The Army.—Every subject of Wiirtemberg is liable to serve as soon as he has completed his twentieth year, and he has to serve six years.
The army numbers in all 19,017 men in time of war, and 8107 in time of peace ; it consists of eight regiments of infantry, four regi ments of cavalry, two battalions of artillery, two garrison companies, and a squadron of jhgers.
Constitution.—Wiirtemberg is an hereditary monarchy. According to the constitution, which was completed in 1819, Wiirtemberg is a constitutional representative kingdom, with a diet or parliament con sisting of two chambers. The crown is hereditary in the direct male line, according to the order of primogeniture ; and if the male line becomes extinct, in the female line. The constitution secures to the subject every reasonable degree of civil and religious liberty, Christians of the Lutheran, Calvinistic, and Roman Catholic faiths being placed on a footing of perfect equality. The liberty of the press, which had been shackled by a decree of the German diet in 1819, was established by a decree abolishing the censorship, March 1,1848. In the troubled period that followed the French revolution of 1848, attempts were made to alter the constitution of Wiirtemberg; national assemblies were convoked for this purpose in 1849 and 1850, but in consequence of their wild democratic tendencies they were both dissolved. Wiir temberg has the sixth place in the German diet, and has four votes in the full council. Its contingent to the army of the Confederation is 13,955, forming the first division of the 8th army corps of the Confederation.
History.—At the beginning of the 4th century the Alemanni appeared in the country, afterwards called Suable, now partly included in Wiir temberg. In A.D. 496 the Alemauni were overcome by the Franks under Clovis. This country, as a part of Austrasia, subsequently belonged to the kingdom of the Franks, and was governed by dukes, under whom Christianity was introduced. When Germany was governed by kings of its own nation, Suabia was under dukes, who were often changed ; and, according to the policy of those times, the emperor's own sons were often put in their place. When the princes
of the house of Hohenstaufen, who had become dukes of Suabia, had acquired the imperial crown, they caused Suabia to be governed by members of their family. Philip of Hohenstaufen sold and gave away a great part of the hereditary estates, and thus created a great number of petty principalities, which after the death of Conradin in 1268 asserted their independence. Ulrich, count of Wiirtemberg, who reigned from 1246 to 1265, is the acknowledged founder of the family now on the throne of WUrtemberg. From his death Wfirtemberg was governed by counts of his family till the latter end of the 15th century, when Eberhard V. was created Duke of Wiirtemberg by the emperor Maximilian at the diet at Worms, on the 21st of July, 1494.
The reformation was established in Wiirtemberg by Duke Christopher about 1540. In the Thirty Years' War, which began in 1618, the duchy of Wiirtemberg was frequently ravaged. After the first French revolution, Wiirtembcrg was repeatedly traversed by hostile armies, and a revolutionary spirit spread among the youth. The French crossed the Rhine on the 24th of June, 1796, and on the 13th of July entered Stuttgardt; and the Austriaus being obliged to retreat, the duke was compelled to purchase peace with eight millions of francs and the cession of Mompelgard. The then reigning duke Frederick Eugene died in 1797, and was succeeded by his sou Frederick William Charles.
The territories of Wiirtemberg had been greatly curtailed during the war with France, but the German diet in 1803 amply indemnified the duke for this loss, and at the same time made him elector of the empire. His adherence to Napoleon brought him a further extension of territory at the peace of Presburg. On new years' day, 1806, he assumed the title of King of Wiirtemberg, and proclaimed a uniform administration for all his dominions, and equal rights to all his Chris tian subjects. After the battle of Leipzig, Wfirtemberg joined the allies. King Frederick died in 1816, and was succeeded by the present king William I., to whom Wiirtemberg is indebted for its excellent constitution.