Sentence:  The remnants of this[Hanseatic] league, with the former confederacy of cities, which had its representatives in the German diet, and the <WSD>free cities</WSD> of Hamburg, Bremen and Lubeck, were incorporated with the French empire in 1810. As these cities coöperated vigorously in the recovery of German independence, they were acknowledged, together with Frankfort, as <WSD>free cities</WSD>, by the congress of Vienna....Besides these four <WSD>free cities</WSD> in Germany, Cracow (q. v.) was likewise declared a <WSD>free city</WSD> by the general act of the congress of Vienna, and is under the protection of Russia, Austria and Prussia. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Any of various types of city of Europe from classical to modern times, characterised by relative autonomy and/or being responsible only and directly to a king or emperor; a more modern city of such type, sometimes elsewhere than in Europe.