The roots of the German Empire, officially unified in 1871, stretch back over a thousand years to the Holy Roman Empire's foundation in the 9th century.
In 1806, Emperor Francis II dissolved the Holy Roman Empire following Napoleon's creation of the Confederation of the Rhine. Napoleon's subsequent defeat in 1813 led to the dissolution of the Confederation and a resurgence of German nationalism.
In 1848, protests erupted across the German states, seeking political rights and a unified Germany. The Frankfurt Parliament and Erfurt Union worked toward unification but Austria and Russia pressured Prussia to abandon it.
In 1863, the Schleswig-Holstein Question triggered a war between Prussia and Austria, setting the stage for German unification. The Austro-Prussian War in 1866 led to the formation of the North German Confederation.
The Franco-Prussian War in 1870 furthered German unification and the war ended with the Treaty of Frankfurt in 1871. Germany annexed Alsace and half of Lorraine, and King William I of Prussia became German Emperor.
Music
Kevin MacLeod incompetech.com/
'The Pyre'; 'Intrepid'; 'String Impromptu Number 1'; 'Brandenburg No.4'; 'All This'; 'Satiate Percussion'; 'The Descent';
Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution CC BY-SA 3.0