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Imperial Province of Elsaß-Lothringen
Imperial Province of Elsaß-Lothringen

Alsace-Lorraine (German: Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen, generally Elsass-Lothringen) was a territorial entity created by the German Empire in 1871 after the annexation of most of Alsace and parts of Lorraine in the Franco-Prussian War. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Alsace (Alsace alzas Alsatian and Elsass pre-1996 German: Elsaß; Alsatia is one of the 26 Regions of France, located on the eastern --> Lotharingia or Lorraine was a short-lived kingdom in The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification Alsace (Alsace alzas Alsatian and Elsass pre-1996 German: Elsaß; Alsatia is one of the 26 Regions of France, located on the eastern Lorraine (Lothringen is one of the 26 régions of France. It is the only administrative region with two cities of equal importance Metz and Nancy The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War ( 19 July, 1870 — 10 May, 1871 The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and on the east of the Vosges Mountains. The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge The Vosges (voːʒ or Vosges Mountains are a Mountain range in eastern France, stretching along the west side of the Rhine valley The Lorraine section was in the upper Moselle valley to the north of the Vosges Mountains. The Moselle valley is a region in north-eastern France, south-western Germany, and eastern Luxembourg, centred on the river Valley formed by

The region became part of Eastern Francia in 921 during the reign of King Louis the German, later becoming part of the Holy Roman Empire. East ( ern) Francia ( Regnum Francorum orientalium) known variously as Francia Orientalis or the Kingdom of the East Franks, was the Louis (also Ludwig or Lewis) the German (also known as Louis II or Louis the Bavarian) (806 &ndash August 28, 876 The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in It gradually became part of France between 1552 (Metz ceded to the Kingdom of France) and 1798 (Republic of Mulhouse joining the French Republic). Metz (mɛs in French) is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine région and Préfecture Year 1798 ( MDCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Mulhouse (Mulhouse myluz Alsatian: Milhüsa or Milhüse, pronounced; Mülhausen i After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the area was annexed by the newly-created German Empire in 1871 (Treaty of Frankfurt). The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War ( 19 July, 1870 — 10 May, 1871 The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The Treaty of Frankfurt (Le traité de Francfort Friede von Frankfurt was a Peace treaty signed in Frankfurt on May 10, 1871, at the end of

French troops entered Alsace-Lorraine at the end of the World War I in November 1918 and the territory reverted to France at the Treaty of Versailles of 1919. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. The area was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1940, but reverted to France in 1945 at the end of World War II and has remained a part of France since. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

The territory was made up of 93% of Alsace (7% remained French) and 26% of Lorraine (74% remained French). Alsace (Alsace alzas Alsatian and Elsass pre-1996 German: Elsaß; Alsatia is one of the 26 Regions of France, located on the eastern Lorraine (Lothringen is one of the 26 régions of France. It is the only administrative region with two cities of equal importance Metz and Nancy For historical reasons, specific legal dispositions are still applied in the territory, properly and legally now known as Alsace-Moselle. Alsace-Moselle is the current legal name of the Alsace-Lorraine territory the part of France that was part of Germany from 1871 to 1919 (and then

Contents

History

Main article: Duchy of Lorraine

Ancient and medieval history

Exclaiming of German Empire (Versailles 1871) following the back of Alsace-Lorraine in Pangermanic area.
Exclaiming of German Empire (Versailles 1871) following the back of Alsace-Lorraine in Pangermanic area. Lorraine (Lorraine Lothringen is a historical area in present-day northeast France. Pan-Germanism (Pangermanismus or Alldeutsche Bewegung was a political movement of the 19th century aiming for unity of the German -speaking peoples of Europe

Always closely tied to the Rhine River which forms its eastern boundary, Alsace has found itself a border region for most of its history. The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge It was first conquered by Julius Caesar in the 1st century BC and remained a part of the Roman province of Prima Germania for the next six centuries. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The region was conquered by the Alemanni, a Germanic tribe, in the 5th century AD and then by Clovis and the Franks in 496. The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Main river ( Germany The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group Under his Merovingian successors the inhabitants were Christianized. The Merovingians (also Merovings) were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region (known as Francia in Latin

In the ninth century, this region became part of the heartland of the Carolingian Empire of Charlemagne (Charles the Great). Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his When Charlemagne's grandsons divided his Empire at the Treaty of Verdun of 843, the region was in the middle of Lorraine (Lotharingia), part of a narrow middle strip granted to Lothar with German- and French-speaking kingdoms to either side. Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his In the Treaty of Verdun of 843 the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious, Charlemagne 's grandsons divided his territories the Carolingian Lothar is a modern form of the Old High German name Clotaire and may refer to People with the family name Ernst Lothar, German writer Buffeted on both sides, the new kingdom did not last long and the region that was to become Alsace fell to the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation as part of the duchy of Swabia in the Treaty of Meersen in 870. The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in Swabia, Suabia, or Svebia ( German: Schwaben, Schwabenland or Ländle) is both a historic and linguistic The Treaty of Meerssen or Mersen in 870 was an agreement of the division of the Carolingian Empire by the surviving sons of Louis I, Charles At about this time the entire region began to fragment into a number of secular and ecclesiastical lordships, a situation which lasted into the 17th century and was a common process in Europe.

