Metz

Metz stands near the meeting of the Moselle and the Seille. A wealthy episcopal city and a free imperial city, it developed its own civic institutions and a powerful merchant elite. Its cathedral of Saint-Étienne, with high Gothic vaults and great expanses of stained glass, rose above streets enclosed by formidable walls.

In 1552 Henry II of France occupied Metz as part of his intervention in the Empire. Emperor Charles V marched to recover it, but the Duke of Guise prepared the city's defences and held out through a difficult winter siege that greatly weakened the imperial army. The imperial army withdrew in January 1553. Metz remained under French protection, and the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 formally recognized French sovereignty over the city.