German Empire (1848–1849)
The German Empire (German: Deutsches Reich) was a proto-state which attempted, but ultimately failed, to unify the German states within the German Confederation to create a German nation-state. It was created in the spring of 1848 during the German revolutions by the Frankfurt National Assembly. The parliament elected Archduke John of Austria as its provisional head of state with the title 'Imperial Regent'. On 28 March 1849, its constitution was implemented and the parliament elected the king of Prussia, Frederick William IV, to be the constitutional monarch of the empire with the title 'Emperor of the Germans'. However, he turned the position down. The empire came to an end in December 1849 when the Central German Government was replaced by a Federal Central Commission.
German Empire | |||||||||
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| 1848–1849 | |||||||||
The German Empire's controlled territories and its claims:
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| Status | Quasi-state | ||||||||
| Capital | Frankfurt | ||||||||
| Demonym(s) | German | ||||||||
| Government | Confederal parliamentary constitutional monarchy under a regency | ||||||||
| Emperor of the Germans-elect | |||||||||
• 1849 | Frederick William IV | ||||||||
| Imperial Regent | |||||||||
• 1848–1849 | Archduke John | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 1848 (first) | Karl, Prince of Leiningen | ||||||||
• 1849 (last) | August Ludwig zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg | ||||||||
| Legislature | Frankfurt National Assembly | ||||||||
| Historical era | Concert of Europe | ||||||||
| 1848 | |||||||||
| 28 March 1849 | |||||||||
| 31 May 1849 | |||||||||
• German Confederation restored | 1850 | ||||||||
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1: Frederick William IV was offered the imperial crown, but refused to "pick up a crown from the gutter". | |||||||||
The German National Assembly (Frankfurt Parliament) considered itself as the parliament of a new empire and enacted imperial laws. It installed a provisional government and created the first fleet of all Germany. In May 1849, larger German states such as Austria and Prussia forced members of parliament to resign. The provisional government lasted until December of that year. In summer 1851, the reinstalled Bundestag of the German Confederation declared the imperial legislation to be void. However, the German Bundestag and the states never called the provisional government illegal, and during its existence, the empire was officially recognised by several foreign countries, such as the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States.
The legacy of the empire persists today; as well as the period seeing the first all-German elections in 1848, the creation of a German constitution in 1849, the modern German Navy celebrates 14 June as its anniversary because of the decision in 1848 to create a unified German fleet. The flag adopted by the empire by law in November 1848 is today the flag of modern Germany (black-red-gold).