Confederation of the Rhine

The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine or Rhine Confederation, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon (like his later establishments like Westphalia and Warsaw) some months after he defeated the Austrians and the Russians at the Battle of Austerlitz. Its creation brought about the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire shortly afterward. The Confederation of the Rhine lasted for only seven years, from 1806 to 1813, dissolving after Napoleon's defeat in the Battle of Leipzig. The founding members of the confederation were German princes of the Holy Roman Empire. They were later joined by 19 others, altogether ruling over a total of over 14.5 to 15 million people. This granted a significant strategic advantage to the French Empire on its eastern frontier by providing a buffer between France and the two largest German states, Prussia and Austria (which also controlled substantial non-German lands).