Confederation of the Rhine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Confederated States of the Rhine Rheinische Bundesstaaten  (German) États confédérés du Rhin  (French)
1806–1813
Commemorative medal
The Confederation of the Rhine in 1812
Status	Confederation of client states of the French Empire
Capital	Frankfurt
Common languages	German, French
Religion	Catholicism Protestantism
Demonym(s)	Rhenish
Protector
• 1806–1813	Napoleon I
Prince-Primate
• 1806–1813	Karl von Dalberg
• 1813	E. de Beauharnais
Legislature	Diet
Historical era	Napoleonic Wars
• Treaty of the Confederation of the Rhine	12 July 1806
• Holy Roman Empire dissolved	6 August 1806
• Dissolved after Battle of Leipzig	4 November 1813
Preceded by Succeeded by Holy Roman Empire German Confederation
Today part of	Germany Liechtenstein Austria

The Confederation of the Rhine was a group of German states. It was created by Napoleon in 1806. This happened after he won a big battle against Austria and Russia called the Battle of Austerlitz. The Confederation's creation also led to the end of the Holy Roman Empire.

This group of states lasted for only seven years, from 1806 to 1813. It broke apart after Napoleon was defeated in the War of the Sixth Coalition.

The first members were German princes from the Holy Roman Empire. Later, 19 more states joined. Together, they ruled over 15 million people. This alliance gave the French Empire a big advantage. It created a protective zone between France and the larger German states, Prussia and Austria.

How the Confederation Began

After a treaty called the Treaty of Lunéville, France took over German lands on the left side of the Rhine River. This led to big changes in Central Europe. In 1803, a new law called the Final Imperial Recess completely changed the Holy Roman Empire. Many smaller territories were absorbed by larger states. Over three million people were affected. Most church-controlled lands became secular, meaning they were no longer run by the church. Also, most free imperial cities lost their independence.

Baden and Württemberg, along with Prussia, gained the most from these changes. The Holy Roman Emperor lost important political support. It became clear that the Holy Roman Empire was coming to an end. To keep his power, Francis II took the title of Emperor of Austria in 1804.

In 1805, the War of the Third Coalition began. Russia, Austria, and Great Britain fought against France. Bavaria, Baden, and Württemberg chose to ally with Napoleon.

Napoleon won a major victory at the Battle of Austerlitz. This allowed him to greatly increase his influence in the German states. Austria had to give up some land. Napoleon also made his brothers, Joseph and Louis, kings of Naples and Holland. His brother-in-law, Joachim Murat, became the Grand Duke of Berg. Napoleon also worked to form alliances with Baden, Bavaria, and Württemberg.

Francis II had to agree to make Bavaria and Württemberg into kingdoms. Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt, and Berg became grand duchies. With France's encouragement, small independent territories in the region were absorbed. These changes prepared the way for the Confederation of the Rhine.

Creating the Confederation

The German states did not all join the Confederation of the Rhine willingly. Negotiations between France and the chosen princes took many months in 1806. Napoleon decided to speed things up. On July 12, envoys from the princes were called to Paris. There, Talleyrand told them to sign the treaty for the new alliance. The terms were much harder than expected.

The envoys protested, saying they needed their rulers' permission. But Talleyrand forced them to sign right away. They signed under pressure. King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria was shocked when he saw the proposed treaty. Bavaria would lose control of its foreign policy. This power would go to Napoleon, the "Protector of the Confederation."

King Maximilian quickly sent Baron Karl von Gravenreuth to Paris to reject the confederation. He said it gave the Protector more power than the old German Emperor ever had. However, von Gravenreuth was delayed at the French border. By the time he arrived in Paris, all the other princes had already signed. He decided it was too late to deliver the King's objections. Historians say Napoleon used "crude methods" to create the Confederation of the Rhine.

When they signed the Treaty of the Confederation of the Rhine, 16 German states formed a loose group of independent states. Napoleon, as the Emperor of the French, became the hereditary "Protector of the Confederation." On August 1, as the treaty required, the members officially left the Holy Roman Empire. On August 6, after Napoleon's demand, Francis II declared the Holy Roman Empire dissolved. He had already called himself Emperor of Austria in 1804.

