History of Germany

The history of Germany traces the peoples, states, and political transformations of the German lands, from early Germanic societies to the present Federal Republic.

Germanic peoples: A diverse group of peoples who spoke Germanic languages and shaped parts of Europe from antiquity onward. Their migrations and societies formed part of the early history later associated with German lands.
Investiture Controversy: A conflict in medieval Europe over whether secular rulers or the papacy could appoint bishops and abbots. It exposed the struggle between imperial authority and church power within the German kingdom.
German Empire: The federal nation-state established in 1871 under the Prussian king and dissolved in 1918. Its monarchy and federal structure contrast with the republic that replaced it after the First World War.
Treaty of Versailles: The 1919 peace treaty that formally ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied powers after the First World War. Its terms became a lasting source of political conflict in the Weimar Republic.
Roman Germania: The Roman-era frontier region east of the Rhine, whose extent and control varied across time. Roman expansion and frontier rule shaped the earliest recorded history of lands later within Germany.
Hanseatic League: A commercial and defensive alliance of merchant communities and towns around the Baltic and North Seas. Its networks strengthened urban power in northern German lands beyond the control of territorial rulers.
Weimar Republic: Germany’s parliamentary republic from 1918 to 1933, founded after the First World War. Its democratic constitution and political instability preceded the Nazi dictatorship.
World War II: A global war fought from 1939 to 1945, involving the Axis powers and the Allies. Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland began the war in Europe.
Frankish Empire: A large western European realm ruled by Frankish dynasties, especially the Merovingians and Carolingians. Its eastern territories became a major foundation for the medieval German kingdom.
Peace of Augsburg: A 1555 settlement that allowed rulers in the Holy Roman Empire to choose between Catholicism and Lutheranism for their territories. It institutionalized religious division within the empire.

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History of BelgiumCompared with: Belgium's neutrality and borders were repeatedly affected by German expansion and invasion.