ABSTRACT
Before 1871, it was often far from clear what the term 'Germany' meant. There existed a loose German Confederation, which was very roughly coterminous with the area in which German was the normal language. Like Italy, 'Germany' was divided into a considerable number of separate states. The Austrian Emperor, the King of Prussia and the King of Denmark all had some territories within the Confederation and others outside it. Three other states — Hanover, Bavaria and Saxony — were sufficiently large and important to merit the rank of kingdoms, and there were numerous smaller states.
