Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/976

 854

GERMAN EMPIRE

IJovsr of Nassau.
 * A(lolf .... 1292-1298

House of Hahshurg or Austria. Houses of Luxemburg, Bavaria, Jbc. HeinrichVII. . . 1308-1313
 * AlbrechtI. . . . 1298-1308

LudwiglV., 'DerBaier'. 1314-1347 Fried rich of Austria, a

rival .... 1314-1330 Karl IV. ., . 1347-1378

Sigmund of Brandenburg. 1410-1437
 * Wenceslaus of Bohemia. 1378-1400
 * Ruprecht 'voa derPfalz' 1400-1410

House of Hahshi

Friedrich III. Maximilian I. ^ KarlY. . Ferdinand I.. Maximilian II. Rudolf II.
 * AlbrechtIL.

rg or Austria.

. 1438-1439

. 1440-1493

. 1493-1519

. 1519-1556

. 1556-1564

. 1564-1576

. 1576-1612

Matthias. . . 1612-1619

Ferdinand II. . . 1619-1637

Ferdinand III. . . 1637-1657

Leopold I. .. . 1657-1705

Joseph I. .. . 1705-1711

Karl VI. . . . 1711-1740

Ho2ose of Bavaria.

Karl VII. . . . 1742-1745

House of Hahshurq-Lorraine.

Franz 1 1745-1765

Joseph II. . . . 1765-1790 Leopold II. . . . 1790-1792 Franz II. . . . 1792-1806

Confederation of the Rhine 1806-1815 German 'Bund'. .1815-1866 North German Confedera- tion .... 1866-1871

House of Hohenzollern. Wilhelm I., ' Der Grosse ' 1871-1888 Friedrich III. . 1888 (March-June) Wilhelm II. . . 1888 (June)

1 Maximilian I., in 1508, took the title of Emperor Elect. From Ferdinand I. to Francis II. all the Emperors, as never crowned by the Roman Pontiff, took formally ihe title of Emperor Elect (Erwiihlter Roniischer Kaiser).

CJonatitution and Government.

The Constitution of the Empire bears date April 16, 1871. By its terms, all the States of Germany ' form an eternal union for the protection of the realm and the care of the welfare of the German people.' The supreme direction of the military and political affairs of the Empire is vested in the King of Prussia, who, in this capacity, bears the title of Deutscher Kaiser. According to Art. 11 of the Constitution, 'the Emperor represents the Empire internationally,' and can declare war if defensive, and make peace, as well as enter into treaties with other nations, and appoint and receive ambassadors. But when treaties relate to matters regulated by imperial legislation, and when war is not merely defensive, the Kaiser must have the consent of the Bundesrat, or Federal Council, in which body, together with the Reichstag, or Diet of the Realm, are vested the legislative functions of the Empire. The Emperor has no vote on laws passed by these bodies. The Bundesrat represents the individual States of Germany, and the Reichstag the German nation. The 61 members of the Bundesrat are appointed by the Governments of the individual States for each session, while the members of the Reichstag, 397 in number (abottt one for every 131,640 inhabitants), are elected by universal suffrage and ballot, for the term of five years. By a law passed in 1906, members of the Reichstag are paid 3,000 marks (150^.) for the session with deduction of 20 marks (1/.) for each day's absence ; they have free passes over German railways during session. The duration of the legislative period is five years. The various States of Germany are represented as follows in the Bundesrat and the Reichstag :—