Abbacy/Principality of Quedlinburg

Quedlinburg Abbey was founded at around the same time as the Holy Roman Empire by the mother of the first Holy Roman Emperor. As such, it was part of Ecclesiastical Germany. It exercised secular control over the surrounding territory directly under the Emperor (that is, as an independent country). The city asserted a degree of independence from the abbess, but was subjugated with outside assistance in 1477. In 1698, Quedlinburg became a protectorate of Brandenburg, while remaining technically independent. In 1802, it was secularized as the Principality of Quedlinburg within the Kingdom of Prussia.