Strasbourg was in the fifth century occupied successively by Alemanni, Huns, and Franks.

In the ninth century it was commonly known as Strazburg in the local language, as documented in 842 by the Oaths of Strasbourg.

This trilingual text contains, alongside texts in Latin and Old High German (teudisca lingua), the oldest written variety of Gallo-Romance (lingua romana) clearly distinct from Latin, the ancestor of Old French.

The town was also called Stratisburgum or Strateburgus in Latin, from which later came Strossburi in Alsatian and Straßburg in Standard German, and then Strasbourg in French.

The Oaths of Strasbourg is considered as marking the birth of the two countries of France and Germany with the division of the Carolingian Empire.

A major commercial center, the town comes under the control of the Holy Roman Empire in 923, through the homage paid by the Duke of Lorraine to German King Henry I.

The early history of Strasbourg consists of a long conflict between its bishop and its citizens.

The citizens emerge victorious after the Battle of Oberhausbergen in 1262, when King Philip of Swabia grants the city the status of an Imperial Free City.The Free City of Strasbourg remains neutral during the Thirty Years' War 1618-1648, and retains its status as a Free Imperial City.

However, the city is later annexed by Louis XIV of France to extend the borders of his kingdom.