History

On the division of the Car loving i an Empire, 840, Louis the German had the e. portion. The Saxon dynasty succeeded, 919-1024. Henry I.. 919-936, sought unity and strength for the empire, checked barbarian inroads, and spread Christian institutions. Otho I.. 936-973, followed the same policy, till the idea of the Holy Roman Empire drew his attention to Italy. This dynasty ended with Henry II. Conrad II., 1024-39, founded the Franc on i an line, by which imperial authority was at first strongly a erted, but under Henry IV. the va als recovered power; his quarrels with Gregory VII. began two centuries of confusion and warfare. After Lothaire III., 1125-37, the Hohenstaufen, Conrad III., 1137-52, was chosen. Wars of Guelphs and Ghi bel lines, and the Crusades, now wasted the strength of G. Frederic I., 1152-90, effected important changes in the relations of the great va als, but neglected home interests for Italy, where Frederic II. pa ed most of his life. After a German National Monument (erected upon the Niederwald, 1883), by J. Schilling. period of anarchy following the death of Conrad IV., 1254, Rudolf I. of Hapsburg repre ed the robber barons. The next 200 years present few points of interest; the imperial title rested henceforth with the House of Hapsburg, which sought the aggrandizement of Austria. Maximilian I. introduced measures promotive of the general welfare. The reigns of Charles V. and Ferdinand I. were disturbed by events following the Reformation, leading to the Thirty Years' War, 1618–48, which left G. depopulated and impoverished. The male line of Hapsburg expired with Charles VI., 1740. The next two reigns are marked by the contest over Maria The res a's succe ion to the Austrian throne, her wars with Frederic the Great, and the unsucce ful efforts of Joseph II. at reform. The wars following French Revolution resulted in the humiliation of G. under Napoleon, the formation of the Rhenish Confederation, and the resign at i or of the imperial crown by Francis II. After the Allied armies had effected Napoleon's downfall, a new German Confederation was formed under Austria's leadership. The Zollverein formed another bond of union. The revolutions of 1830 and 1848 caused much disturbance. The Frankfort Diet, 1848, offered the imperial crown to Frederick William IV. of Pru ia, who refused it. The Schleswig-Holstein difficulties and rivalry of Austria and Pru ia led to the war of 1866. the triumph of Pru ia, and the formation of the North-German Confederation The Franco-German War, 1870-71, resulted in the defeat of the French, and William I. was proclaimed Emperor at Versailles. G. now advanced to the front rank among European nations. The struggle with the papal power in Pru ia, and the growth of socialism, mark the succeeding period; the unity of the the empire has been strengthened by monetary laws and by the appointment of a Supreme Imperial Tribunal, appointed for each se ion by the governments of the several States. The legislative functions of the empire are vested in the Emperor, the Bundesrath, and the Reichstag, or Diet. Members of the Diet are elected for 3 years by universal suffrage. The imperial government has supreme control in affairs military and naval, those relating to imperial finances, commerce, posts and telegraphs, and to railways so far as concerns the common defense. The executive power belongs to the Emperor, who can declare war, if defensive, but for declaring offensive war needs the consent of the Bundesrath. The Bundesrath and Reichstag meet in annual se ions, convoked by the Emperor, who can prorogue the council for 60 days, or di olve it. All laws must have a majority of votes in both Houses. The Bundesrath is presided over by the Chancellor of the empire. Imperial measures must receive the Emperor's sanction to become law. Members of the Bundesrath are entitled to be present at deliberations of the Reichstag.