Editing German Confederation (section)

==History==

===Background===
{{Further|Napoleonic Wars}}
The [[War of the Third Coalition]] lasted from about 1803 to 1806. Following defeat at the [[Battle of Austerlitz|Battle of {{Lang|de|Austerlitz|nocat=y|italics=unset}}]] by the French under [[Napoleon]] in December 1805, [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis II]]  abdicated as Holy Roman Emperor on 6 August 1806, thus dissolving the [[Holy Roman Empire|Empire]]. In the aftermath of the [[Peace of Pressburg (1805)|Treaty of {{Lang|de|Pressburg|nocat=y|italics=unset}}]] Napoleon created the [[Confederation of the Rhine]] in July 1806, joining sixteen of France's allies among the German states (including Bavaria and {{Lang|de|Württemberg|italics=unset}}). After the [[Battle of Jena–Auerstedt|Battle of {{Lang|de|Jena–Auerstedt|nocat=y|italics=unset}}]] of October 1806 in the [[War of the Fourth Coalition]], various other German states, including Saxony and Westphalia, also joined the Confederation. Only Austria, Prussia, Danish {{Lang|de|Holstein|italics=unset}}, [[Swedish Pomerania]], and the French-occupied [[Principality of Erfurt]] stayed outside the Confederation of the Rhine. The [[War of the Sixth Coalition]] from 1812 to winter 1814 saw the defeat of Napoleon and the liberation of Germany. In June 1814, the famous German patriot [[Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein|Heinrich vom Stein]] created the Central Managing Authority for Germany (''Zentralverwaltungsbehörde'') in Frankfurt to replace the defunct Confederation of the Rhine. However, plenipotentiaries gathered at the [[Congress of Vienna]] were determined to create a weaker union of German states than that envisaged by Stein.

===Establishment===
{{See also|States of the German Confederation}}The German Confederation was created by the [[wikisource:Final Act of the Congress of Vienna/Act IX|9th Act]] of the Congress of Vienna on 8 June 1815 after being alluded to in [[wikisource:Treaty of Paris (1814)#ART.VI|Article 6]] of the 1814 [[Treaty of Paris (1814)|Treaty of Paris]], ending the War of the Sixth Coalition.<ref name="Heeren1873_p480-482">{{Citation |last=Heeren |first=Arnold Hermann Ludwig |title=A Manual of the History of the Political System of Europe and its Colonies |date=1873 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vc88AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA480 |pages=480–481 |editor-last=Talboys |editor-first=David Alphonso |place=London |publisher=H. G. Bohn |editor-link=David Alphonso Talboys}}</ref>

The Confederation was formally created by a second treaty, the ''Final Act of the Ministerial Conference to Complete and Consolidate the Organization of the German Confederation''. This treaty was not concluded and signed by the parties until 15 May 1820. States joined the German Confederation by becoming parties to the second treaty. The states designated for inclusion in the Confederation were:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! class="unsortable" | Flag
! Member State
! class="unsortable" | Notes

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Anhalt Duchies.png}}
| [[Anhalt-Bernburg]]
| Inherited by the Duke of [[Anhalt-Dessau]] in 1863

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Herzogtum Anhalt.svg}}
| [[Anhalt-Dessau]]
|Renamed the [[Duchy of Anhalt]] in 1863
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Anhalt Duchies.png}}
| [[Anhalt-Köthen]]
| Inherited by the Duke of [[Anhalt-Dessau]] in 1847; merged with [[Anhalt-Dessau]] in 1853

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy.svg}}
| [[Austrian Empire]]
| Only a part that included the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Crown of Bohemia]] – [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]], [[Margraviate of Moravia|Moravia]] and [[Austrian Silesia]] – and Austrian lands – [[Archduchy of Austria|Austria]], [[Duchy of Carinthia|Carinthia]], [[Duchy of Carniola|Carniola]], the [[Austrian Littoral|Littoral]] except [[Istria]];{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}} the Duchies of [[Duchy of Oświęcim|Auschwitz]] and [[Duchy of Zator|Zator]], part of the [[Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria]], were also members in 1818–1850

