The Empirical Age
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Goths, an Eastern Germanic people, created several kingdoms from its newly gained territory. The kingdoms lasted for several years, the most prominent being the Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Burgundians, Vandals, Suebs, and the Francians. The Kingdoms are shown to the right.
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However, they would soon be brought under the Kingdom of Francia, eventually called the Frankish Empire, which occupied from the western coast of modern day France to the eastern front of modern day Germany. The Frankish Empire would split into three territories: Western Francia, ruled by Charles the Bald; Middle Francia (Lothringia), ruled by King Lothair II; and Eastern Francia, ruled by Louis the German. The land of Germany would emerge from Eastern Francia. Kingdom of Francia is shown below, and the split Kingdom is show to the right of it, under the Gothic Kingdoms.
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Former Germany
When the Frankish Empire fell, and the three states of the former Empire were formed, Middle Francia (Also known as Lothringia) would dissolve into multiple states, which would be swallowed up by the Eastern and Western Empires. Eastern Francia became Germany, and Western Francia became France. The German State was said to be formed in 920 A.D, but I could not find much information on it. The German state lasted for forty years, until a new Empire was introduced: The Holy Roman Empire.
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In 963, Germany gained territory from all around its borders and became the Holy Roman Empire. Its territory was similar to the Frankish Empire, but Western Francia was excluded from it. An image of the Holy Roman Empire is to the right. Otto the Great was crowned by the Pope as Holy Roman Emperor, and the Ottonian Dynasty ruled until 1024. The Empire at its peak is shown to the right.
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The Holy Roman Empire lasted for another 624 years, being worn down from the infamous Thirty Years War. It completely dissolved in 1648, with the end of the war, and in its remains was left a mass of desperately grabbed territories. However, in nearly two centuries, it would soon regain its former title of Germany, and become its own Empire, for nearly fifty years.
From Prussia, to Germany
The Great Holy Roman Empire was left in ruins. A once mighty empire, now dissolved into nothing. In 1799, with the end of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself as Emperor of France. He grew his great Empire, conquering land in a short amount of time. France had become an Empire again, and it was advancing East. New Germanic Empires had emerged, but not as powerful as its former great empire. The Confederation of the Rhine had formed, but dissolved. The Austrian Empire persevered, and Prussia, a smaller state that had gained territory from its creation in 1525, would become a key factor in forming unified Germany.
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After the Napoleonic Wars, Europe had time to recover. Over many years, Prussia pushed further West, and in 1867 became the Northern Confederation of Germany. Four years later, it finally became a relatively solid state: Germany. The German Empire. Its first ruler, in 1871, was Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig von Hohenzollern, or Wilhelm I. He ruled as the first German Emperor until his death in 1888. A huge step for Germany, as it had just been created, but it would be short lived. The turn of the century would soon come, and Europe would become literal hell.
The Great War, 1914 - 1918
At the turn of the century, weapons were becoming more advanced and modernized. Bullets were coming into use, instead of the usual musket round or Minnie ball. Tension was growing between France and Germany over France's loss of territory to Germany during a previous war, and it seemed as if both countries were preparing for war. However, neither France nor Germany started the war: It started over an assassination, specifically of Franz Ferdinand of Austria, assassinated by a Bosnian named Gavrilo Princip, who wanted his country to be freed of rule from Austria-Hungary.
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The assassination led to tensions between Bosnia and Austria-Hungary, and allies of each country picked sides. The two main powers were the Central Powers, and the Triple Entente. The Central Powers consisted of Germany and Austria-Hungary, and the Triple Entente consisted of Great Britain, Russia, France, and eventually the United States, when the war was at a stalemate. The war saw the deaths of millions of people, and it was one of the first two-front wars. When it ended, Germany was placed with all the blame. This would be a main cause of another major conflict, just twenty years after it ended in 1918.
Above image shows map of Central, Allied, and Neutral powers in World War I, as well as where battles were fought.
Nazi Germany & World War II
The Great Depression kicked in after the Stock Market crashed. The world was suffering. Germany wanted revenge, and was desperate for anything that could bring them back to its former glory. They were wrongfully blamed, depending on which view you take, for the Great War, and they needed a powerful leader. They managed to get it, but at a cost, in the long run. World War II broke out in 1939, after Nazi Germany joined forces with the USSR to invade Poland. Adolf Hitler, dictator of Germany, turned on Stalin of USSR, and France and Great Britain joined the war. The war raged on, and the United States joined after it was bombed by the Japanese Empire in Pearl Harbor. Throughout the war, until it started to get pushed back in 1942, Germany had expanded its Empire from the West Coast, to the Mediterranean, and significant portion of the way into Russia. In 1945, Germany surrendered, and it was divided into sectors, controlled by the Soviets, Americans, Britons, and French. German territory in 1942 shown in red on bottom left. Sectors of Germany shown on the bottom right.
East & West Germany, Finally Unified
In 1949, Germany then reunified - almost. It became East and West Germany, the East controlled by the Soviet Union and the West being its own independent country. The Soviet Union was very harsh to the East Germans (Go to hell, Soviet Union) and the U.S. and its allies literally had to airdrop supplies into Eastern Germany, and West Berlin. Germany finally unified again in 1990, after the Soviets finally loosened their tyrannical of the poor country.
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After over two thousand years, we have the Germany of 2019. Relations with Germany and the United States are good, and they have been much better off after their unification. This Germany is the modern territorial version of it. It is unknown if it will change in the years to come, but let's hope if it does change, it is for the good of its country, and the rest of Europe.