One of the most powerful secular families of Swabia was that of the Staufen or Hohenstaufen. In 1152, this family placed its leading member on the German throne as Friedrich I Barbarossa. Frederick I Barbarossa (1122 &ndash 10 June 1190) was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned Frederick was instrumental in recovery of the monarchy from its dissipation following the Investiture Contest. Part of the reason was his policy of building up imperial lands in support of the monarchy and in 1212, Alsace was organized for the first time as we know it today to be one of them. Frederick set up Alsace as a province (though not provincia but procuratio was used) to be ruled by ministeriales, a non-noble class of civil servants. A province is a territorial unit almost always an Administrative division. Ministerialis (plural ministeriales) a post-classical Latin word used in English, meaning originally servitor, agent, in a The idea was that such men would be more tractable and less likely to alienate the fief from the crown out of their own greed. Under the system of Feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud, feoff, or fee, often consisted of inheritable lands or revenue-producing The province had a single provincial court (Landgericht) and a central administration with its seat at Hagenau. Haguenau (Haguenau agəno Alsatian: Hàwenau, pronounced; Hagenau is a commune located in northeastern France, in the Bas-Rhin

During his reign, Emperor Friedrich II designated the bishop of Strasbourg to administrate the Alsace, but the authority of the bishop was challenged by Count Rudolf of Habsburg, who received his rights from Friedrich's son Konrad IV. These persons were Bishop, Archbishop or Prince-bishop of the Archbishopric of Strasbourg: Amandus Justinus von Straßburg Straßburg (Straße means street, and burg means fortification), which had been an episcopal see since the 4th century, began to grow to become the most populous and commercially-important town in the region. An episcopal see is the ecclesiastical domain of authority of a Bishop. In 1262, after a long struggle with the ruling bishops, its citizens gained the status of free imperial city. A stop on the Paris-Vienna-Orient trade route, as well as a port on the Rhine route linking southern Germany and Switzerland to the Netherlands, England and Scandinavia, it became the political and economic center of the region. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Cities such as Colmar and Hagenau also began to grow in economic importance and gained a kind of autonomy within the "Decapole" or "Dekapolis", a federation of 10 free towns. Colmar (Colmar kɔlmaʁ Alsatian: Colmer pronounced; Colmar between 1871-1918 and 1940-1945 also Kolmar) is a town and commune Haguenau (Haguenau agəno Alsatian: Hàwenau, pronounced; Hagenau is a commune located in northeastern France, in the Bas-Rhin

Around this time, German central power declined following years of imperial adventures in Italian lands, which ceded hegemony in Europe to France, which had long since centralized power. Now France began an aggressive policy of expanding eastward, first to the Rhône and Meuse Rivers, and when those borders were reached, aiming for the Rhine. The Rhone, or the Rhône is one of the major Rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. Meuse (møːz is a department in northeast France, named after the Meuse River. In 1299, they even proposed a marriage alliance between Philip IV of France's sister and Albrecht of Austria's son, with Alsace to be the dowry; however, the deal never came off. Albrecht I of Habsburg (July 1255 &ndash May 1, 1308) sometimes named as Albert I, was King of the Romans, Duke of Austria In 1307, the town of Belfort was first chartered by the counts of Montbéliard. Belfort (Beffert is a town and commune of northeastern France, Préfecture (capital of the Territoire de Belfort Montbéliard (archaic Mömpelgard is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France

During the next century, France was to be militarily shattered by the Hundred Years War with England which prevented for a time any further tendencies in this direction. The Hundred Years' War (Guerre de Cent Ans was a prolonged conflict lasting from 1337 to 1453 between two royal houses for the French throne vacant with the extinction of the senior After the conclusion of the war, France was again free to pursue its desire to reach the Rhine and in 1444 a French army appeared in Lorraine and Alsace. There it took up winter quarters, demanded the submission of Metz and Strasbourg and launched an attack on Basel. Metz (mɛs in French) is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine région and Préfecture Strasbourg (Strasbourg stʁazbuʁ Alsatian: Strossburi,; Straßburg) is the capital and principal City of the Alsace région

Modern history

Coat of arms of the duchy of Lotharingia.
Coat of arms of the duchy of Lotharingia.
Coat of arms of the county of Alsatia.
Coat of arms of the county of Alsatia.

