States of the German Empire (1871)
Encyclopedia
The German Empire
consisted of 27, later 26 constituent states, the largest of which was Prussia
. These states, or Staaten (they became known as Länder during the Weimar Republic).
Several of these states had gained sovereignty following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire
. Others were created as sovereign states after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Territories were not necessarily contiguous, such as Bavaria
, or Oldenburg
—many existed in several parts (enclaves and exclaves
), as a result of historical acquisitions, or, in several cases, divisions of the ruling family trees.
s.
|- style="background-color:#bbbbbb;"
! class="unsortable" | Flag
! State
! Capital
! Style of Government
! Area (km²)
! Inhabitants
! Inhabitants
per km²
! Present Situation
|- style="background-color:#dddddd;"
|
| East Prussia
(German: Ostpreußen)
| Königsberg
| Province
| align="center"| 36,993.9
| align="center"| 2,025,741
(1910)
| align="right"| 54.1
| divided between Poland
,
Lithuania
, and Russia
|- style="background-color:#dddddd;"
|
| Hannover
(German: Hanover)
| Hannover
| Province
| align="center"| 38,705
| align="center"| 3,537,390
(1939)
| align="right"| 91.4
| now part of Lower Saxony
with Oldenburg
, Brunswick
,
and Schaumburg-Lippe
|- style="background-color:#dddddd;"
|
| Silesia
(German: Schlesien)
| Breslau
| Province
| align="center"| 40,319
| align="center"| 4,935,823
(1905)
| align="right"| 122
| now part of Saxony, Poland,
and the Czech Republic
|- style="background-color:#dddddd;"
|
| West Prussia
(German: Westpreußen)
| Danzig
| Province
| align="center"| 25,534.9
| align="center"| 1,641,936
(1905)
| align="right"| 64.3
| now part of Poland
|}>
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" 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...
consisted of 27, later 26 constituent states, the largest of which was Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
. These states, or Staaten (they became known as Länder during the Weimar Republic).
Several of these states had gained sovereignty following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. Others were created as sovereign states after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Territories were not necessarily contiguous, such as Bavaria
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
, or Oldenburg
Oldenburg
Oldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...
—many existed in several parts (enclaves and exclaves
Enclave and exclave
In political geography, an enclave is a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory.An exclave, on the other hand, is a territory legally or politically attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous.These are two...
), as a result of historical acquisitions, or, in several cases, divisions of the ruling family trees.
Kingdoms
- Kingdom of BavariaKingdom of BavariaThe Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
- Kingdom of PrussiaKingdom of PrussiaThe Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
(itself subdivided into the Provinces of PrussiaProvinces of PrussiaThe Provinces of Prussia constituted the main administrative divisions of Prussia. Following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 and the Congress of Vienna in 1815 the various princely states in Germany gained their nominal sovereignty, but the reunification process that culminated in...
of restricted self-governance) - Kingdom of SaxonyKingdom of SaxonyThe Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
- Kingdom of WürttembergKingdom of WürttembergThe Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
Grand Duchies
- Grand Duchy of BadenGrand Duchy of BadenThe Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
- Grand Duchy of HesseGrand Duchy of HesseThe Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine , or, between 1806 and 1816, Grand Duchy of Hesse —as it was also known after 1816—was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German...
- Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
- Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
- Grand Duchy of Oldenburg
- Grand Duchy of Saxony (until 1877 Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach)
Duchies
- Duchy of Anhalt
- Duchy of BrunswickDuchy of BrunswickBrunswick was a historical state in Germany. Originally the territory of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in the Holy Roman Empire, it was established as an independent duchy by the Congress of Vienna in 1815...
- Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg
- Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
- Duchy of Saxe-LauenburgDuchy of Saxe-LauenburgThe Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg between the 14th and 17th centuries), later also known as the Duchy of Lauenburg, was a reichsfrei duchy that existed 1296–1803 and 1814–1876 in the extreme southeast region of what is now Schleswig-Holstein...
