List of historic states of Germany
History of Germany |
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Germany is traditionally a country organized as a federal state. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the German-speaking territories of the empire became allied in the German Confederation (1815–1866), a league of states with some federalistic elements. After the Austro-Prussian War, Prussia led the Northern states into a federal state called the North German Confederation (1867–1870). The Southern states joined the federal state in 1870/71, which was consequently renamed the German Empire (1871–1918). The state continued as the Weimar Republic (1919–1933).
Present-day Germany is a federal republic which combines the States of Germany.
States of the German Confederation
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Deutscher_Bund.png/700px-Deutscher_Bund.png)
State | Capital | |
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Empires (Kaisertümer) | ||
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Austria (Österreich) (only western Cisleithania) |
Vienna |
Kingdoms (Königreiche) | ||
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Bavaria (Bayern) | Munich |
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Hanover (Hannover) | Hanover |
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Prussia (Preußen) (excluding Posen, East Prussia and West Prussia) |
Berlin |
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Saxony (Sachsen) | Dresden |
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Württemberg | Stuttgart |
Electorates (Kurfürstentum) | ||
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Hesse-Kassel (Hessen-Kassel) | Kassel |
Grand Duchies (Großherzogtümer) | ||
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Baden | Karlsruhe |
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Hesse-Darmstadt (Hessen-Darmstadt) | Darmstadt |
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Luxembourg (Luxemburg) | Luxembourg |
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Mecklenburg-Schwerin | Schwerin |
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Mecklenburg-Strelitz | Neustrelitz |
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Oldenburg | Oldenburg |
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Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) | Weimar |
Duchies (Herzogtümer) | ||
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Anhalt – from 1863 | Dessau |
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Brunswick (Braunschweig) | Braunschweig |
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Holstein | Glückstadt |
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Limburg – from 1839 | N/A |
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Nassau | Wiesbaden |
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Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg) – from 1826 | Altenburg |
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Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) – from 1826 | Coburg |
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Saxe-Lauenburg | Ratzeburg |
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Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen) | Meiningen |
Principalities (Fürstentümer) | ||
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Hohenzollern-Hechingen – to Prussia in 1850 | Hechingen |
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Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen – to Prussia in 1850 | Sigmaringen |
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Liechtenstein | Vaduz |
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Lippe | Detmold |
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Reuss-Gera (Junior Line) | Gera |
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Reuss-Greiz (Elder Line) | Greiz |
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Schaumburg-Lippe | Bückeburg |
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Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | Rudolstadt |
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Schwarzburg-Sondershausen | Sondershausen |
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Waldeck and Pyrmont (Waldeck und Pyrmont) | Arolsen |
Landgraviates (Landgrafschaft) | ||
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Hesse-Homburg (Hessen-Homburg) – from 1817 | Bad Homburg |
Free Cities (Freie Städte) | ||
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Bremen | |
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Frankfurt | |
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Hamburg | |
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Lübeck | |
States merged to form Anhalt | ||
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Anhalt-Dessau – merged with Anhalt-Bernburg in 1863 | Dessau |
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Anhalt-Bernburg – merged with Anhalt-Dessau in 1863 | Bernburg |
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Anhalt-Köthen – merged with Anhalt-Dessau in 1853 | Köthen |
States split between Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Saxe-Meiningen, and Saxe-Altenburg in 1826 | ||
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Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg) | Gotha |
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Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld) | Coburg |
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Saxe-Hildburghausen (Sachsen-Hildburghausen) | Hildburghausen |
In 1864, Austria and Prussia together became the new sovereign of Holstein (a member of the confederation) and Schleswig (outside the confederation).