In 1469, following the Treaty of St. Omer, Upper Alsace was sold for money by Duke Sigismund of Habsburg to Charles of Burgundy who also ruled over the Netherlands and Burgundy. Sigismund of Austria, Duke, then Archduke of Further Austria ( October 26, 1427 &ndash March 4, 1496) was a Charles the Bold or Charles the Rash (Charles le Téméraire ( 21 November 1433 &ndash 5 January 1477) baptised Charles Martin Although Charles was the nominal landlord, taxes were paid to the German Emperor. The Emperor was able to wreak this tax and a dynastic marriage to his advantage to gain back full control of Upper Alsace (apart from the free towns, but including Belfort) in 1477 when it became part of the particular demesne of the Habsburg family, who were also hereditary rulers of the Empire. A little later, 1515, the town of Mulhouse joined the Swiss Confederation in 1515 where it was to remain until 1798. Mulhouse (Mulhouse myluz Alsatian: Milhüsa or Milhüse, pronounced; Mülhausen i Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation

By the time of the Reformation in the 16th century, Strasbourg was a prosperous community, and its inhabitants accepted Protestantism at an early date (1523). The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The reformer Martin Bucer was a prominent Protestant reformer in the region. Martin Bucer (or Butzer) ( 11 November 1491 – 28 February 1551) was a Protestant reformer whose principal ministry was His efforts were countered by the Roman Catholic Habsburgs who tried to eradicate heresy in Upper Alsace. As a result, Alsace was transformed into a mosaic of Catholic and Protestant territories. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. On the other hand, Mömpelgard to the southwest of Alsace, belonging to the counts of Württemberg since 1397, remained a Protestant enclave in France until 1793. Montbéliard (archaic Mömpelgard is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France Württemberg, formerly known as Wirtemberg, is an area and a former state in Swabia, a region in southwestern Germany.

This situation prevailed until 1639 when most of Alsace was conquered by France to prevent it falling into the hands of the Spanish Habsburgs who wanted a clear road to their valuable and rebellious possessions in the Netherlands. Habsburg Spain refers to the history of Spain over the 16th and 17th centuries (1516-1700 when this country was ruled by the Habsburg dynasty (also associated to This occurred in the greater context of the Thirty Years War. For the Mauritanian Thirty Years' War see Char Bouba war. For the band see The 30 Years War. So, in 1646, beset by enemies and to gain a free hand in Hungary, the Habsburgs sold their Sundgau territory (mostly in Upper Alsace) to France, which had occupied it, for the sum of 1. 2 million thalers. Thus, when the hostilities finally ceased in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia, most of Alsace went to France with some towns remaining independent. The term Peace of Westphalia refers to the two peace treaties of Osnabrück and Münster, signed on May 15 and October 24 of The treaty stipulations regarding Alsace were extremely Byzantine and confusing; it is thought that this was purposely so that neither the French king or the German Emperor could gain tight control, but that one would play off the other, thereby assuring Alsace some measure of autonomy. Supporters of this theory point out that the treaty stipulations were authored by Imperial plenipotentiary Isaac Volmar, the former chancellor of Alsace.

The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) had been one of the worst periods in the history of Alsace and other parts of Southern Germany. It caused large numbers of the population (mainly in the countryside) to die or to flee away, because the land was successively invaded and devastated by many armies (Imperials, Swedes, French, etc. ). After 1648 and until the mid-18th century, numerous immigrants arrived from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Lorraine, Savoy and other areas. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich For the two French départements of the region of Savoy see Savoie and Haute-Savoie Savoy ( French Between 1671-1711 Anabaptist refugees came from Switzerland, notably from Bern. Anabaptists ( Greek ανα (again twice + βαπτιζω (baptize thus "re-baptizers" are Christians of the Radical Reformation The city of Berne or Bern (, Berne, Berna, Romansh: Berna, Bernese German: Bärn) is the Bundesstadt ( Federal Strasbourg became a main center of the early Anabaptist movement.

France consolidated its hold with the 1679 Treaties of Nijmegen which brought the towns under her control. The Treaties of Peace of Nijmegen ( Négotiations de Nimegue or Négotiations de la Paix de Nimègue) were a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city In 1681, France occupied Strasbourg in an unprovoked action. These territorial changes were reinforced at the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick which ended the War of the Palatinate (also known as the War of the Grand Alliance or War of the League of Augsburg), although the Holy Roman Empire did not accept and sign the document until 1697. The Treaty of Ryswick was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick (now known as Rijswijk) in the Dutch Republic. The Grand Alliance was a European Coalition, consisting (at various times of Austria, Bavaria, Brandenburg, England, the The Nine Years' War (1688–97 – often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg – was a major war of the late 17th Thus was Alsace drawn into the orbit of France. However, Alsace had a somewhat exceptional position in the kingdom. The German language was still used in local government, school and education and the German (Lutheran) university of Strasburg was continued and attended by students from Germany. The Edict of Fontainebleau which legalized the brutal suppression of French Protestantism was not applied in Alsace and in contrast to the rest of France there was a relative religious tolerance (although the French authorities tried to promote Catholicism and the Lutheran Strasbourg Cathedral had to be handed over to the Catholics in 1681). The Edict of Fontainebleau (October 1685 was an Edict issued by Louis XIV of France, also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes of Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg Liebfrauenmünster zu Straßburg is a Roman Catholic There was a customs boundary along the Vosges mountains against the rest of France while there was no such boundary against Germany. The Vosges (voːʒ or Vosges Mountains are a Mountain range in eastern France, stretching along the west side of the Rhine valley For these reasons Alsace remained coined by German culture and also economically oriented towards Germany until the French Revolution. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an

