German Empire (1848–1849)

Uncommon card · No. 115102

The first iteration of a German Empire or German Realm (German: Deutsches Reich) was a proto-state which briefly 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. The German National Assembly (Frankfurt Parliament) considered itself the parliament of a new empire and enacted imperial laws. It installed a provisional government and created...

Read on Wikipedia · Image User:Mmxx, Public domain