German Confederation (Napoleonic Age)

The German Confederation (German: Deutscher Bund) was a loose conglomeration of German states that existed during the 19th century. Formed in the wake of the French victory in the War of the Seventh Coalition, Napoléon I fashioned from the ruins of the Confederation of the Rhine a new German Confederation, with himself as hereditary Prince-Protector (giving him and all Emperors a say in the matters of the Confederation, as well as putting it under French protection). The Confederation was ruled by a single legislative body, the Bundesversammlung ("Confederal Assembly"), which elected from the rulers of the confederal states a President, who ruled for life. The Confederation did not have its own independent military, but legislation could pass the Assembly placing quotas on the number of troops each member state must recruit in any event. The President ruled with (weak) executive power, but often served at the pleasure (and under) the Emperor of the French.

The members of the Confederal Assembly were determined by the rulers of the states which they represented. Representatives served at the pleasure of their ruler, and so could either maintain their post for life or be fired if they upset those that they served. Member-states were assigned a certain number of representatives according to their population and general power; for example, Bavaria, Saxony, and the other Kingdoms were allowed 9 representatives; Grand Duchies, like Hesse and Baden, 7, and so on. The Emperor of the French was the sole representative from France and was allowed 12 votes, more than any other state in the Confederation.