The year 1789 brought the French Revolution and with it the first division of Alsace into the départements of Haut- and Bas-Rhin. Haut-Rhin is a ''département'' of France named after the Rhine river Bas-Rhin is a ''département'' of France. The name means "Lower Rhine " Alsatians played an active role in the French Revolution. On July 21, 1789, after receiving news of the Storming of the Bastille in Paris, a crowd of people stormed the Strasbourg city hall, forcing the city administrators to flee and putting symbolically an end to the feudal system in Alsace. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 1789 ( MDCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Storming of the Bastille in Paris occurred on 14 July 1789. In 1792, Rouget de Lisle composed in Strasbourg the Revolutionary marching song La Marseillaise, which later became the anthem of France. Year 1792 ( MDCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle ( May 10, 1760 in Lons-le-Saunier, Jura – June 26, 1836 in Choisy-le-Roi, " La Marseillaise " (la maʁsɛˡjɛz in English The Song of Marseille) is the National anthem of France. La Marseillaise was played for the first time in April of that year in front of the mayor of Strasbourg Philippe-Frédéric de Dietrich. Some of the most famous generals of the French Revolution also came from Alsace, notably Kellermann, the victor of Valmy, and Kléber, who led the armies of the French Republic in Vendée. François Christophe Kellermann or de Kellermann 1st Duc de Valmy (28 May 1735 - 23 September 1820) was Marshal of France during The Battle of Valmy, also known as the Cannonade of Valmy, was a tactically indecisive artillery engagement but strategically it ensured the survival of the French Jean Baptiste Kléber ( 9 March, 1753 &ndash 14 June, 1800) was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. The War in Vendée ( 1793 to 1796) was a Civil war in Vendée between Royalists and Republicans during the French

At the same time, some Alsatians were in opposition to the Jacobins and sympathetic to the invading forces of Austria and Prussia who sought to crush the nascent revolutionary republic. This page describes the political term "Jacobin" For discussion of the political organization of the French Revolution era see Jacobin Club. Habsburg Monarchy (alternatively Habsburg Empire) refers to the territories ruled by the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg, and then by the successor The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising Many of the residents of the Sundgau made "pilgrimages" to places like Mariastein Abbey, near Basel, in Switzerland, for baptisms and weddings. Sundgau (suŋˈɡo in French;[http//mediala-basorg/mp3/020923/22-Alsace-Sundgau Mariastein Abbey ( Kloster Mariastein) is a Benedictine monastery in Metzerlen-Mariastein in the Canton of Solothurn, Switzerland. "Basilia" redirects here For the Fly Genus, see Basilia (fly. When the French Revolutionary Army of the Rhine was victorious, tens of thousands fled east before it. The French Revolutionary Army is the term used to refer to the military of France during the period between the fall of the Ancien regime under Louis When they were later permitted to return (in some cases not until 1799), it was often to find that their lands and homes had been confiscated. These conditions led to emigration by hundreds of families to newly-vacant lands in the Russian Empire in 1803-4 and again in 1808. The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya A poignant retelling of this tale based on what he had himself witnessed can be found in Goethe's Hermann und Dorothea. ˈjoːhan ˈvɔlfgaŋ fɔn ˈgøːtə (in English generally ˈgɝːtə 28 August 1749 22 March 1832 was a German writer

In response to the restoration of Napoleon I of France, in 1814 and 1815, Alsace was occupied by foreign forces, including over 280,000 soldiers and 90,000 horses in Bas-Rhin alone. Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. This had grave effects on trade and the economy of the region since former overland trade routes were switched to newly-opened Mediterranean and Atlantic seaports.

The population grew rapidly, from 800,000 in 1814 to 914,000 in 1830 and 1,067,000 in 1846. The combination of factors meant hunger, housing shortages and a lack of work for young people. Thus, it is not surprising that people left Alsace, not only to Paris, where the Alsatian community grew in numbers, with famous members such as Baron Haussmann, but also to far away places like Russia and the Austrian Empire to take advantage of new opportunities offered there. Georges-Eugène Haussmann ( March 27, 1809 &ndash January 11, 1891) who called himself Baron Haussmann, was a French For the history of these states before 1804 see Holy Roman Empire, Habsburg Monarchy, and articles on each of the component countries. Austria had conquered lands in Eastern Europe from the Ottoman Empire and offered generous terms for colonists in order to consolidate their hold on the lands. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Many Alsatians also began to sail for the United States, where after 1807 slave importation had been banned and new workers were needed for the cotton fields. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/1871