(until 1876, then merged in the Kingdom of Prussia) - Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen
Principalities
- Principality of LippePrincipality of LippeLippe was a historical state in Germany. It was located between the Weser River and the southeast part of the Teutoburg forest.-History:...
- Principality of Reuss Junior Line
- Principality of Reuss Senior Line
- Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe
- Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
- Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
- Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Free Hanseatic Cities (republics)
Different than the above-mentioned monarchies these city states were constitutionally organised as republicRepublic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
s.
- Free Hanseatic City of Bremen
- Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
- Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck
Imperial Territory
Different than all other above-mentioned component states this state, comprising territory ceded by France in 1871, was first administered by the central government, growing later into a republic of restricted autonomy only, with an elected state parliament of its own only as of 1912.- Alsace-LorraineAlsace-LorraineThe Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
Four of Prussia's provinces
! class="unsortable" | Flag
! State
! Capital
! Style of Government
! Area (km²)
! Inhabitants
! Inhabitants
per km²
! Present Situation
|- style="background-color:#dddddd;"
|
| East Prussia
Province of East Prussia
The Province of East Prussia was a province of Prussia from 1773–1829 and 1878-1945. Composed of the historical region East Prussia, the province's capital was Königsberg ....
(German: Ostpreußen)
| Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
| Province
| align="center"| 36,993.9
| align="center"| 2,025,741
(1910)
| align="right"| 54.1
| divided between Poland
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, or Warmia-Masuria Province , is a voivodeship in northeastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Olsztyn...
,
Lithuania
Klaipėda Region
The Klaipėda Region or Memel Territory was defined by the Treaty of Versailles in 1920 when it was put under the administration of the Council of Ambassadors...
, and Russia
Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated on the Baltic coast. It has a population of The oblast forms the westernmost part of the Russian Federation, but it has no land connection to the rest of Russia. Since its creation it has been an exclave of the Russian SFSR and then the...
|- style="background-color:#dddddd;"
|
| Hannover
Province of Hanover
The Province of Hanover was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1868 to 1946.During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, along with some other member states of the German Confederation...
(German: Hanover)
| Hannover
| Province
| align="center"| 38,705
| align="center"| 3,537,390
(1939)
| align="right"| 91.4
| now part of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
with Oldenburg
Free State of Oldenburg
The Free State of Oldenburg was a state of the Weimar Republic. It was established in 1918 following the abdication of the Grand Duke Frederick Augustus II following the German Revolution....
, Brunswick
Free State of Brunswick
The Free State of Brunswick was the republic formed after the abolition of the Duchy of Brunswick in the course of the German Revolution of 1918–19. It was a state of the German Reich in the time of the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany.-History:...
,
and Schaumburg-Lippe
Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe
The Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe was created following the abdication of Prince Adolf II of Schaumburg-Lippe on 15 November 1918. It was a state in Germany during the Weimar Republic, headed by a Minister President. The democratic government was suppressed during Nazi rule...
|- style="background-color:#dddddd;"
|
| Silesia
Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919.-Geography:The territory comprised the bulk of the former Bohemian crown land of Silesia and the County of Kladsko, which King Frederick the Great had conquered from the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th...
(German: Schlesien)
| Breslau
| Province
| align="center"| 40,319
| align="center"| 4,935,823
(1905)
| align="right"| 122
| now part of Saxony, Poland,
and the Czech Republic
|- style="background-color:#dddddd;"
|
| West Prussia
(German: Westpreußen)
| Danzig
| Province
| align="center"| 25,534.9
| align="center"| 1,641,936
(1905)
| align="right"| 64.3
| now part of Poland
Pomeranian Voivodeship
Pomeranian Voivodeship, or Pomerania Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in north-central Poland. It comprises most of Pomerelia , as well as an area east of the Vistula River...
|}>