1871 Proclamation of the German Empire
145 years ago, on January 18, 1871, in the Palace of Versailles near Paris, at the end of the Franco-Prussian war lost by the French, Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, in the presence of German princes, proclaimed the Prussian King Wilhelm I German Emperor. Bismarck also became the first imperial chancellor. As a result, another 25 German states joined the Prussian-led North German Confederation, the largest of which were Württemberg, Bavaria and Baden.