The newly-created German Empire's demand of territory from France in the aftermath of its victory in the Franco-Prussian War was not simply a punitive measure. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War ( 19 July, 1870 — 10 May, 1871 Punitive may refer to Punishment Punitive damages The transfer was controversial even amongst the Germans themselves - German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck was strongly opposed to a transfer of territory that he knew would provoke permanent French enmity towards the new state. The Head of government of Germany is called Chancellor (Kanzler Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen Duke of Lauenburg Prince of Bismarck ( April 1, 1815 July 30, 1898) However, German Emperor Wilhelm I eventually sided with Helmuth von Moltke the Elder and other Prussian generals and others who argued that a westward shift in the new Franco-German border was necessary and desirable for a number of reasons. This article lists the German monarchs, ruling over the territory of Germany from the creation of a separate Eastern Frankish Kingdom in 843 until the end of monarchy Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf After the Franco-Prussian War Moltke superintended the preparation of its history which was published between 1874 and 1881 by the great general staff From a nationalistic perspective, the transfer seemed justified since most of the lands that were annexed were populated by people who spoke German (Alemannic) dialects. The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation Alemannic German ( Alemannisch) is a group of Dialects of the Upper German branch of the Germanic language family. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of From a militaristic perspective, shifting the Franco-German frontier away from the Rhine would give the Germans a strategic advantage over the French, especially by early 1870s military standards and thinking. Militarism is the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge

However, domestic politics of the new Empire might have been the decisive factor. Although it was effectively led by Prussia, the German Empire was a new and highly decentralized creation. The new arrangement left many senior Prussian generals with serious misgivings about leading diverse military forces to guard a pre-war frontier that, except for the northernmost section was part of two other states of the new Empire - Baden and Bavaria. Baden is a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the right bank of the Rhine. The Kingdom of Bavaria (Königreich Bayern was a German state that existed from 1806&ndash1918 As recently as the 1866 Austro-Prussian War, these states had been Prussia's enemies. The Austro-Prussian Both states, but especially Bavaria had been given substantial concessions with regards to local autonomy in the new Empire's constitution, including a great deal of autonomy over military matters. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity For this reason, the Prussian General Staff argued that it was prudent and necessary that the new Empire's frontier with France be under their direct control. A military staff is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commander and subordinate units Creating a new imperial territory (Reichsland) out of formerly French territory would achieve this goal since although an imperial territory would not be officially a part of Prussia, as it would be administered directly from Berlin it would effectively be controlled by Prussians. Thus, by annexing territory Berlin was able to avoid delicate negotiations with Baden and Bavaria on such matters as construction and control of new fortifications, etc. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for The governments of Baden and Bavaria, naturally, were in favour of moving the French border away from their territories.

It is important to note that memories of the Napoleonic Wars were still quite fresh in the 1870s. The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 involved Napoleon's French Empire and a shifting set of European allies and opposing coalitions Right up until the Franco-Prussian War, the French had maintained a long-standing desire to establish their entire eastern frontier on the Rhine, and thus they were viewed by most 19th century Germans as an aggressive, war-mongering people. In the years prior to 1870, it is arguable that the Germans feared the French more than the French feared the Germans. Many Germans at the time thought creation of the new Empire in itself would be enough to earn permanent French enmity, and thus desired a defensible border with their old enemy. French–German hereditary enmity (Deutsch–französische Erbfeindschaft Esprit de revanche describes the three centuries of hostile relations and Revanchism Any additional enmity that would be earned from territorial concessions was downplayed as marginal and insignificant in the overall scheme of things.

The annexed area consisted of the northern part of Lorraine, along with Alsace. Alsace (Alsace alzas Alsatian and Elsass pre-1996 German: Elsaß; Alsatia is one of the 26 Regions of France, located on the eastern Not affected by this was the town of Belfort and the area around it (now the French département of Territoire de Belfort), because the inhabitants there were predominantly native French speakers, unlike in the rest of Alsace. Belfort (Beffert is a town and commune of northeastern France, Préfecture (capital of the Territoire de Belfort The Territoire de Belfort is a department in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France. Also, the town and area of Montbéliard, to the south of Belfort, was not included, despite the fact that this was a Protestant enclave, as it had belonged to Württemberg from 1397 to 1806. Montbéliard (archaic Mömpelgard is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France Württemberg, formerly known as Wirtemberg, is an area and a former state in Swabia, a region in southwestern Germany. This area corresponded to the French départements of Bas-Rhin (in its entirety), Haut-Rhin (except the area of Belfort and Montbéliard), and a small area in the northeast of the Vosges département, all of which made up Alsace, and the départements of Moselle (four-fifths of it) and the northeast of Meurthe (one-third of Meurthe), which were the eastern part of Lorraine. In the Terminology of Political geography and Historiography a National department (département departamento is an administrative Bas-Rhin is a ''département'' of France. The name means "Lower Rhine " Haut-Rhin is a ''département'' of France named after the Rhine river Vosges (voːʒ is a French department, named after the Vosges mountain range. Moselle is a ''département'' in the east of France named after the Moselle River. Meurthe is a former département of France. Its Préfecture (capital was Nancy.

