A loose association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states (including Austria and Prussia) created by the 1815 Congress of Vienna to replace the dissolved Holy Roman Empire. Its only real organ was the Bundesversammlung (Federal Convention/Diet) at Frankfurt; it had no common army, currency, or citizenship, and member states retained full sovereignty.
Dissolved 24 August 1866 following the Austro-Prussian War, which excluded Austria from the German national project; succeeded in the north by the Prussian-led North German Confederation while southern states remained briefly independent before 1871 unification.
Standard survey covering the Confederation era across its member states.