The region, as part of Lorraine, was part of the Holy Roman Empire, and then was gradually annexed by <answer>France</answer> in the 17th century, and formalized as one of the provinces of <answer>France</answer>. The Calvinist manufacturing republic of Mulhouse, known as Stadtrepublik Mülhausen, became a part of Alsace after a vote by its citizens on 4 January 1798. Alsace is frequently mentioned with and as part of Lorraine and the former duchy of Lorraine, since it was a vital part of the duchy, and later because German possession as the imperial province (Alsace-Lorraine, 1871–1918) was contested in the 19th and 20th centuries; <answer>France</answer> and Germany exchanged control of parts of Lorraine (including Alsace) four times in 75 years.
Which other country had control over Alsace?
France