'CONFEDERATION OF THE RHINE. During the war of 1805, so disastrous for Aus tria, several German princes, too weak to remain neutral, were forced to ally themselves with France. The first to do so were the electors of Bavaria and Wurtemberg, who, in recompense of their services, were elevated to the dignity of kings by the peace of Pres burg, 26th Dec., 1805. Some months after (28th May, 1806), the arch chancellor of the empire announced at the diet that he had chosen as his coadjutor and successor cardinal Fesch, the uncle of Napoleon, a thing entirely contrary to the constitution of the Ger manic empire. Finally, at Paris, on the 12th July, 1806, 16 German princes formally signed an act of confederation, their connection with the Germanic empire, and allying themselves with France. These 16 princes were—the kings of Bavaria and WUrtemberg, the arch chancellor, the elector of Baden, the new duke of Cleves and Berg (Joachim Murat), the landgraf of Hesse-Darmstadt. the princes of Nassau-Usingen, Nassau–Weillmrg, Holienzollern–Hechingen, Hohenzollern–Sigmaringen, Salm–Salm, Salm-Kyrburg, the duke of Arenberg. the princes of Isenburg-Birstcin and Lichtenstein, and the count of Leyen. These individuals justified (or were forced to justify) their conduct by enumerating the vices of the constitution of the Germanic empire, and invited the remaining princes of Germany to imitate their example. At the same time,
Bacher, the French ambassador, declared that his master no longer recognized the Ger manic empire; while the territories and titles of the confederate princes (who were now under the protectorate of Napoleon) underwent considerable changes. In addition to these changes, a number of other princes and nobles of the empire were made dependent (see MEDIATIzATION) on the confederation. During the years 1806-8, several other petty German sovereigns, alarmed at the triumphs of Napoleon, hastened to enroll themselves members of this unpatriotic league; and at the close of 1808, it embraced a territory of 122,236 sq.m., contained a population of 14,608,877 souls, and kept up an army of 110,180 men. The utter ruin which overtook the French army in the Russian campaign acted like a solvent on the confederation, and the year 1813 saw it vanish like mist in the sudden outburst of German patriotism, when a whole people leaped up as one man, and delivered themselves from a cruel and insulting bondage.