The remaining département of Meurthe was joined with the westernmost part of Moselle which had escaped German annexation to form the new département of Meurthe-et-Moselle. Meurthe-et-Moselle is a department in the northeast of France named after the Meurthe and Moselle rivers

Elsaß-Lothringen Coat of arms
Elsaß-Lothringen Coat of arms

The new border between France and Germany mainly followed the geolinguistic divide between Romance and Germanic dialects, except in a few valleys of the Alsatian side of the Vosges mountains, the city of Metz and in the area of Château-Salins (formerly in the Meurthe département), which were annexed by Germany despite the fact that people there spoke French. The Romance languages (sometimes referred to as Romanic languages, or Neolatin languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family comprising all The Vosges (voːʒ or Vosges Mountains are a Mountain range in eastern France, stretching along the west side of the Rhine valley Metz (mɛs in French) is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine région and Préfecture Château-Salins (Salzburg from 1941-44 Salzburgen) is a commune of the Moselle département, in France. In 1900 11. 6% of the population of Alsace-Lorraine spoke French as mother language (11. 0% in 1905, 10. 9% in 1910). The fact that small francophone areas were affected was used in France to denounce the new border as hypocrisy, since Germany had justified them by the native Germanic dialects and culture of the inhabitants, which was true for the majority of Alsace-Lorraine. However, the German administration was tolerant of the use of the French language and French was permitted as an official language and school language in those areas where it was spoken by a majority (this relatively tolerant policy contrasted with the policy of French authorities against the use of German after World War I).

The Treaty of Frankfurt gave the residents of the region until October 1, 1872 to choose between emigrating to France or remaining in the region and having their nationality legally changed to German. The Treaty of Frankfurt (Le traité de Francfort Friede von Frankfurt was a Peace treaty signed in Frankfurt on May 10, 1871, at the end of Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1872 ( MDCCCLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year By 1876, about 100,000 or 5% of the residents of Alsace-Lorraine had emigrated to France. [1]

Under the German Empire of 1871-1918, the territory constituted the Reichsland or Imperial Province of Elsass-Lothringen. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The area was administered directly by the imperial government in Berlin, and was granted some measure of autonomy in 1911. This included its own flag, and the Elsässisches Fahnenlied as anthem. The Elsässisches Fahnenlied ("The Alsatian Flag's song" was written by Emil Woerth (1870-1926 in German when Alsace was part of the German The infamous Saverne Affair (1913) however showed that this status was of no high value in the eyes of the Berlin government. The Saverne Affair (German Zabern-Affäre, French Affaire de Saverne) was a crisis of domestic policy which occurred in the German Empire at the end of

Reichstag election results 1874-1912

1874 1877 1878 1881 1884 1887 1890 1893 1898 1903 1907 1912
Inhabitants (in 1,000) 1550 1532 1567 1564 1604 1641 1719 1815 1874
Eligible voters (in %) 20. 6 21. 6 21. 0 19. 9 19. 5 20. 1 20. 3 20. 3 21. 0 21. 7 21. 9 22. 3
Turnout (in %) 76. 5 64. 2 64. 1 54. 2 54. 7 83. 3 60. 4 76. 4 67. 8 77. 3 87. 3 84. 9
Conservatives (K) 0. The German Conservative Party ( Deutsche Konservative Partei or DKP) was a German Political party of the Second Reich, founded in 1876 0 0. 2 2. 8 0. 0 12. 5 14. 7 10. 0 4. 8
Deutsche Reichspartei (R) 0. The Deutsche Reichspartei ( German Reich Party, German Imperial Party or German Empire Party) was a Nationalist Political party 2 12. 0 0. 8 1. 5 6. 6 7. 6 6. 1 4. 1 3. 5 2. 7 2. 1
National Liberal Party (N) 2. The National Liberal Party ( Nationalliberale Partei) was a German political party which flourished between 1867 and 1918 1 0. 0 1. 9 0. 7 11. 5 8. 5 3. 6 10. 3
Liberals 0. Liberal Party is the name of dozens of political parties around the world 2
Freeminded Union (FVg) 0. 0 0. 1 6. 2 6. 4
Progressive People's Party 1. The Progressive People's Party ( Fortschrittliche Volkspartei or FVP) was a liberal party of late Imperial Germany. 4 0. 0 1. 8 0. 5 14. 0
Centre Party (Zentrum) (Z) 0. The German Centre Party ( Deutsche Zentrumspartei or merely Zentrum) was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich 0 0. 6 7. 1 31. 1 5. 4
Social Democratic Party of Germany (S) 0. 3 0. 1 0. 4 1. 8 0. 3 10. 7 19. 3 22. 7 24. 2 23. 7 31. 8
Regional Parties (Autonomists) (Aut) 96. 9 97. 8 87. 5 93. 3 95. 9 92. 2 56. 6 47. 7 46. 9 36. 1 30. 2 46. 5
Others 0. 7 0. 6 0. 2 0. 6 0. 8 0. 2 1. 1 1. 9 12. 0 7. 0 5. 9 0. 2
  1874 1877 1878 1881 1884 1887 1890 1893 1898 1903 1907 1912
Mandates
Aut 15
Aut 15
Aut 15
Aut 15
Aut 15
Aut 15
K 1
Aut 10
R 1
N 2
S 1
K 3
Aut 8
R 1
S 2
FVg 1
K 1
Aut 10
R 2
S 1
FVg 1
K 1
Aut 9
R 1
N 1
FVg 1
Vp 1
U 1
R 1
Aut 7
Z 5
S 2
FVg 1
Aut 9
S 5

