Wilhelm I crowned as First German Emperor (1871)
On January 18, 1871, Wilhelm I of Germany was crowned the first German Emperor in the ‘Hall of Mirrors’ at the Palace of Versailles in France, after defeating Emperor Napoleon III in the Franco-Prussian War.
Through this ceremony, the German Empire unified many smaller states under one empire. This Empire created a federal state where Wilhelm I was the head of state and president of the 22 different states and 3 former city-states, which included: Prussia (the largest state), Bavaria, Württemberg, Saxony, Baden, Mecklenburg, Hesse, and others.
The German Empire which began on this date under Wilhelm I is known as the "Second Reich," and it lasted until 1919. The "First Reich" was created when Charlemagne (Charles the Great) was crowned emperor by Pope Leo III in Rome on Christmas Day 800 AD, which lasted until 1806 when Emperor Francis II left the throne. The "Third Reich" (and last Reich) was established by the Nazis and Hitler, and lasted from 1933 to the end of WWII in 1945.