CONFEDERATION OF THE RHINE

After dissolving the Holy Roman Empire, Napoleon established a pro-French military alliance of German states that loosely resembled a united Germany

After Napoleon defeated Austria and Russia at the Battle of Austerlitz on 2 December 1805 he was the ‘Master of Europe’ and could dictate terms on his continental enemies. Upon hearing the news of Austerlitz, British Prime Minister William Pitt referred to a map of Europe and said to an aide “Roll up that map; it will not be wanted these ten years.”

Pitt’s words were prescient, particularly when it came to Germany. In July 1806, 16 German states joined together in a new body called the Confederation of the Rhine. Overseen by Napoleon, the French emperor became the hereditary protector of the new Confederation. There was also a German prince-primate who presided over a quasi-parliamentary body known as the Diet.

The Confederation was designed as a collection of German satellite states that supported the First French Empire. To maintain this disparate group, Napoleon was constitutionally canny. He dissolved the ancient Holy Roman Empire, which meant that the German states no longer held nominal allegiance to Habsburg Austria. Some states were given higher statuses, such as Bavaria and Württemberg, which were upgraded to kingdoms. Others became Model States that were directly ruled by Napoleon’s relatives. The Kingdom of Westphalia was ruled by Napoleon’s youngest brother Jérôme Bonaparte, while the Grand Duchy of Berg was governed by the emperor’s brother-in-law Marshal Joachim Murat.

The Confederation was at its largest in 1808 when it included 36 states of varying sizes. As well as kingdoms and duchies, it consisted of 17 principalities and city-states such as Hamburg, Lübeck and Bremen.