A chart showing the planned structure of the Confederation in 1806.

The treaty said the Confederation would have common governing bodies. However, the individual states, especially the larger ones, wanted to keep their full independence. Instead of an emperor, the highest position was held by Karl Theodor von Dalberg. He was the former Archchancellor and now held the title of Prince-Primate of the Confederation. He was meant to lead the College of Kings and the Diet, which was supposed to be like a parliament. But the Diet never actually met.

In exchange for supporting Napoleon, some rulers gained higher titles. Baden, Hesse, Cleves, and Berg became grand duchies. Württemberg and Bavaria became kingdoms. Several member states also grew by absorbing smaller territories.

However, they paid a high price for their new status. The Confederation was mainly a military alliance. Member states had to keep large armies for defense. They also had to provide many soldiers to France. The members found themselves more under Napoleon's control than they had been under the Habsburgs in the Holy Roman Empire.

To make his new family line seem more important, Napoleon arranged royal marriages. His step-son, Eugène de Beauharnais, married Augusta of Bavaria. Other marriages included Stéphanie de Beauharnais and Charles, Grand Duke of Baden, and Jérôme Bonaparte and Catharina of Württemberg.

After Prussia lost to France in 1806, Napoleon convinced most other German states to join the Confederation. Eventually, 23 more German states became members. It was largest in 1808, with 36 states. These included four kingdoms, five grand duchies, 13 duchies, 17 principalities, and the free cities of Hamburg, Lübeck, and Bremen. The west bank of the Rhine and the Principality of Erfurt were directly taken over by the French Empire.

This meant Napoleon was in charge of almost all of Germany. Only Austria, Prussia, Danish Holstein, and Swedish Pomerania were not part of his control. Switzerland, which was independent, was also not included.

In 1810, large parts of what is now northwest Germany were added to France. This was done to better enforce a trade ban with Great Britain, known as the Continental System.

The Confederation of the Rhine fell apart in 1813. This happened after Napoleon's failed invasion of Russia. Many members switched sides after the Battle of Leipzig. It became clear that Napoleon was losing the War of the Sixth Coalition.

Different Types of States in the Confederation

French influence and the states' own power varied a lot within the Confederation. There were also big differences in power among the individual states. We can group them into three main types:

• Model States: These were mostly ruled by Napoleon's relatives. Examples include the Kingdom of Westphalia under Jérôme Bonaparte. The Grand Duchy of Berg was first led by Joachim Murat and then by Napoleon himself. The Grand Duchy of Frankfurt was run by the Dalberg family. These new states were meant to be examples for others. They introduced new laws and social policies, like the Napoleonic Code.

• Reform States: This group included Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden, and Hesse-Darmstadt. They were not just dependent areas; they were Napoleon's true allies in many ways. While they took ideas from the French model, they also developed their own systems. Historians suggest Napoleon made these rulers into revolutionaries. They gained power from him, and opposing him would mean losing that power.

• Later Joining States: This third group joined after 1806. It included many smaller states in northern and central Germany, except for Saxony. In these states, internal changes were very small. Reforms were limited. However, there were still differences among them. In Mecklenburg and Saxony, the old ways stayed almost the same. But in the Duchy of Nassau, Minister Ernst Marschall von Bieberstein brought in moderate administrative changes and religious tolerance.

Member Monarchies

The following maps show the Confederation of the Rhine at different times. The tables list the member states, when they joined, and how many troops they were expected to provide.

