This Day In History: King Rudolf I of Germany died on this year in 1291. The history of Germany, or rather the Germans is an interesting one. If you look at a map of Europe in 1850 you may not find a Germany on it, making America an older country than Germany. However Germans have been around in one form or another since the the Roman Empire. Germany became a modern, unified nation under the leadership of the “Iron Chancellor” Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), and this unification was officially proclaimed on 18 January 1871. This is known as the Second Reich, the First Reich being the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, 800-1806, commencing with crowning of Charlemagne (Charles the Great) on Christmas day in 800. The best translation of the word "Reich" might be "realm" or "empire."
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