Editing Unification of Germany (section)

== Early history ==
[[File:HRR 1789 EN.png|thumb|upright=1.35|Map of the Austrian [[Habsburg monarchy]]-led [[Holy Roman Empire]] (HRE) in 1789. The two biggest lands of the HRE were the German-speaking part of [[Austrian Empire|Austria]] (orange) and the German-speaking part of [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] (blue), besides a large number of small states (many of them too small to be shown on the map).]]
Germans emerged in medieval times among the descendants of the Romanized [[Germanic peoples]] in the area of modern western Germany, between the [[Rhine river|Rhine]] and [[Elbe]] rivers, particularly the [[Franks]], [[Frisians]], [[Saxons]], [[Thuringii]], [[Alemanni]], and [[Baiuvarii]].<ref name="Heather">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Germany/History#ref58082 |title=Germany: Ancient History |last=Heather |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Heather |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]] |access-date=21 November 2020 |quote=Within the boundaries of present-day Germany... Germanic peoples such as the eastern Franks, Frisians, Saxons, Thuringians, Alemanni, and Bavarians—all speaking West Germanic dialects—had merged Germanic and borrowed Roman cultural features. It was among these groups that a German language and ethnic identity would gradually develop during the Middle Ages. |archive-date=31 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331232159/https://www.britannica.com/place/Germany/History#ref58082 |url-status=live }}</ref> The region was divided into long-lasting divisions, or "[[Stem duchies]]", based upon these ethnic designations, under the dominance of the western Franks starting with [[Clovis I]], who established control of the Romanized and Frankish population of Gaul in the 5th century, and began a new process of conquering the peoples east of the Rhine. In subsequent centuries the power of the Franks grew considerably.{{sfn|Minahan|2000|pp=288–289}} By the early 9th century AD, large parts of Europe had been united under the rule of the Frankish leader [[Charlemagne]], who expanded the [[Frankish Empire]] (Francia) in several directions including east of the Rhine, where he conquered [[Saxons]] and [[Frisians]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Minahan|2000|pp=288–289}}{{Nonspecific|date=April 2023}}</ref> [[Kingdom of Germany|A confederated realm of German princedoms]], along with some adjacent lands, had been in existence for over a thousand years; dating to the [[Treaty of Verdun]] i.e. the establishment of [[East Francia]] from eastern Frankish Empire in east of the Rhine in 843, especially when the [[Ottonian dynasty]] took power to rule East Francia in 919. The realm later in 962 made up the core of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], which at times included [[List of states in the Holy Roman Empire|more than 1,000 entities]] and was called the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation" from 1512 with the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)#Locations of Imperial Diets|Diet of Cologne]] (new title was adopted partly because the Empire lost most of its territories in Italy and [[Kingdom of Arles|Burgundy]] to the south and west by the late 15th century, but also to emphasize the new importance of the German [[Imperial Estate]]s in ruling the Empire due to the [[Imperial Reform]]). The states of the Holy Roman Empire ranged in size from the small and complex territories of the princely [[Hohenlohe]] family branches to sizable, well-defined territories such as the [[Electorate of Bavaria]], the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]] or the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]]. Their governance varied: they included [[free imperial city|free imperial cities]], also of different sizes, such as the powerful [[Augsburg]] and the minuscule [[Weil der Stadt]]; ecclesiastical territories, also of varying sizes and influence, such as the wealthy [[Abbey of Reichenau]] and the powerful [[Electorate of Cologne|Archbishopric of Cologne]]; and dynastic states such as [[Duchy of Württemberg|Württemberg]]. Among the German-speaking states, the Holy Roman Empire's administrative and legal mechanisms provided a venue to resolve disputes between peasants and landlords, between jurisdictions, and within jurisdictions. Through the organization of [[imperial circles]] (''Reichskreise''), groups of states consolidated resources and promoted regional and organizational interests, including economic cooperation and military protection.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}