Treaty Establishing the German Confederation
Description of Terms
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies engages in the war against
Naples and puts its troops under Austrian command, and the
two parties will make peace only with a common accord.
In order to comfort the people of Naples on the intention of
the resumption of the throne of Naples by Ferdinand IV:
- No one will be prosecuted for political opinions or acts
that occurred prior to the reestablishment of Ferdinand
IV; - The public debt will be guaranteed;
- Every citizen of Naples can work for the military or civil
service; - Every soldier of Naples born in the Two Sicilies who
wishes to swear his fidelity to Ferdinand IV will keep his
honors and pensions.
Austria supports Ferdinand and vows a defensive treaty for
eternity.
3.1134 Treaty Establishing the German Con-
federation
Alliance Members:Austria, Baden, Bavaria, Prussia, Hesse Electoral,
Hesse-Darmstadt, Saxony, Württemberg, Hanover, and Mecklenburg-
Schwerin
Signed On:June 8, 1815, in the city of Frankfurt (Germany). In force
until its lapse on March 31, 1848, following conflict between Austria
and Prussia and the 1848 revolts; reinstated on November 29, 1850;
finally ended on June 15, 1866, with the start of the Seven Weeks War
between Austria and Prussia.
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:British Parliamentary Papers 1816,vol. 17, p. 429.
Additional Citations:Key Treaties for the Great Powers, 1814–1914,
vol. 1 (1814–1870), p. 34.
SUMMARY
Created during the Congress of Vienna, the German Confederation
was a loose confederation of thirty-nine Central European states and
free cities that served as successors to the Holy Roman Empire of the
German Nation (which had been abolished in 1806). The confedera-
tion was an interesting mix of states. Austria-Hungary and Prussia,
jointly the largest and most powerful states in the association, domi-
nated most confederal business but also withheld most of their terri-
tories and troops from the association and the federal army. Three of
the member states were ruled by foreign monarchies (by Denmark, the
Netherlands, and Great Britain).
The German Confederation lasted until 1866, with only a brief inter-
ruption during the revolution of 1848–1849, when it was dissolved
following the Austro-Prussian War. The North German Federation
replaced the then defunct confederation and ultimately provided the
basis for a unified Germany.
Alliance Text
Federative Constitution of Germany. Vienna, 8th June, 1815.
[This Constitution formed Annex IX to the Vienna Con-
gress Treaty of 9th June, 1815.]Germanic Confederation.
ART. I. The Sovereign Princes and Free Towns of Germany,
under which denomination, for the present purpose, are com-
prehended their Majesties the Emperor of Austria, the Kings of
Prussia, of Denmark, and of the Netherlands ; that is to say :–
The Emperor of Austria and the King of Prussia, for all their
possessions which anciently belonged to the German Empire ;
The King of Denmark, for the Duchy of Holstein ;
And the King of the Netherlands, for the Grand Duchy of
Luxemburg ;
establish among themselves a perpetual Confederation,
which shall be called “The Germanic Confederation.”Object of the Confederation.
ART. II. The object of this Confederation is the maintenance of
the external and internal safety of Germany, and of the Inde-
pendence and Inviolability of the Confederated States.Equality of the Members.
ART. III. The Members of the Confederation, as such, are equal
with regard to their rights ; and they all equally engage to main-
tain the Act which constitutes their union.Federative Diet.
ART. IV. The affairs of the Confederation shall be confined to a
Federative Diet, in which all the Members shall vote by their
Plenipotentiaries, either individually or collectively, in the fol-
lowing manner, without prejudice to their rank :–- Austria 1 Vote
- Prussia 1 ”
- Bavaria 1 ”
- Saxony 1 ”
- Hanover 1 ”
- Wurtemberg 1 ”
- Baden 1 ”
- Electoral Hesse [Hesse-Cassel] 1 ”
- Grand Duchy of Hesse [Hesse-Darmstadt] 1 ”
- Denmark, for Holstein 1 ”
- The Netherlands, for Luxemburg 1 ”
- Grand-Ducal and Ducal Houses of Saxony 1 ”
- Brunswick and Nassau 1 ”
- Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Strelitz 1 ”
- Holstein-Oldenburg, Anhalt and
Schwartzburg 1 ” - Hohenzollern, Liechtenstein, Reuss,
Schaumburg-Lippe, Lippe and Waldeck 1 ” - The Free Towns of Lubeck, Frankfort,
Bremen, and Hamburgh 1 ”
Total 17 Votes.