Bishopric	(Wirten) Established about 346,Reichsfreiheit confirmed by EmperorOtto III in 997, occupied by King Henry II of France in 1552, part of the French Three Bishoprics by the 1648 Peace of Westphalia.
Verdun	Imperial City	Since the 12th century(Wirten), occupied by King Henry II of France in 1552.
Villars	County	Originally a Lordship. Raised to a county in 1497. Raised to a Marquisate in 1565. Raised to a Duchy in 1705.
Waldeck	County	Line established about 1180,Reichsfreiheit granted by KingWenceslaus of Luxembourg in 1379, Waldeck-Pyrmont from 1625, raised to principality in 1712.
Wartenberg	County	Established in 1232, inherited byRiedesel in 1428,Freiherren from 1680.
Wetterau	County	Established c. 950, held by the counts von Wetter-Tegerfelden in 1317
Weissenburg	Imperial City	Since 1306, part of theDécapole since 1354, annexed by France in 1648.
Weissenburg	Prince-Provostry	Abbey established about 660 by the Bishopric of Speyer,Reichsfreiheit granted by EmperorOtto II in 967, again held by Speyer from 1546, 63th seat to theReichstag.
Wetzlar	Imperial City	14th Rhenish City,Reichsfreiheit granted by EmperorFrederick I Barbarossa in 1180.
Wild- and Rhinegraves	County	Rhinegraves since the 12th century, inherited Wildgraviate atKyrburg in 1409, acquired (Upper) Salm in 1475.
Worms	Prince-Bishopric	Established about 614; 15th seat to theReichstag
Worms	Imperial City	4th Rhenish City,Reichsfreiheit granted by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa in 1184.

• The list of states making up the Upper Rhenish Circle is based in part on that in theGerman Wikipedia articleOberrheinischer Reichskreis.

• Historicalmaps.com: Historical Maps of Germany — Imperial Circles in the 16th Century

• Upper Rhenish Circle
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• 1500s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
• 1806 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire
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• Upper Rhine

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