Stedingen

The Peasants' Republic of Stedingen (German: Stedinger Bauernrepublik) was a short-lived peasants' republic south of the Weser river by Bremen.

Frist Settlement
The territory was originally settled by five Dutchmen, who were looking for an arrangement with the Archbishop of Bremen to build a settlement in the swampy regions between the Hunte and Weser rivers. This area later became known as Stedingen.

Independence
The dutch peasants, who were most of the settlers in the area, reached an agreement with the Archbishopric of Bremen for almost full independence in 1204. The only condition was that every peasant must pay 1 Pfennig, 1/11 sheaf of all harvests, and a tenth of all livestock to the Archbishop of Bremen, acting as a tax and an acknowledgement of the Archbishopric's technical overlordship; other then that however, the country was fully independent.