Rhine AllianceAnd the Rhineland Confederation are two different concepts in German history.The German language of the Rhine Alliance isRheinischer Bund, Rhineland German isRheinbund。
The Rhine Alliance existed from 1658 to 1668, and the Rhine Confederation existed from 1806 to 1813.It is more than 140 years apart.The Rhine Alliance has existed for 10 years, while the Rhine Confederation has only existed for 7 years.The total number of members of the Rhine Confederation is 28, and the total number of members of the Rhine Confederation is 16 ten 23=39.However, there is a lot of confusion in the translation of these two concepts.《Encyclopedia of China 》The foreign history volume of "The Rhine Confederation" was translated into“The Federation of Rhine”"... In 1806, 16 German states in the Rhine region formed the Rhine Confederation under the protection of France..." On page 694, the "Rhine Confederation" was translated into“Rhine Alliance”: "... In order to consolidate the rule in central and western Germany,napoleon i The Rhine Alliance was established in July 1806... ", which made readers who were not clear about the relevant history or did not understand the original text of these two concepts lost their minds.[3]
elevenThe Marquis of Lipper Detmold(Joined on April 18, 1807)
twelveShomburg Lipper Marquis(Joined on April 18, 1807)
thirteenRoyce Graz(Joined on April 18, 1807)
fourteenRoyce Schleitz(Joined on April 18, 1807)
fifteenRoyce Robbenstein(Joined on April 18, 1807)
sixteenRoyce Ebersdorf(Joined on April 18, 1807)
seventeenSchwarzburg Rudolstadt(Joined on April 18, 1807)
eighteenSchwarzburg Zongdeshausen(Joined on April 18, 1807)
nineteenWaldek Marquis(Joined on April 18, 1807)
twentyKingdom of Westphalia(Joined on December 7, 1807)
twenty-oneMecklenburg Strelitz Principality(Joined on February 10, 1808)
twenty-twoMecklenburg - Principality of Schweilin(Joined on March 22, 1808)
twenty-threeHerzogtum Oldenburg (Joined on October 14, 1808 and incorporated on December 13, 1810)French Empire ）
The Confederation of Rhine
The essence of the Confederacy
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Although it was called the "Rhine Confederation", it did not implement the "Confederation" system in the true sense.According to the Document of the Confederation of Rhine, in addition to forming a military alliance, the Confederation of Rhine should also have a common constitutional body, and there should be a permanent Confederation Assembly and a Confederation Court below.As the chairman of the Confederacy, Darberg had proposed two draft confederacy constitutions for this purpose, but Bavaria, Wuerttemberg and other states were worried that the new confederacy constitution would limit their freedom to handle their own state affairs and damage their sovereignty, so they all rejected it on the grounds of inappropriateness.Later, Napoleon asked the French Foreign Ministry to draft a new basic code of confederation, but it was not implemented in the end.
The Rhine Confederation was Napoleon's tool to implement France's strategic interests.First, it has created a buffer zone between France and the two German powers, Austria and Prussia, reducing the direct threat that France may face.This is also a consistent strategy of the struggle between France and Germany since the late Middle Ages.Secondly, the Rhine Confederation had important military value for Napoleon.According to the regulations, all members of the Confederation are obliged to provide a certain number of soldiers in wartime. At most, nearly 120000 soldiers are provided by all member states of the Confederation.In addition, Napoleon did not hesitate to damage the sovereignty of the members of the Rhine Confederation for the benefit of France.From 1810 to 1811, France ignored the relevant provisions of the Rhineland Confederacy Document and annexed Salm, Arenberg andOldenburgAnd so on.
Establishment and expansion
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Napoleonic Wars During this period, the strong position of France made some German states bordering France flatter France and strengthen their relations with France in order to obtain as many benefits as possible.Among them,BavariaActing in full accordance with the will of France, they signed a peace and friendship treaty and a territorial exchange and compensation agreement with France in August 1801 and May 1802, respectively.Wuteng Castle、BadenCountries such as France have also joined in, hoping to expand their own interests.MainzArchbishop Dahlberg also fell to France in order to keep his position and get as much compensation as possible.In the third anti French alliance war in 1805, the states of South Germany simply formed an alliance with Napoleon to fight against the war between Britain, Austria and RussiaAnti French Alliance。Napoleon reciprocated by forcingHoly Roman EmpireThe emperor promoted Bavaria and Wuerttemberg as kingdoms. BadenGrand Duchy of Hesse It is the Grand Duchy.The southern German states also further strengthened their relations with Napoleon through marriage and other means.