States of the North German Confederation
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/NB_1866-1871.99.svg/700px-NB_1866-1871.99.svg.png)
State | Capital | |
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Kingdoms (Königreiche) | ||
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Prussia (Preußen) as a whole (including Lauenburg) |
Berlin |
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Saxony (Sachsen) | Dresden |
Grand Duchies (Großherzogtümer) | ||
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Hesse (Hessen) (Only Upper Hesse, the province north of the river Main) |
Giessen |
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Mecklenburg-Schwerin | Schwerin |
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Mecklenburg-Strelitz | Neustrelitz |
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Oldenburg | Oldenburg |
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Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) | Weimar |
Duchies (Herzogtümer) | ||
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Anhalt | Dessau |
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Brunswick (Braunschweig) | Braunschweig |
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Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg) | Altenburg |
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Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) | Coburg |
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Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen) | Meiningen |
Principalities (Fürstentümer) | ||
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Lippe | Detmold |
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Reuss-Gera (Junior Line) | Gera |
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Reuss-Greiz (Elder Line) | Greiz |
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Schaumburg-Lippe | Bückeburg |
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Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | Rudolstadt |
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Schwarzburg-Sondershausen | Sondershausen |
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Waldeck and Pyrmont (Waldeck und Pyrmont) | Arolsen |
Free and Hanseatic Cities (Freie und Hansestädte) | ||
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Bremen | |
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Hamburg | |
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Lübeck |
States of the German Empire
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Deutsches_Reich_%281871-1918%29-en.png/700px-Deutsches_Reich_%281871-1918%29-en.png)
State | Capital | |
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Kingdoms (Königreiche) | ||
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Prussia (Preußen) as a whole | Berlin |
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Bavaria (Bayern) | Munich |
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Saxony (Sachsen) | Dresden |
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Württemberg | Stuttgart |
Grand Duchies (Großherzogtümer) | ||
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Baden | Karlsruhe |
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Hesse (Hessen) | Darmstadt |
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Mecklenburg-Schwerin | Schwerin |
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Mecklenburg-Strelitz | Neustrelitz |
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Oldenburg | Oldenburg |
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Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) | Weimar |
Duchies (Herzogtümer) | ||
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Anhalt | Dessau |
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Brunswick (Braunschweig) | Braunschweig |
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Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg) | Altenburg |
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Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) | Coburg |
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Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen) | Meiningen |
Principalities (Fürstentümer) | ||
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Lippe | Detmold |
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Reuss-Gera (Junior Line) | Gera |
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Reuss-Greiz (Elder Line) | Greiz |
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Schaumburg-Lippe | Bückeburg |
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Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | Rudolstadt |
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Schwarzburg-Sondershausen | Sondershausen |
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Waldeck and Pyrmont (Waldeck und Pyrmont) | Arolsen |
Free and Hanseatic Cities (Freie und Hansestädte) | ||
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Bremen | |
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Hamburg | |
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Lübeck | |
Imperial Territories (Reichsländer) | ||
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Alsace–Lorraine (Elsass-Lothringen) | Straßburg |
States of the Weimar Republic
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State | Capital | |
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Free States (Freistaaten) | ||
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Anhalt | Dessau |
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Baden | Karlsruhe |
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Bavaria (Bayern) | Munich |
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Brunswick (Braunschweig) | Braunschweig |
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Coburg – to Bavaria in 1920 | Coburg |
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Hesse (Hessen) | Darmstadt |
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Lippe | Detmold |
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Mecklenburg-Schwerin | Schwerin |
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Mecklenburg-Strelitz | Neustrelitz |
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Oldenburg | Oldenburg |
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Prussia (Preußen) | Berlin |
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Saxony (Sachsen) | Dresden |
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Schaumburg-Lippe | Bückeburg |
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Thuringia (Thüringen) – from 1920 | Weimar |
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Waldeck-Pyrmont – to Prussia (Pyrmont joined Prussia in 1921, Waldeck followed in 1929) |
Arolsen |
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Württemberg | Stuttgart |
Free and Hanseatic Cities (Freie und Hansestädte) | ||
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Bremen | |
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Hamburg | |
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Lübeck | |
States merged to form Thuringia in 1920 | ||
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Gotha | Gotha |
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Reuss | Gera |
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Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg) | Altenburg |
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Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen) | Meiningen |
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Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) | Weimar |
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Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | Rudolstadt |
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Schwarzburg-Sondershausen | Sondershausen |
See also
[edit]- List of former sovereign states
- List of states in the Holy Roman Empire (962–1806)
- States of Germany, about the modern states