The region, as part of Lorraine, was part of the Holy Roman Empire, and then was gradually annexed by France in the 17th century, and formalized as one of the provinces of France. 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; France and Germany exchanged control of parts of Lorraine (including Alsace) four times in 75 years. 

With the decline of the Roman Empire, Alsace became the territory of the Germanic Alemanni. The Alemanni were agricultural people, and their Germanic language formed the basis of modern-day dialects spoken along the Upper Rhine (Alsatian, Alemannian, Swabian, Swiss). Clovis and the Franks defeated the Alemanni during the 5th century AD, culminating with the Battle of Tolbiac, and Alsace became part of the Kingdom of Austrasia. Under Clovis' Merovingian successors the inhabitants were Christianized. Alsace remained under Frankish control until the Frankish realm, following the Oaths of Strasbourg of 842, was formally dissolved in 843 at the Treaty of Verdun; the grandsons of Charlemagne divided the realm into three parts. Alsace formed part of the Middle Francia, which was ruled by the youngest grandson Lothar I. Lothar died early in 855 and his realm was divided into three parts. The part known as Lotharingia, or Lorraine, was given to Lothar's son. The rest was shared between Lothar's brothers Charles the Bald (ruler of the West Frankish realm) and Louis the German (ruler of the East Frankish realm). The Kingdom of Lotharingia was short-lived, however, becoming the stem duchy of Lorraine in Eastern Francia after the Treaty of Ribemont in 880. Alsace was united with the other Alemanni east of the Rhine into the stem duchy of Swabia. QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. What region belonged to the Holy Roman Empire?
2. What territory was included in the Holy Roman Empire?
3. 
Q2:
1. Who annexed Lorraine?
2. Who took over rule of Lorraine?
3. 
Q3:
1. When did Lorraine become a part of France?
2. When did France annex Lorraine?
3. 
Q4:
1. What did Lorraine become in the 17th century?
2. What did Lorraine become when France annexed it?
3. 
Q5:
1. What was Mulhouse turned into?
2. What did Mulhouse become a part of?
3. 
Q6:
1. How did Mulhouse become a part of Alsace?
2. How did it get decided that Mulhouse would join Alsace?
3. 
Q7:
1. Who voted to make Mulhouse a part of Alsace?
2. Who cast votes to have Mulhouse join Alsace?
3. 
Q8:
1. When was it voted that Mulhouse would become a part of Alsace?
2. On what date did citizens vote to have Mulhouse join Alsace?
3. 
Q9:
1. What had Mulhouse been known as?
2. What was Mulhouse frequently considered?
3. 
Q10:
1. Did Lorraine contain Alsace?
2. Was Alsace within Lorraine?
3. 
Q11:
1. What was the subject of dispute?
2. What did people fight over?
3. 
Q12:
1. When was German possession of Alsace-Lorraine disputed?
2. At what point in history was German possession of Alsace-Lorraine called into question?
3. 
Q13:
1. How many times did control over Lorraine change hands?
2. What was the number of times that the ruler of Lorraine changed?
3. 
Q14:
1. Who did control of Lorraine shift between?
2. Who was in control of Lorraine at various points in time?
3. 
Q15:
1. For how many years did control over Lorraine shift between France and Germany?
2. How long did Lorraine bounce between belonging to France and to Germany?
3. 
