History of Strasbourg remained neutral during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), and retained its status as a Free Imperial City. However, the city was later annexed by Louis XIV of France to extend the borders of his kingdom. Louis' advisors believed that, as long as Strasbourg remained independent, it would endanger the King's newly annexed territories in Alsace, and, that to defend these large rural lands effectively, a garrison had to be placed in towns such as Strasbourg. Indeed, the bridge over the Rhine at Strasbourg had been used repeatedly by Imperial (Holy Roman Empire) forces, and three times during the Franco-Dutch War
Strasbourg Consensus in Switzerland over the next two decades.” Strasbourg Consensus The Strasbourg Consensus was a joint statement of doctrine by Reformed and Lutheran theologians, signed in Strasbourg in March 1563. The signing of the Strasbourg Consensus resolved the open struggles in Stasbourg, with both factions signing a joint statement on the “disputed issues of predestination, the perseverance of the saints, and the Lord's Supper.” (This should not be confused with the European Union's Strasbourg Consensus of 1983.) From 1561 to 1563, theological controversy between the prominent pastor Johann Marbach and Professor Girolamo Zanchi of the Strasbourg Academy divided the Church in