FVp: Progressive People's Party. The Progressive People's Party ( Fortschrittliche Volkspartei or FVP) was a liberal party of late Imperial Germany. formed in 1910 as a merger of all leftist liberal parties.

After World War I

See also Alsace Soviet Republic

In order to spare them possible confrontations with relatives in France, the soldiers from Alsace-Lorraine were mainly sent to the Eastern front, or the Kaiserliche Marine. The Alsace Soviet Republic was a short-lived Soviet republic created during the German Revolution at the end of World War I in the province of Alsace The Kaiserliche Marine or Imperial Navy was the German Navy created by the formation of the German Empire.

In October 1918, the German Imperial Navy, which had spent most of the war since the Battle of Jutland in ports, was ordered to fight, in order to weaken the British Royal Navy for the time after the war. fix various bugs per WikipediaHow to fix bunched-up edit links --> However, the sailors refused to obey. At that time, about 15,000 Alsatians and Lorrainers had been incorporated into the Kaiserliche Marine. Some of them joined the insurrection and the German Revolution, and decided to rouse their homeland to revolt against the monarchy of the Emperor.

Independent Republic of Alsace-Lorraine

On 8 November, the proclamation of a Soviet Republic in Bavaria was aired in Strasbourg, the capital city of Alsace. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration A soviet (сове́т, "council" originally was a workers' local council in late Imperial Russia. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Strasbourg (Strasbourg stʁazbuʁ Alsatian: Strossburi,; Straßburg) is the capital and principal City of the Alsace région Alsace (Alsace alzas Alsatian and Elsass pre-1996 German: Elsaß; Alsatia is one of the 26 Regions of France, located on the eastern The next day, on November 9, thousands of demonstrators rallied at the local bakers square in Strasbourg, to acclaim the first soldiers returning home from northern Germany. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all A train controlled by insurgents was blocked on the Kehl bridge, and a loyal commander ordered to fire on the train. Kehl is a town in southwestern Germany in the Ortenaukreis, Baden-Württemberg. One insurgent was killed, but his fellows took control of the city of Kehl.

The same day, Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated and Philipp Scheidemann declared Germany a republic in a speech from the Reichstag. Philipp Scheidemann ( 26 July 1865 &ndash 29 November 1939) was a German Social Democratic politician who proclaimed the The term Weimar Republic ( ˈvaɪmarɐ repuˈbliːk is used by historians to signify the democratic and Republican period of Germany from 1919 to 1933 The Reichstag building in Berlin was constructed to house the Reichstag, the first Parliament of the German Empire. As Alsace-Lorraine had been administered by Berlin and the Emperor, and had no state government and monarch like other German states, the departure of the Emperor left an even larger vacuum of power.

Similar to other areas of Germany, the former seamen established a Soldiers' Council of Strasbourg, and took the control of the city. A council of workers and soldiers was then established and presided by the leader of the brewery workers' union. Their motto was: 'Neither German neither French nor neutral. '

Flag of the National Council and the Republic
Flag of the National Council and the Republic

On November 11, the Armistice with Germany (Compiègne) was signed, ending the war. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare The armistice treaty between the Allies and Germany was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on November 11, 1918 The same day, the Diet of Strasbourg proclaimed an Independent Republic of Alsace-Lorraine. The Landtag parliament proclaimed itself the "National Council of Alsace-Lorraine" and the sole legal authority there. The next day, the National Council took over all functions of the Statthalter and of the Secretary of state, and proclaimed the sovereignty of Alsace-Lorraine. Eugen Ricklin and Jacques Peirotes were in charge.

Yet, independence was short-lived as the French occupied Mülhausen on 17 November. Mulhouse (Mulhouse myluz Alsatian: Milhüsa or Milhüse, pronounced; Mülhausen i Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers They took Colmar and Metz on the next days, and, on 21 November, French troops arrived in Strasbourg. Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem.

