FROM GERMANY TO FRANCE

The information herein was taken from Wikipedia articles on Germany and France, and the Holy Roman Empire.. It is not word for word, but more or less my understanding of the history I am reading about our origins. If you see any discrepencies, please let me know and I will change it. Through out the ages continental Europe has changed so many times it is difficult to keep track of who was in power and where boundaries were at different times. Many continental countries, including Germany and France were at one time under the rule of the Roman church and therefore were called The Holy Roman Empire. Also, wars between this Empire and between other countries brought changes in their leadership. The first Holy Roman Emperor was Otto 1st, in 962 A.D. It was finally dissolved at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1806. Part was also due to the fact Martin Luther initiated the Protestant Reformation in 1512, swaying the opinion and beliefs of the people. Also, the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 ended the Thirty Year Wars by giving sovereignity to the territories. In 1815 the German confederation was established and lasted until 1866 when Prussia founded the North German Confederation. In 1871 it became a part of the German Empire after the Franco Prussian War, and at that time Alsace-Lorraine, France on the border of Germany was re annexed to the authority of the Kaiser in Germany.