Confederation of the Rhine

50°07′N 8°41′E / 50.117°N 8.683°E / 50.117; 8.683

Confederated States of the Rhine
Rheinbund (German)
États confédérés du Rhin (French)
1806–1813
Commemorative medal of Confederation of the Rhine
Commemorative medal
The Confederation of the Rhine in 1812
The Confederation of the Rhine in 1812
StatusConfederation of client states of the French Empire
CapitalFrankfurt
Common languagesGerman, French
Religion
Demonym(s)Rhenish
GovernmentConfederated French client states
Protector 
• 1806–1813
Napoleon I
Prince-Primate 
• 1806–1813
Karl von Dalberg
• 1813
E. de Beauharnais
LegislatureDiet of the Confederation
Historical eraNapoleonic Wars
• Treaty of the Confederation of the Rhine
July 12th 1806
• Holy Roman Empire dissolved
6 August 1806
• Dissolved after Battle of Leipzig
4 November 1813
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Holy Roman Empire
German Confederation
Today part ofGermany
Liechtenstein
Austria

The Confederated States of the Rhine,[a] simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine[b] or Rhine Confederation, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austria and Russia at the Battle of Austerlitz. Its creation brought about the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire shortly afterward. The Confederation of the Rhine lasted for 7 years, from 1806 to 1813.[1]

The founding members of the confederation were German princes of the Holy Roman Empire. They were later joined by 19 others, altogether ruling a total of over 15 million people. This granted a significant strategic advantage to the French Empire on its eastern frontier by providing a buffer between France and the two largest German states, Prussia and Austria (which also controlled substantial non-German lands).


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  1. ^ Hans A. Schmitt. "Germany Without Prussia: A Closer Look at the Confederation of the Rhine". German Studies Review 6, No. 4 (1983), pp 9–39.

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