After the Republic of Alsace-Lorraine

After eleven days of independence, Alsace-Lorraine was occupied by and incorporated into France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The region lost its recently acquired autonomy, was returned to the centralised French system and divided into the départements of Haut-Rhin, Bas-Rhin and Moselle (the same political structure as before the annexation and as created by the French Revolution, with slightly different limits). In the Terminology of Political geography and Historiography a National department (département departamento is an administrative Haut-Rhin is a ''département'' of France named after the Rhine river Bas-Rhin is a ''département'' of France. The name means "Lower Rhine " Moselle is a ''département'' in the east of France named after the Moselle River.

However, even today the territory enjoys laws in certain areas that are significantly different from the rest of France - see for example the statute of Alsace-Moselle. Alsace-Moselle is the current legal name of the Alsace-Lorraine territory the part of France that was part of Germany from 1871 to 1919 (and then

The département Meurthe-et-Moselle was maintained even after France recovered Alsace-Lorraine in 1919. Meurthe-et-Moselle is a department in the northeast of France named after the Meurthe and Moselle rivers The area of Belfort became a special status area and was not reintegrated into Haut-Rhin in 1919 but instead was made a full-status département in 1922 under the name Territoire de Belfort. Haut-Rhin is a ''département'' of France named after the Rhine river The Territoire de Belfort is a department in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France. [1]

Expulsion of Germans

The French Government immediately started a Francization campaign that included the forced deportation of all Germans who had settled in the area after 1870. Francization or Gallicization (and informally Frenchification) is a process of Cultural assimilation that gives a French character to a For that purpose, the population was divided in four categories, A to D. [2] German-language Alsatian newspapers were also suppressed.

World War II

After France was defeated in the spring of 1940, the area was administered from Berlin by the Nazis until they were defeated in 1945. During the occupation, all inhabitants of military age were subject to conscription into the German army, and in some cases engaged in repression against French citizens during the Second World War (see for instance the massacre of Oradour-sur-Glane). World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Oradour-sur-Glane (Orador de Glana is a town and commune in the Haute-Vienne département of central-western France.

Many young men from Alsace-Lorraine were also drafted or volunteered to serve in the German Wehrmacht or the Waffen-SS during the Second World War. Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 The Waffen-SS ( German for "Armed SS" literally "Weapons SS" was the Combat arm of the Schutzstaffel ("Protective Squadron" This led to numerous problems and recriminations after the war.

Contemporary history

When Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France after the war, the fact that many young men from the area had served (in many cases by force) in the German Army, and even the Waffen SS, resulted in tensions between Alsace-Lorraine and other parts of France.

The French government pursued, in line with its traditional language policy, a campaign to suppress the use of German. France has one Official language, the French language. The French government does not regulate the choice of language in publications by individuals but Both the German language as well as the local Germanic dialect Elsässisch were for a time banned from public life (street and city names, official administration, the educational system, etc). Alsatian ( Elsässerditsch; Alsacien Elsässisch or Elsässerdeutsch) is a Low Alemannic German dialect spoken in most of Alsace, a region Largely due to this policy, Alsace-Lorraine is today very French in language and culture. Few young people speak Elsässisch today, though the closely-related Alemannisch survives on the opposite bank of the Rhine, in Baden, and especially in Switzerland. Alsatian ( Elsässerditsch; Alsacien Elsässisch or Elsässerdeutsch) is a Low Alemannic German dialect spoken in most of Alsace, a region Alemannic German ( Alemannisch) is a group of Dialects of the Upper German branch of the Germanic language family. Baden is a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the right bank of the Rhine. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation However, while French is the major language of the region, the Alsatian dialect of French is heavily influenced by German, in phonology and vocabulary.

In recent times, official and private initiatives have been trying to reverse this process to preserve the area's unique Franco-German cultural heritage. France is one of four nations (together with Andorra, Monaco, and Turkey) that never signed the Council of Europe Framework Convention on National Minorities. Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra ( Catalan: Principat d'Andorra) is a small Landlocked country in western For other uses see Monaco (disambiguation Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco ( French: Principauté de Monaco; Monégasque Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches [3]

Geographical and historical data

Year Population Cause of change
1866 1,596,000 -
1875 1,531,804 After incorporation into the German Empire, 100,000 to 130,000 people left for France and French Algeria
1910 1,874,014 0. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification 58% population growth per year during 1875-1910
1921 1,709,749 Death of young men in the German army,
Deportation of German newcomers to Germany
1936 1,915,627 0. 76% population growth per year during 1921-1936
1946 1,767,131 Death of young men in the French army in 1939-40,
Death of young men in the German army 1940-45,
Death of civilians and many people still refugees in the rest of France
1999 2,757,592 0. 84% population growth per year during 1946-1999

See also

Further reading

Publications in English

Notes

  1. ^ However on the Colmar prefecture building, the name of Belfort can be seen as a sous-prefecture.
  2. ^ Tabellarische Geschichte Elsaß-Lothringens / Französische Besatzung (1918-1940)
  3. ^ http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/ChercheSig.asp?NT=157&CM=&DF=&CL=ENG

External links


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