An important goal of Napoleon was to strengthen the power of the states of South Germany and even all the German middle states, to form a "third Germany", so that it could rely on France to confrontPrussiaandAustriaThese two great German states.Therefore, after defeating the third anti French alliance, Napoleon, with both grace and power, proposed in January 1806 that the German middle states should establish a new confederation under his protection and unite to defend their sovereignty.Although the latter feared that this kind of confederation would weaken their newly acquired sovereignty and showed resistance, they finally had to yield because they did not dare to break with Napoleon.
On July 12, 1806, the plenipotentiaries of 16 German princesParisWith the French Foreign Ministertalleyrand The "Rhine Confederacy Document" was signed, announcing the separation from the Holy Roman Empire and the formation of the "Rhine Confederacy" under the protection of the French emperor.The common interests of the Confederacy were established byFrankfurtThe Confederate Congress of Mainz was chaired by Archbishop Darberg.Later, 19 more states joined the Confederacy, which ruled more than 15 million people, giving France a strategic advantage in the east.According to the treaty, the Confederation was usually managed by an organization with constitutional power, but each state of the Confederation had independent sovereignty.The Confederation was also a military alliance, and each state had an obligation to protect its peopleNapoleonProvide a certain number of troops to assist in operations.
Rhine Alliance and Napoleon Empire
On October 14, 1806Battle of JenaAfter Prussia was defeated by France, many small and medium-sized German states joined the Confederation.In 1808, the Confederation reached the largest territory, including three kingdoms, 13 principalities, 17 marquises, HamburgLübeck andWerder BremenThreeHanseatic Leaguecity.
In 1808, the Rhine Confederation had four kingdoms, five Grand Duchy, 13 Principalities and 17 Marquises.
In 1810, a large area of northwest Germany was quickly merged intothe First French Empire In order to monitor the embargo against Britaincontinental blockadeIt can be implemented smoothly.
In mid October 1813, NapoleonBattle of Leipzig The French retreated toRhineIn the West Bank, the countries in the unprotected alliance quickly fell back to protect their own interestsAnti French AllianceOne party.On October 31, the Confederation was officially dissolved.[1]
Reform movement
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Napoleon tried to strengthen his influence by promoting the reform of the states of the Rhine Confederation.He asked the members of the Confederacy to carry out reforms in accordance with the French model, promulgate the Constitution, implement laws and regulations consistent with the Napoleonic Code, establish a centralized bureaucratic administrative system, etc., with a view to establishing a national structure that would stabilize France's dominant rule, and then stabilize its rule for a long time.Therefore, whether Napoleon intended or not, his efforts to a large extent promoted the modernization reform of the Rhineland Confederation and the transformation to a modern society.Due to the different closeness of relations with France and the different degree of influence from France, the progress of the members of the Rhine Confederation can be roughly divided into three categories: the first category is the states ruled by Napoleon's relatives or confidants, including his brother-in-lawMuratUnder the rule of the Grand Duchy of Berg, his brotherJerome BonaparteRegnantWestphaliaThe Kingdom and the three "man-made states" of the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt under the leadership of Darberg.They were the "model states" of the Rhineland Confederation under Napoleon's control. They had no scruple in "transplanting" the achievements of the French revolution in terms of reform, and became the most thoroughly eliminated areas of feudal factors.The second category is the middle states in South Germany, including Bavaria, Baden, Wuerttemberg and Hessen Damstadt.On the one hand, they were greatly influenced by France and tried to imitate the French model;On the other hand, they stick to some of their own practices, which is different from the first type of states.The third category is the states that will join the Rhine Confederation in succession, includingSaxonyAnd numerous small states in north central China.These states are less affected by France and have little reform and change.[2]
