The 39 States of Pre-Unification Germany: Kingdoms, Duchies, and Free Cities

Before unification under Prussian leadership in 1871, the German Confederation (1815–1866) and North German Confederation (1867–1870) comprised 39 sovereign states:

4 Kingdoms

• Prussia (largest, dominant)
• Bavaria
• Saxony
• Württemberg

6 Grand Duchies

• Baden, Hesse (Darmstadt), Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Oldenburg, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

5 Duchies

• Anhalt, Brunswick, Holstein, Limburg, Nassau

7 Principalities

• Hohenzollern-Hechingen, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Liechtenstein, Lippe, Reuss-Greiz, Reuss-Gera, Schaumburg-Lippe, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Waldeck-Pyrmont

4 Free Hanseatic Cities

• Bremen, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Lübeck

Note

The exact count and composition shifted slightly (e.g., Hesse-Homburg annexed 1866; Frankfurt annexed 1866). The 1871 Empire consolidated into 25 states + Alsace-Lorraine (imperial territory).

This fragmentation (Kleinstaaterei) was a major obstacle to economic integration and national unity.