Hanseatic Cities
The name Hanseatic really referred to a league of trading cities that dated back to the 13th century. By the late 1800s, the meaning, as far as imperial Germany was concerned, was limited to the German cities of Hamburg, Bremen, and Lübeck. There were also other members of the Hanseatic League in other countries from the furthest reaches of the Baltic to the North Sea.
Hamburg
(1813-1871)
The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg was a German state since 1618. It was a member state of the Germanic Confederation between 1815 and 1866. After the Prussian-Austrian War, it became a member state of the North German Confederation in 1867. Hamburg became a member state of the German Empire in 1871.
Hamburg was a republic with the parliament having two chambers, the Senate and the Bürgerschaft. The Senate, which exercised the greater part of the executive power, was composed of eighteen life members. The Bürgerschaft elected the members of the Senate for life. There were two mayors. However, a chief Bürgermeister, called “Magnificence,” was chosen annually in secret ballot and had a two- year term limit. The Bürgerschaft consisted of 160 members who were elected using a unique three-tiered system. Eighty members were elected by secret ballot of all tax-paying citizens, 40 members by the owners of real estate within the city, and the “notables” directly elected the remaining 40 for a period of six years. The senate could veto all legislation except taxation; if the two bodies differed, the issue was referred to a court of arbitration. Hamburg had one representative in the Bundesrat and three deputies in the Reichstag.
In 1914, the population was approximately 1,099,000 of which 85 percent was Protestant. The republic was 415 km² in size. The soldiers were concentrated in Infanterie-Regiment Hamburg (2. hanseatisches) Nr. 76.
Lübeck
(1813-1871)
The Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck, a German state since 1226, was a member state of the Germanic Confederation from 1815 to 1866. There is some confusion because there is a principality of Lübeck, which is a province of Oldenburg, and also a separate entity, the Free City of Lübeck. After the Austro-Prussian War, Lübeck became a member state of the North German Confederation in 1867. It became a member state of the German Empire in 1871.
The Free State was a republic and Parliament consisted of two chambers. The Senate consisted of fourteen life members, who were elected by a joint session of the Senate and the lower house. The Senate was presided over by the Oberbürgermeister, who during his two-year term of office, was called “Magnificence” and was also considered the president of the Senate and the head of the republic. All citizens possessing four-year longevity elected the lower house (Bürgerschaft) of 130 members under a unique two-class property system of those who paid income tax. The Bürgerschaft had the right of initiating legislation, including that relative to foreign treaties.
In 1914, the population of 122,000 was nearly all Lutheran. The republic was 297 km² in size. The soldiers were concentrated in Infanterie-Regiment Lübeck (3.hanseatisches) Nr. 162.
Bremen
(1813-1871)
The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a German state since 1646, was a member state of the German Confederation between 1815 and 1866. After the Prussian-Austrian War, it became a member state of the North German Confederation in 1867. In 1869, Prussia granted territory to Bremen to give it control of Bremerhaven at the mouth of the Weser River and some other small ports along the river. It became a member state of the German Empire in 1871.
The government was a republic with a two-chamber parliament—the Senate and the Bürgerschaft. The Senate was composed of sixteen life members elected by the Bürgerschaft. Their colleagues elected two of the Senators as mayor (Bürgermeister), who presided over the republic in succession for a year at a time. The Bürgerschaft consisted of 150 representatives, chosen by the citizens for six-year terms, who formed the legislative body. The most educated citizens (university graduates) of Bremen elected 14 members. Forty members were elected by the merchants, 20 by the manufacturers and artisans, and 48 by the other citizens. For the remaining representatives, the towns of Bremerhaven and Vegesack, provided sixteen and the rural districts furnished 12. As a member of the German Empire, the State of Bremen had one vote in the Bundesrat and had one deputy in the Reichstag. Bremen joined the Zollverein quite late in 1888 with the exception of two small free districts in Bremen and Bremerhaven.
In 1914, the population was approximately 326,000 of which 93 percent was Protestant, six percent Roman Catholic, and only two percent Jewish. The republic was 256 km² in size. The soldiers were concentrated in Infanterie-Regiment Bremen (1. hanseatisches)Nr. 75. Strictly speaking the garrisons towns were; Bremen (HQ, 1st and 2nd Bns) and Stade (3rd Battalion) but really the whole regiment was linked to Bremen.