The German Empire consisted originally of 27, and later (as of 1876) 26 constituent states, the largest of which was Prussia. These states, or Staaten (or Bundesstaaten, i.e. federal states a naming deriving from the previous North German Confederation; they became known as Länder after the First World War). Each government of the federal states had votes in the Bundesrat, which gave them representation at a national level.
Several of these states had gained sovereignty following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. Others were created as sovereign states after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Territories were not necessarily contiguous, such as Bavaria, or Oldenburg — many existed in several parts (enclaves and exclaves), as a result of historical acquisitions, or, in several cases, divisions of the ruling family trees.
Kingdoms (Königreiche)[]
| Flag | State | Capital | Admission | Coat of Arms | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Prussia (Königreich Preußen) |
Berlin | January 18, 1871 | 
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Bavaria (Königreich Bayern) |
Munich | January 18, 1871 | 
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Saxony (Königreich Sachsen) |
Dresden | January 18, 1871 | 
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Württemberg (Königreich Württemberg) |
Stuttgart | January 18, 1871 | 
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Grand Duchies (Großherzogtümer)[]
| Flag | State | Capital | Admission | Coat of Arms | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Baden (Großherzogtum Baden) |
Karlsruhe | January 18, 1871 | 
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Hesse (Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein) |
Darmstadt | January 18, 1871 | 
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Mecklenburg (Großherzogtum Mecklenburg) |
Schwerin | January 18, 1871 | 
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Oldenburg (Großherzogtum Oldenburg) |
Oldenburg | January 18, 1871 | 
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Luxemburg (Großherzogtum Luxemburg) |
Luxemburg | January 14, 1919 | 
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Thuringia (Großherzogtum Thüringen) |
Weimar | 1920 | 
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Duchies (Herzogtümer)[]
| Flag | State | Capital | Admission | Coat of Arms | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Anhalt (Herzogtum Anhalt) |
Dessau | January 18, 1871 | 
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Brunswick (Herzogtum Braunschweig) |
Braunschweig | January 18, 1871 | 
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Principalities (Fürstentümer)[]
| Flag | State | Capital | Admission | Coat of Arms | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Lippe (Fürstentum Lippe) |
Detmold | January 18, 1871 | 
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Schaumburg-Lippe (Fürstentum Schaumburg-Lippe) |
Bückeburg | January 18, 1871 | 
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Waldeck and Pyrmont (Fürstentum Waldeck und Pyrmont) |
Arolsen | January 18, 1871 | 
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Free Hanseatic cities (Freie Hansestädte)[]
| Flag | State | Capital | Admission | Coat of Arms | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Bremen (Freie Hansestadt Bremen) |
Bremen | January 18, 1871 | 
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Hamburg (Freie Hansestadt Hamburg) |
Hamburg | January 18, 1871 | 
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Lübeck (Freie Hansestadt Lübeck) |
Lübeck | January 18, 1871 | 
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Free State (Freistaat)[]
| Flag | State | Capital | Admission | Coat of Arms | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Elsass-Lothringen (Freistaat Elsass-Lothringen) |
Straßburg | May 10, 1871 | 
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