The Rhine Union of 1806-1813. History, development

During the Napoleonic wars, the map of Germany, like all of Europe, was significantly redrawn. This country was not united under the authority of one state. Instead, the German lands had many principalities, duchies and kingdoms. All of them were formally part of the Holy Roman Empire, but the emperor, who was primarily the ruler of Austria, had almost no power over its members. Napoleon, having seized Germany, completely changed the balance of power in it, trying to create there an "ideal state" in the image of France.

Prerequisites for appearance

Austria for Bonaparte was one of the most irreconcilable opponents. The Habsburgs were part of all coalitions against revolutionary France, but over and over again their armies were defeated. Napoleon conceived the Rhine Union as an alternative to the former state system in Germany. He considered the existence of the Holy Roman Empire and the nominal primacy of Vienna an obsolete atavism.

For the first time about his plans Bonaparte said after the victory of the French over the Russian-Austrian army in 1805. Then, most of the other German states took up arms against Austria. The authorities of Baden, Hessen-Darmstadt, Württemberg and Bavaria joined Napoleon. Although they hesitated for a long time and were unreliable allies, the French emperor generously rewarded them. Electors of Bavaria and Württemberg received royal titles. The ruler of Baden refused such an honor, realizing that his modest possessions do not attract the "increase", and he remained with the Grand Duke of Germany, along with the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt.

The German allies of Napoleon

Before the Rhine Union, loyal to Napoleon, was created, the Allies cut off a large part of their lands from the Habsburgs. Württemberg contented himself with the acquisition of part of Swabia, Baden received Breisgau and several other cities. The Kingdom of Bavaria has annexed Augsburg and Tyrol.

The process of this redistribution of Germany ended in 1806. By this time of independence, a few remaining free from the Middle Ages free cities - Frankfurt, Augsburg and Nuremberg. The same thing happened with spiritual orders, counts, barons and imperial knights. Deprived of their hereditary allotments representatives of the most eminent German aristocratic families that gave Europe famous military leaders and politicians. While creating the Rhine Union, Napoleon did not get rid of all of them. Some even acquired something new after the arrival of the French. So the emperor was gaining loyal supporters, whose welfare now depended on the fate of the patron.

Establishment

In July 1806, the Rhine Union was established. At first, it included 16 states in the south and west of Germany, and later they were joined by 23 small principalities. The most important members were the kings of Württemberg and Bavaria. Formally, the "eternal union" consisted of the equal rights of all states. In fact, the new formation became the satellite of France. Bonaparte gave nothing for nothing. Giving his supporters new titles and freedom from the Habsburgs, he made them their vassals.

In fact, the alliance proved to be a short-lived military machine, necessary for France, while Napoleonic wars continued throughout Europe. According to the statute, according to the first Parisian demand, the emperor was to receive 63 thousand fresh German soldiers ready to defend his interests.

Counterweight to Prussia

After the defeat of Prussia in the Battle of Jena in October 1806 and the conclusion of the Peace of Tilsit with Alexander I in the summer of 1807, new states joined the Union. On their territory, Napoleon created a new Westphalian kingdom with its capital in Kassel. The ruler was his brother Jerome Bonaparte. Also the royal title was Friedrich August I of Saxony. After that, the population of the Rhine became 16 million people, and the size of his army ranged from 120,000 soldiers.

If Austria was already defeated, then Prussia was still trying to resist the influence of Bonaparte. The Napoleonic wars seriously shook the position of Frederick William III. To oversee the Prussian king, the emperor created the Grand Duchy of Berg with its capital in Dusseldorf, where his son-in-law Joachim Murat was placed on the throne.

Kingdom of Westphalia

In November 1807, the Kingdom of Westphalia was created. Like the Grand Duchy of Berg, it was created as a headache for Prussia. This experiment of Bonaparte was his most courageous decision in Germany. In the heart of the German lands was created a state subordinate to the French dynasty. The Kingdom of Westphalia was uncertain both in terms of population and territory. It included lands scattered in different provinces. There were many enclaves with completely different inhabitants.

Why did the German population so dutifully endure the experiments and improvisations of the Frenchman? Historians are still building a variety of theories. Affected military genius Bonaparte, his amazing charm. With his victories he paralyzed all his potential opponents, who could lead a protest against the emperor. In addition, the Germans still do not have a single national consciousness. The inhabitants of different small principalities had many accounts with each other and did not dare to step over their mutual grievances in order to oppose Napoleon.

Bonaparte's brainchild

The Rhine Union of 1806, created by Napoleon, was in many ways an artificial formation. The Emperor wanted to establish in his states a constitutional system with freedoms and human rights in the likeness of French law. But it was impossible to create a unified system for the entire union. Large states like Bavaria did not want to equalize with small neighbors.

In 1812, Napoleon went east to Russia. With himself he took the best German troops - his army was very different in its nationality. In Germany there were only a few recruits, veterans and invalids. The Germans could overthrow the actual French rule, but they did not. The Rhine Union (1806-1813) could boast of calm and loyalty, even when the emperor was defeated in Russia.

Disintegration

Nevertheless, the fate of this confederation was predetermined. After Bonaparte was defeated in the "battle of the people" in the vicinity of Leipzig, the union disintegrated. Germany was again divided, and its borders were determined by foreign powers at the Congress of Vienna. German fragmentation survived. At the same time, the Holy Roman Empire was never restored.

But even despite the failure of the experiment, the Rhine Union, whose constitution was adopted in the likeness of the French, was an important experience. Later, other alliances of German states appeared in Germany, and they adopted some features of this Napoleonic creation.