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For almost five centuries, the German city of 'Frankfurt am Main' was a city-state within two major Germanic states:

★ The Holy Roman Empire as the 'Free Imperial City of Frankfurt' () (until 1806)

★ The German Confederation as the 'Free City of Frankfurt' () (1815–66)
Frankfurt was a major city of the Holy Roman Empire, being the seat of imperial elections since 885 and the city for imperial coronations from 1562 (previously in Aachen) until 1792. Frankfurt was declared an Imperial Free City () in 1372, making the city directly subordinate to the Holy Roman Emperor and not to a regional ruler or a local nobleman.
Due to its imperial significance, Frankfurt survived mediatisation in 1803. Following the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Frankfurt fell to the rule of Napoleon I, who granted the city to the Archbishopric of Mainz. Archbishop Karl Theodor von Dalberg, the last imperial arch-chancellor, became the puppet ruler of the newly-formed Grand Duchy of Frankfurt. After the defeat of Napoleon and the collapse of the Confederation of the Rhine, Frankfurt was returned to its pre-Napoleonic form via the Congress of Vienna of 1815 and became a member of the German Confederation.
During the period of the German Confederation, Frankfurt continued to be a major city. The confederation's governing body, the Bundestag (officially called the ''Bundesversammlung'', Federal Assembly) was located in the palace of Thurn und Taxis in Frankfurt's city centre. During the Revolutions of 1848, the Frankfurt Parliament was formed in an attempt to unite the German states in a democratic manner. It was here that Prussian king, Friedrich Wilhelm IV refused the offer of the crown of Little Germany.
In 1866, the Kingdom of Prussia went to war with the Austrian Empire over Schleswig-Holstein, causing the Austro-Prussian War. Frankfurt, remaining loyal to the German Confederation, did not join with Prussia. Following Prussia's victory, Frankfurt was annexed by Prussia, becoming part of the newly-formed province of Hesse-Nassau.