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Großherzogtum Baden (1891–1918).svg}}
| [[Grand Duchy of Baden|Baden]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Bavaria (striped).svg}}
| [[Kingdom of Bavaria|Bavaria]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Herzogtum Braunschweig (1814-1830).svg}}
| [[Duchy of Brunswick|Brunswick]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Hanover 1837-1866.svg}}
| [[Kingdom of Hanover|Hanover]]
| Annexed by Prussia 20 September 1866

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Hesse.svg}}
| [[Electorate of Hesse]]
| Also known as Hesse-Kassel; annexed by Prussia 20 September 1866

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Großherzogtum Hessen ohne Wappen.svg}}
| [[Grand Duchy of Hesse]]
| Also known as Hesse-Darmstadt

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Hessen HG flag.svg}}
| [[Hesse-Homburg]]
| Joined in 1817; inherited by the grand-duke of [[Grand Duchy of Hesse|Hesse-Darmstadt]] in March 1866; annexed by Prussia 20 September 1866

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Sigmaringen.png}}
| [[Hohenzollern-Hechingen]]
| Became part of Prussia in 1850
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Sigmaringen.png}}
| [[Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen]]
| Became part of Prussia in 1850
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Merchant Ensign of Holstein-Gottorp (Lions sinister).svg}}
| [[Duchy of Holstein|Holstein]]
| Held by [[Denmark|Danish kings]] in [[personal union]] since 15th century as a fief of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]; on 28 November 1863, the Federal Assembly removed the Danish delegate pending resolution of the succession issue and the naming of a new delegate from a government recognized by the Assembly; Denmark subsequently ceded it and Sleswig jointly to Austria and Prussia on 30 October 1864 as a result of the [[Second Schleswig War]]; the duchy technically remained in the Confederation pending final resolution of its status; Sleswig did not become a member in the short time between this war and the dissolution of the Confederation; both duchies were annexed by Prussia on 24 December 1866

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Liechtenstein (1719-1852).svg}}
| [[Liechtenstein]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Limburg_provinciewapen_oud.svg}}
| [[Duchy of Limburg (1839–1867)|Limburg]]
| With the Dutch King being the Duke

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Fürstentum Lippe.svg}}
| [[Lippe-Detmold]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Luxembourg.svg}}
| [[Luxembourg]]
| With the Dutch King being the Grand Duke

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Großherzogtümer Mecklenburg.svg}}
| [[Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Großherzogtümer Mecklenburg.svg}}
| [[Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Herzogtum Nassau (1806-1866).svg}}
| [[Duchy of Nassau|Nassau]]
| Annexed by Prussia 20 September 1866

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Oldenburg (Scandinavian Cross).svg}}
| [[Grand Duchy of Oldenburg|Oldenburg]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Civil flag of Prussia 1701-1935.svg}}
| [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]
| The [[Province of Prussia]] and the [[Grand Duchy of Posen]] were only federal territory in 1848–1850

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Fürstentum Reuß ältere Linie.svg}}
| [[Reuss Elder Line|Reuss, elder line]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Fürstentum Reuß jüngere Linie.svg}}
| [[Reuss Junior Line|Reuss, junior line]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Saxon Duchies (1815-1918).svg}}
| [[Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]]
| Became [[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] in 1826

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg.svg}}
| [[Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg]]
| Partitioned and became [[Saxe-Altenburg]] in 1826

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha (1826-1911).svg}}
| [[Saxe-Hildburghausen]]
| Duchy partitioned and ruler became Duke of [[Saxe-Altenburg]] in 1826

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Lauenburg.svg}}
| [[Saxe-Lauenburg]]
| Held by Denmark since 1815; by the [[Treaty of Vienna (1864)]], King [[Christian IX of Denmark]] abdicated as duke of Saxe-Lauenburg and ceded the duchy to Prussia and Austria;<ref name="Britannica Lauenburg">[http://ia600303.us.archive.org//load_djvu_applet.php?file=26/items/EncyclopaediaBritannica1911HQDJVU/Encyclopedia_Britannica_16_L_-_Lord_Advocate.djvu "Lauenburg"], in: [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]: 29 vols., <sup>11</sup>1910–1911, vol.&nbsp;16 'L to Lord Advocate', p.&nbsp;280.</ref> In September 1865 [[William I, German Emperor|William I of Prussia]] acceded as duke in [[personal union]], following the [[Gastein Convention]] and a vote of [[the Estates]] of Lauenburg<ref name="Britannica Lauenburg"/>