Member states of the Confederation of the Rhine

1806

1808 (greatest extent)

1812

College of Kings

Member monarchy	Year joined	Notes and troop count
Grand Duchy of Baden	12 Jul 1806	Co-founder; formerly a margraviate and electorate (8,000 troops)
Kingdom of Bavaria	12 Jul 1806	Co-founder; formerly a duchy and electorate (30,000 troops)
Grand Duchy of Berg	12 Jul 1806	Co-founder; absorbed Cleves, both formerly duchies (5,000 troops)
Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt	12 Jul 1806	Co-founder; formerly a landgraviate (4,000 troops)
Principality of Regensburg	12 Jul 1806	Co-founder; linked with Principality of Aschaffenburg; later became the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt after 1810 (968 troops)
Kingdom of Saxony	11 Dec 1806	Formerly a duchy and electorate (20,000 troops)
Kingdom of Westphalia	15 Nov 1807	Created by Napoleon (25,000 troops)
Kingdom of Württemberg	12 Jul 1806	Co-founder; formerly a duchy and electorate (12,000 troops)
Grand Duchy of Würzburg	23 Sep 1806	Created by Napoleon for the former Grand Duke of Tuscany and Elector of Salzburg (2,000 troops)

College of Princes

Member monarchy	Year joined	Notes and troop count
Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg	11 Apr 1807	(240 troops)
Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau	11 Apr 1807	(350 troops)
Duchy of Anhalt-Köthen	11 Apr 1807	(210 troops)
Duchy of Arenberg	12 Jul 1806	Co-founder; lost independence on December 13, 1810 (379 troops)
Principality of Hohenzollern-Hechingen	12 Jul 1806	Co-founder (97 troops)
Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen	12 Jul 1806	Co-founder (193 troops)
Principality of Isenburg	12 Jul 1806	Co-founder (291 troops)
Principality of Leyen	12 Jul 1806	Co-founder; formerly a countship (29 troops)
Principality of Liechtenstein	12 Jul 1806	Co-founder (40 troops)
Principality of Lippe-Detmold	11 Apr 1807	(500 troops)
Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin	22 Mar 1808	(1,900 troops)
Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz	18 Feb 1808	(400 troops)
Duchy of Nassau	12 Jul 1806*	Formed by the union of Nassau-Usingen and Nassau-Weilburg, both co-founders (1,680 troops)
Duchy of Oldenburg	14 Oct 1808	Annexed by France on December 13, 1810 (800 troops)
Principality of Pyrmont	18 Apr 1807	(400 troops)
Principality of Reuss-Ebersdorf	11 Apr 1807	(100 troops)
Principality of Reuss-Greiz	11 Apr 1807	(117 troops)
Principality of Reuss-Lobenstein	11 Apr 1807	(108 troops)
Principality of Reuss-Schleiz	11 Apr 1807	(125 troops)
Principality of Salm	25 Jul 1806	Union of Salm-Salm and Salm-Kyrburg, both co-founders; annexed by France on December 13, 1810 (323 troops)
Duchy of Saxe-Coburg	15 Dec 1806	(400 troops)
Duchy of Saxe-Gotha	15 Dec 1806	(1,100 troops)
Duchy of Saxe-Hildburghausen	15 Dec 1806	(200 troops)
Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen	15 Dec 1806	(300 troops)
Duchy of Saxe-Weimar	15 Dec 1806	(800 troops)
Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe	11 Apr 1807	(150 troops)
Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt	11 Apr 1807	(325 troops)
Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen	11 Apr 1807	(325 troops)
Principality of Waldeck	18 Apr 1807

What Happened After

The allies fighting against Napoleon ended the Confederation of the Rhine on November 4, 1813. After it dissolved, there was a brief attempt at German political coordination. This was a group called the Central Administration Council. Its president was Heinrich Friedrich Karl Reichsfreiherr vom und zum Stein. It was dissolved on June 20, 1815.

On May 30, 1814, the Treaty of Paris declared the German states independent.

In 1814–1815, the Congress of Vienna redrew the map of Europe. States created by Napoleon, like the large Kingdom of Westphalia, the Grand Duchy of Berg, and the Duchy of Würzburg, were abolished. States that had been suppressed, such as Hanover, the Duchy of Brunswick, Hesse-Kassel, and Oldenburg, were brought back.

However, most members of the Confederation of the Rhine in central and southern Germany continued to exist. They had only minor changes to their borders. These states, along with the reinstated states, Prussia, and Austria, then formed the German Confederation.

See also

In Spanish: Confederación del Rin para niños

• History of Germany
• League of the Rhine
• List of French possessions and colonies
• List of German monarchs
• West Germany