The German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.
The German Empire consisted of 26 territories most ruled by royal families. The Kingdom of Prussia contained most of the population and most of the territory.
| Country |
Capital |
Code |
| Kingdoms |
| 1. Prussia |
Berlin |
PRE |
| 2. Bavaria |
Munich |
BAV |
| 3. Saxony |
Dresden |
KSA |
| 4. Wurttemberg |
Stuttgart |
WUE |
| Grand duchies |
| 5. Baden |
Karlsruhe |
BAD |
| 6. Hesse |
Darmstadt |
GHE |
| 7. Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
Schwerin |
MSW |
| 8. Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
Neustrelitz |
MST |
| 9. Oldenburg |
Oldenburg |
OLD |
| 10. Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Saxony from 1877) |
Weimar |
SWE |
| Duchies |
| 11. Anhalt |
Dessau |
ANH |
| 12. Brunswick |
Braunschweig |
BSW |
| 13. Saxe-Altenburg |
Altenburg |
SAB |
| 14. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha |
Coburg |
SCG |
| 15. Saxe-Meinigen |
Meiningen |
SME |
| Principalities |
| 16. Lippe |
Detmold |
LIP |
| 17. Reuss, junior line |
Gera |
REJ |
| 18. Reuss, senior line |
Greiz |
REU |
| 19. Schaumburg-Lippe |
Buckeburg |
SLP |
| 20. Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt |
Rudolstadt |
SRU |
| 21. Schwarzburg-Sondershausen |
Sondershausen |
SSD |
| 22. Waldeck-Pyrmont |
Arolsen |
WAL |
| Free Hanseatic cities |
| 23. Bremen |
Bremen |
BRM |
| 24. Hamburg |
Hamburg |
HBG |
| 25. Lubeck |
Lubeck |
LUE |
| Imperial territory |
| 26. Alsace-Lorraine (Elsass-Lothr) |
Strassburg |
ELO |
The larger regions in the above table were subdivided:
| Country |
State |
Capital |
Code |
| 1. Prussia |
Berlin |
Berlin |
BER |
| Brandenburg |
Potsdam |
BB |
| East Prussia |
Konigsberg |
OPR |
| Hanover |
Hanover |
HAN |
| Hesse-Nassau |
Kassel |
|
| Hohenzollern |
Sigmaringen |
HOH |
| Pomerania |
Stettin |
POM |
| Posen |
Posen |
POS |
| Rhine Province |
Koblenz |
|
| Saxony |
Magdeburg |
SAC |
| Schleswig-Holstein |
Kiel |
SHO |
| Silesia |
Breslau |
SCI |
| West Prussia |
Danzig |
WPR |
| Westphalia |
Munster |
WFA |
| 2. Bavaria |
Lower Bavaria |
Landshut |
|
| Lower Franconia and Aschaffenburg |
Wurzburg |
|
| Middle Franconia |
Ansbach |
|
| Palatinate |
Speyer |
|
| Upper Bavaria |
Augsburg |
|
| Upper Franconia |
Bayreuth |
|
| Upper Palatinate and Ratisbon |
Regensburg |
|
| 3. Saxony |
Bauzen |
Bauzen |
|
| Dresden |
Dresden |
|
| Leipzig |
Leipzig |
LPZ |
| Zwickau |
Zwickau |
|
| 4. Wurttemberg |
Black Forest |
Reutingen |
|
| Danube |
Ulm |
|
| Jagst |
Ellwangen |
|
| Neckar |
Stuttgart |
|
| 6. Hesse |
Rhine-Hesse |
Mainz |
|
| Starkenburg |
Darmestadt |
|
| Upper Hesse |
Giessen |
|
| 26. Alsace-Lorraine |
Lorraine |
Metz |
LOT |
| Lower Alsace |
Strassburg |
|
| Upper Alsace |
Colmar |
|
The German Confederation
The German Confederation was created by the Congress of Vienna on 8 June 1815 after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. It came to an end as a result of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 that resulted in the North German Confederation in 1867 which included Prussia but excluded Austria and the South German states. During November 1870 the four southern states joined the North German Confederation by treaty.
On 10 December 1870 the North German Confederation was renamed the German Empire and gave the title of German Emperor to the King of Prussia as President of the Confederation.
See the guide: German Confederation |
