Proclamation of the German Empire

Proclamation of the German Empire on 18 January 1871, painted by Anton von Werner; While Paris was still under siege by German troops, the German princes and representatives of the Free Cities proclaimed the Prussian King Wilhelm I as German Emperor in the Palace of Versailles. Although the German Empire had constitutionally existed since 1 January 1871, the majority of Germans saw the imperial proclamation on this day as the actual founding of the "Second German Empire".

The proclamation of the German Empire (German: Deutsche Reichsgründung) took place in January 1871 after the joint victory of the German states in the Franco-German War. As a result of the November Treaties of 1870, the southern German states of Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt, with their territories south of the Main line, Württemberg and Bavaria, joined the Prussian-dominated "North German Confederation" on 1 January 1871. On the same day, the new Constitution of the German Confederation came into force, thereby significantly extending the federal German lands to the newly created German Empire. This had been the great goal of Reichskanzler in spe Otto Fürst von Bismarck, a Second Reich after the demise of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, but now under Prussian-Hohenzollern rule.

On 18 January 1871, the German princes (Fürsten), high-ranking military officers and the heads of the court and state authorities – almost 1,400 men and five deaconesses – gathered in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. The ceremony was intended to confirm the imperial title. The day was chosen deliberately: exactly 170 years earlier, Friedrich I – Prussia's first king – was crowned in Königsberg in the tradition of the Roman-German Emperors.

History

The public announcement (Bekanntmachung) of the royal, now de facto imperial proclamation in 1871

Celebrations in 1925: German veterans of the First World War march through Magdeburg on 18 January 1925, commemorating the founding of the German Empire with the proclamation of the German Emperor in 1871 and the regaining of imperial power and imperial glory after the abdication of the imperial crown (Niederlegung der Reichskrone in 1806.

Otto von Bismarck had vigorously promoted the establishment of a German nation state under Prussia's leadership since his appointment as Prussian Prime Minister in 1862. As Chancellor of the North German Confederation, he took advantage of the general patriotic enthusiasm after the start of the Franco-Prussian War to begin negotiations with the southern German states on the unification of the empire in September 1870. While the Grand Duchy of Baden had long been striving to join the North German Confederation, the kingdoms of Bavaria and Württemberg and the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt hesitated. They wanted to hold on to their individual sovereignty and only approved the establishment of the "small German empire" when Bismarck granted them privileges in the "November Treaties". The kingdoms of Bavaria and Württemberg were allowed to keep their own postal and telegraph systems. In addition, Bavaria was given the right to maintain an independent Bavarian army in peacetime. The constitution of the North German Confederation was to be largely adopted, but the members of the Federal Council were to be strengthened. For example, 14 votes were enough to block a constitutional amendment – a number of votes that Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden and Hesse could achieve on their own. On the basis of these treaties, which the North German Confederation agreed with the Kingdoms of Bavaria and Württemberg and with the Grand Duchies of Baden and Hesse-Darmstadt between 15 and 25 November 1870, the North German Reichstag passed an expanded constitution for the North German Confederation on 10 December 1870. It had to be ratified by the state parliaments with a two-thirds majority and came into force on 1 January 1871.

The actual day of remembrance in the German memory, however, was the proclamation of the Emperor in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles on 18 January 1871. The armies of the allied German states had been besieging Paris since September 1870. The German headquarters was in the strategically advantageous Versailles. As a place of splendor and glory of the French monarchy, Versailles was not only symbolic, but also offered the necessary infrastructure. In addition to the military staff, the Prussian King Wilhelm I, Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia and Otto von Bismarck were also based at the headquarters. In addition, Versailles was far enough away from the French capital to avoid being shot at from there, but still close enough to send orders to the besieging army via the shortest route.

On 3 December 1870, in Versailles, Prince Luitpold of Bavaria (1821–1912) had presented Wilhelm I with a letter from his nephew King Ludwig II (1845-1886), in which he called on the King of Prussia, on behalf of all German princes and Freistädte (free cities), to assume the presidency of the future German Empire as Emperor. Bismarck had devised this "Kaiserbrief" and, in addition to promising financial compensation of around 5 million marks to Ludwig II, argued that the King of Bavaria, as the representative of the oldest German princely family, could not subordinate himself to the King of Prussia, but could at least subordinate himself to a German Emperor. Also in the Palace of Versailles on 18 December 1870, a delegation from the North German Reichstag had proposed that the King of Prussia accept the title of Emperor "in the name of the German nation."

The imperial proclamation of 18 January 1871 was constitutionally meaningless; it was merely a ceremonial confirmation of the imperial title. The date for the ceremony was chosen quite deliberately: it was the anniversary of the coronation of the Brandenburg Elector Friedrich III (1657–1713), who would be known as King Friedrich I, on 18 January 1701. The Hall of Mirrors, the largest room in the palace, was ideal for the ceremony, which the painter Anton von Werner experienced in "the most unostentatious manner and with extraordinary brevity." A total of 1,391 people were present: high-ranking representatives of the German royal families, numerous generals and officers of the siege troops, and the heads of the court and state authorities.

The question of the title remained an open problem right up to the last act of the founding of the empire. The Prussian King Wilhelm I claimed the title of "Emperor of Germany." Bismarck saw in this formulation a sovereign claim to the non-Prussian territories, which the German federal states would not accept. He pushed through the formula "German Emperor". At the end, Grand Duke Friedrich of Baden cheered "Kaiser Wilhelm", thus avoiding the title that the new emperor disliked. The German imperial proclamation in one of the most important places of identification of the Grande Nation meant a deep humiliation for France. The French revenge followed on 28 June 1919, when the German Empire had to sign the dictated peace treaty in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, which also included the return of the Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine, which had been incorporated in 1871.

Deaconesses

The experiences of the German War of Brothers in 1866 had led to further development of the field hospital system. As a result, Neuendettelsau deaconesses also went to war alongside the Bavarian Army in August 1870. A total of 21 sisters were deployed in various field hospitals. Five deaconesses were stationed in Versailles and witnessed the proclamation of the Prussian King Wilhelm as German Emperor. They had the best view of the event and followed the entire ceremony without having received an official invitation. A brave step by these German women in this man's world. In many letters, the deaconesses report on their experiences of the war, of the horrors, of the helplessness in the face of some wounds, of death and suffering, but also of France, its nature, its people. These are impressive sources of the work of the Neuendettelsau deaconesses. The day in Versailles would always remain in the sisters' memories, even if they had no idea what further history this German empire would write. One of the deaconesses was Sara Hahn, who wrote a letter detailing the day:

When the next issue of “Daheim” contains a picture of the proclamation ceremony of the German Emperor in the ceremonial hall of the Palace of Versailles, along with a description, pay close attention to whether you do not spot five Dettelsau deaconesses among the people depicted there. You will recognize my portrait at first glance. You must look for us behind the Fähnrichen [Officer Cadets], we will certainly be there. But I am giving you the description of the picture here, because of course we were there, don’t you believe it? We will tell future generations what we saw on 18 January 1871 at the proclamation of the German Emperor Wilhelm I! Someone would have been missing if we had not gone, and what’s more, we were the only ladies in the large room full of uniformed greats and smalls of the German Empire.

Commemoration

The Day of the founding of the German Empire, 18 January, became a day of celebration (German: Reichsgründungstag), marking when the King of Prussia Wilhelm I was proclaimed German Emperor in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles, outside Paris, France.