thumb|right|500px|allegory of the members of the German Confederation, led by the Kaiser [[Franz Joseph I|Franz Joseph on the occasion of the Congress of Princes (1863).]]

The states of the German Confederation were member states of the German Confederation, from 20 June 1815 until 24 August 1866.

On the whole, its territory nearly coincided with that remaining in the Holy Roman Empire at the outbreak of the French Revolution, with the notable exception of Belgium. Except for Austria, Prussia, Holstein, and the western left bank of the Rhine (which France had annexed, with tiny Katzenelnbogen), the other member states (or their precursors) had been within Napoleon's Confederation of the Rhine. <!-- Note that the list is currently in the official order given in the German Confederation constitution. Please do not change it! -->

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid"

|-

! Ruler

! Name

! Arms

! Flag

! Location

|-

! 100px

| Franz Joseph

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Austrian Empire

|-

! 100px

| Wilhelm I of Prussia

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Kingdom of Prussia

|-

! 100px

| George V of Hanover

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Kingdom of Hannover

|-

! 100px

| Maximilian II of Bavaria

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Kingdom of Bavaria

|-

! 100px

| John of Saxony

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Kingdom of Saxony

|-

! 100px

| Charles I of Württemberg

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Kingdom of Württemberg

|-

! 100px

| Friedrich I of Baden

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Grand Duchy of Baden

|-

! 100px

| Peter II of Oldenburg

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg

|-

! 100px

| Charles Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

|-

! 100px

| Frederick Francis II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

|-

! 100px

| Frederick Wilhelm II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

|-

! 100px

| Louis III of Hesse

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Grand Duchy of Hesse

|-

! 100px

| Frederick William of Hesse

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Electorate of Hesse

|-

! 100px

| Adolphe of Nassau

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Duchy of Nassau

|-

! 100px

| William of Brunswick

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Duchy of Brunswick

|-

! 100px

| Ernest II of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

|-

! 100px

| Bernhard II of Saxe-Meiningen

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen

|-

! 100px

| Ernst I of Saxe-Altenburg

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg

|-

! 100px

| Leopold IV of Anhalt

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Duchy of Anhalt

|-

! 100px

| Leopold III of Lippe

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Principality of Lippe

|-

! 100px

| Adolphus I of Schaumburg-Lippe

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe

|-

! 100px

| Günther Friedrich Karl II of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

|-

! 100px

| Friedrich Günther of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

|-

! 100px

| George Victor of Waldeck and Pyrmont

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont

|-

! 100px

| Johann II of Liechtenstein

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Principality of Liechtenstein

|-

! 100px

| Heinrich XXII of Reuss-Greiz

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Principality of Reuss-Greiz

|-

! 100px

| Heinrich LXVII of Reuss-Gera

! center|154x154px

| 80px

! 170px

Principality of Reuss-Gera

|-

|}

  • The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (still a constitutive state of Germany)
  • The Free City of Frankfurt upon Main
  • The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (still a constitutive state of Germany)
  • The Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck

The four free cities were republics by constitution, while all the others were monarchies, some constitutional and some absolutist.

The Duchy of Schleswig was never a member state. But Schleswig was traditionally connected to the duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg, which were member states. In 1848-51 (during the First Schleswig War), it was treated by the German states and the short-lived German Empire as a kind of member. In 1864, the Danish king transferred the three duchies to Austria and Prussia (after the Second Schleswig War).

Sources and references

  • Westermann, Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte (in German, detailed maps)
  • WorldStatesmen