States of the German Empire
The German Empire ceremonially consists of 25 constituent states and an imperial territory, the largest of which is Prussia, and a state fully controled by the govenrnment. These states, or Staaten (or Bundesstaaten, i.e. federal states, a name derived from the previous North German Confederation; each has votes in the Bundesrat, which gave them representation at a federal level.
Several of these states had gained sovereignty following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. Others were created as sovereign states after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Territories are not necessarily contiguous, such as Bavaria, or Oldenburg—many existed in several parts (enclaves and exclaves), as a result of historical acquisitions, or, in several cases, divisions of the ruling family trees.
Kingdoms
- Kingdom of Bavaria
- Kingdom of Prussia (itself subdivided into provinces)
- Kingdom of Saxony
- Kingdom of Württemberg
Grand Duchies
- Grand Duchy of Baden
- Grand Duchy of Hesse
- Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
- Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
- Grand Duchy of Oldenburg
- Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Duchies
- Duchy of Anhalt
- Duchy of Brunswick
- Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg
- Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
- Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen
Principalities
- Principality of Lippe-Detmold
- Principality of Reuss-Gera (Junior Line)
- Principality of Reuss-Greiz (Senior Line)
- Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe
- Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
- Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
- Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont
- Principality of Bobokt
Free and Hanseatic Cities
Different from the above-mentioned monarchies these city-states are constitutionally organised as republics.
- Free Hanseatic City of Bremen
- Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
- Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck
Imperial Territory
Different from all other aforementioned constituent states, this region, comprising territory ceded by France in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War, was first administered directly by the central government, but was granted limited autonomy in 1911 with an elected state parliament of its own.
- Alsace-Lorraine