Place:Deutscher Bund

The German Confederation was a loose association of 39 German states in Central Europe, created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries and to replace the former Holy Roman Empire.^[1] It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia. According to historian Lloyd E. Lee, most historians have judged the Confederation to be weak and ineffective, as well as an obstacle to German nationalist aspirations. It collapsed due to German dualism|the rivalry between Prussia and Austria, warfare, the 1848 revolution, and the inability of the multiple members to compromise.^[2] It dissolved with Prussian victory in the Seven Weeks' War and the establishment of the North German Confederation in 1866.

In 1848, revolutions by liberals and nationalists were a failed attempt to establish a unified German state. Talks between the German states failed in 1848, and the confederation briefly dissolved but was re-established in 1850.^[3]

The dispute between the two dominant member states of the confederation, Austria and Prussia, over which had the inherent right to rule German lands ended in favour of Prussia after the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, and the collapse of the confederation. This resulted in the creation of the North German Confederation, with a number of south German states remaining independent, although allied first with Austria (until 1867) and subsequently with Prussia (until 1871), after which they became a part of the new German state.

History

Background

The War of the Third Coalition lasted from about 1803 to 1806. Following the Battle of Austerlitzin December 1805, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved on 6 August 1806 with the abdication of the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, following a crushing defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz by the French under Napoleon resulting in the Treaty of Pressburg, and sixteen of France's allies among the German states (including Bavaria and Württemberg) established the Confederation of the Rhine in July 1806. Following the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt 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 Holstein, and Swedish Pomerania stayed outside the Confederation of the Rhine.

These nations would later join in the War of the Sixth Coalition from 1812 to 1814.

Establishment

The German Confederation was created by the 9th Act of the Congress of Vienna on 8 June 1815 after being alluded to in Article 6 of the 1814 Treaty of Paris, ending the War of the Sixth Coalition.^[4]

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 in the 1815 treaty were:^[4]

When the 1820 treaty was concluded, the following states were also included:^[4]

In 1839, as a compensation for the loss of the province of Luxemburg to Belgium, the Duchy of Limburg was created and it was a member of the German Confederation until its dissolution in 1866.