Successful research in German records requires at least a basic knowledge of important historical events and their impact on the culture, geography and record keeping. This study focuses on events that affected the broad spectrum of German life. A study of the history of your ancestor's specific town and nobility area is recommended. Search for specific place articles within this site and also articles can be located at en.wikipedia.org TIMELINE:German history can be divided into the following time periods:• The First Reich 843-1806• The Second Reich 1871-1918• The Weimar Republic 1919-1933• The Third Reich 1933-1945 • Post World War II and the Reunification of Germany 1945-1990-Present Medieval Germany: Germany was a conglomerate of nobility areas including kingdoms, provinces, duchies and principalities. In 1789 there were over 1,700 independent German States. Germany did not exist as a “nation” until 1871. Social standing defined one’s rights and obligations in pre-1900 German society. The belief system was the Nobles were to protect, the Clergy were to pray and the Peasants were to work. Your station was believed to be determined by God and therefore unchangeable - upward mobility was almost impossible. Farmers were tenants rather than land owners and feudalism empowered those who owned the land. The largest land owners were the nobility and the clergy. As landowners, the Manor Lord was responsible for protecting his serfs. In return for cultivating the land, the serfs were obligated to provide to the Manor Lord: labor, produce, military service and taxes. As serfs, they could not marry, change occupations, or move without the permission of their Lords. Feudalism existed in some parts of Germany up until WW I. The Protestant Reformation: 1517-1648: The Council of Trent and Counter Reformation: 1545-1563: The Peace of Augsburg: 1555: The Thirty Years’ War and Peace of Westphalia: 1618-1648: 1799-1815: Napoleonic Wars: Emigration Prior to 1800: Emigration after 1800 and the Industrial Revolution: World War I & Treaty of Versailles: 1914-1918: Weimar Republic: 1919-1933: The Third Reich/World War II/The Holocaust 1933-1945: Post WWII and Reunification of Germany 1945-1990-Present: Further Reading: http://en.wikipedia.org – varied and multiple articles relating to German history |