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Saxe-Meiningen (until 1818).svg}}
| [[Saxe-Meiningen]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Großherzogtum Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1813-1897).svg}}
| [[Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Königreich Sachsen (1815-1918).svg}}
| [[Kingdom of Saxony|Saxony]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Fürstentum Schaumburg-Lippe.svg}}
| [[Schaumburg-Lippe]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Fürstentümer Schwarzburg.svg}}
| [[Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Fürstentümer Schwarzburg.svg}}
| [[Schwarzburg-Sondershausen]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Waldeck before 1830.svg}}
| [[Waldeck and Pyrmont]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flagge Königreich Württemberg.svg}}
| [[Kingdom of Württemberg|Württemberg]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Bremen.svg}}
| [[Free Hanseatic City of Bremen|Bremen]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Free City of Frankfurt.svg}}
| [[Free City of Frankfurt|Frankfurt]]
| Annexed by Prussia 20 September 1866

|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of Hamburg.svg}}
| [[The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg|Hamburg]]
|
|-
| align=center | {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Free City of Lübeck.svg}}
| [[Free City of Lübeck|Lübeck]]
|
|}
In 1839, as compensation for the loss of part of the [[Luxembourg (Belgium)|province of {{Lang|de|Luxemburg|nocat=y|italics=unset}}]] to Belgium, the [[Duchy of Limburg (1839–67)|Duchy of Limburg]] was created and became a member of the German Confederation (held by the Netherlands jointly with Luxembourg) until the dissolution of 1866. In 1867 the duchy was declared to be an "integral part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands". The cities of Maastricht and Venlo were not included in the Confederation.

[[File:Frankfurter Fürstentag 1863 Abschlußphoto.jpg|thumb|300px|Monarchs of the member states of the German Confederation (with the exception of the Prussian king) meeting at Frankfurt in 1863]]

The [[Austrian Empire]] and the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] were the largest and by far the most powerful members of the Confederation. Large parts of both countries were not included in the Confederation, because they had not been part of the former Holy Roman Empire, nor were the greater parts of their armed forces incorporated in the federal army. Austria and Prussia each had one vote in the Federal Assembly.

Six other major states had one vote each in the Federal Assembly: the [[Kingdom of Bavaria]], the [[Kingdom of Saxony]], the [[Kingdom of Württemberg|Kingdom of {{Lang|de|Württemberg|nocat=y|italics=unset}}]], the [[Electorate of Hesse]], the [[Grand Duchy of Baden]], and the [[Grand Duchy of Hesse]].

Three foreign monarchs ruled member states: the [[List of Danish monarchs|King of Denmark]] as Duke of [[Duchy of Holstein|Holstein]] and Duke of [[Saxe-Lauenburg]]; the [[Monarchy of the Netherlands|King of the Netherlands]] as [[List of Grand Dukes of Luxembourg|Grand Duke of Luxembourg]] and (from 1839) Duke of [[Duchy of Limburg (1839–1867)|Limburg]]; and the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland#List of monarchs|King of the United Kingdom]] (until 1837) as [[King of Hanover]] were members of the German Confederation. Each of them had a vote in the Federal Assembly. At its foundation in 1815, four member states were ruled by foreign monarchs, as the King of Denmark was Duke of both Holstein and Saxe-Lauenburg.

The four [[Free Imperial City|free cities]] of {{Lang|de|[[Bremen (state)|Bremen]]|italics=unset}}, {{Lang|de|[[Free City of Frankfurt|Frankfurt]]|italics=unset}}, {{Lang|de|[[Hamburg]]|italics=unset}}, and {{Lang|de|[[Free City of Lübeck|Lübeck]]|italics=unset}} shared one vote in the Federal Assembly.

The 23 remaining states (at its formation in 1815) shared five votes in the Federal Assembly:

* Saxe-Weimar, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Saxe-Hildburghausen (5 states)
* Brunswick and Nassau (2 states)
* Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz (2 states)
* Oldenburg, Anhalt-Dessau, Anhalt-Bernburg, Anhalt-Köthen, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (6 states)
* Hohenzollern-Hechingen, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Liechtenstein, Reuss (Elder Branch), Reuss (Younger Branch), Schaumburg-Lippe, Lippe and Waldeck (8 states)

There were therefore 17 votes in the Federal Assembly.