Peace of Constance, Southern Swabia: Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa recognizes the municipal liberties of Italian cities. Formally, it is not a bilateral treaty, but a series of privileges granted by Frederick to Italian cities: citizens can freely elect their own governors, who must swear loyalty to the emperor (a practice that will be abandoned after a few years), they can freely build palaces and fortifications, and the League is legally recognized. The emperor is reduced to a role little more than symbolic. The oppressive tax system is completely eliminated.
