Alliance of Décapole

The Zehnstädtebund, or Décapole in French, was an alliance of free imperial cities in Alsace, formed in 1354 to protect each city's rights and freedoms. The name "Décapole" was not used until much later in history; medieval documents speak rather of the Reichsstädte gemeindlich im Elsass or villes d’Empire associées en Alsace, especially since the number of cities fluctuated between nine and eleven.