The North German Confederation
The North German Confederation was created in 1867 and primarily centered north of the Main River. Prussia led the 22 member states.
- Prussia (incl. Lauenburg)
- Saxony
- Mecklenburg-Schwerin
- Saxe-Weimar
- Mecklenburg-Strelitz
- Oldenburg
- Brunswick
- Saxe-Meiningen
- Saxe-Altenburg
- Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
- Anhalt
- Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
- Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
- Waldeck
- Reuss (Elder Line)
- Reuss (Younger Line)
- Schaumburg-Lippe
- Lippe-Detmold
- Lübeck
- Bremen
- Hamburg
- The parts of the Grand Duchy of Hesse that were north of the River Main
The southern German states of Bavaria, Hesse (the northern enclave of Hesse-Darmstadt was part of the North Germanic Confederation, while the southern enclave was not), Baden, and Württemberg already were tied to the North German Confederation through the Zollverein. They officially petitioned to join the North German Confederation and became members in November 1870 through a series of individual treaties. When the southern states were added to the North German Confederation, they reserved some rights or Sonderrechtefor themselves. As a result, the southern states of Baden, Württemberg, and Bavaria are sometimes called the Sonderrechte states.