|
History of German
colonization map
by James Mayfield (Chairman, European Heritage Library)
 Print
this Article • About
the Author • Bibliography/Sources
Below is an map the EHL has
published charting the historic power and influence of the
German nation and ethnicity in the last 500 years and before.
It includes colonial and national expansion both, along with
convenient historical information next to each region, an
EHL exclusive. It does not show the power extent of the Germany
at a specific time, but rather all throughout its history.
If you have any questions, feel free to notify us.
Remember that this map excludes
war conquests like during the World Wars of France,
Denmark, Norway, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Ukraine, Greece,
Slovenia, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
This is a map of the colonial history of the German empire
instead.
Mapping Information &
Extra Notes:
Nations or regions fully
ruled by the German Empire are shown in red,
whereas regions only partially ruled or simply settled/occupied
are shown in blue. For example,
modern-day Kenya was never ruled coherently by Germany nor
the German ethnicity (settlers), but was increasingly occupied
and settled, and is therefore in blue. This map does NOT include
simple trading posts and settlements, as there are far too
many to even chart in a map for our European colonial/imperial
map series.
Other than partial attempts
at colonization/settlement in Venezuela by German bankers
in the 17th century, the vast majority of German world colonization
took place under the dictatorial administration of the German
prince Otto von Bismarck, the founder of the "Second
Reich" (zweites Reich), the first being that of the German
Karl the Great (Charlemagne). The endeavor was part of Bismarck's
"Weltpolitik" or the need to declare Germany's "place
in the sun", and not recede behind the world mastery
of the British and French. For the Germans, colonies were
much more so administered for economic, trade, and political
purposes; very little ethnic German settlement actually occurred
in the colonies, unlike the tradition of the other colonial
world powers. Interestingly, few people know of Germany's
colonial empire, even though Germany actually inherited more
formal colonies than Portugal, which is famous for its colonial
presence. After World War I, all of Germany's colonies were
forcibly stripped, and were divided amongst Allied nations
like Japan, USA, and the United Kingdom. Therefore, this map
shows the recipient power of each colony after and during
World War I.
The historical maximum extent
of the unified German nation is shown to depict the full influence
and world power of the German nation and heritage just as
is done with the other nations' maps in our colonization map
series. The extent of Germany does not include that land extent
annexed during wartime, but rather full, cultural and ethnic
control of each territory. Therefore, Germany's rule of France
in the German Frankish period (8th-9th centuries) is omitted,
and the period between the time of German emperor Otto the
Great (11th century) and the 14-Years' War in Prussia in the
15th century is shown instead. This includes the Bohemian/Moravian
vassal, the Holy "Roman" (German) Empire, the Low
Countries, the Teutonic Order's rule of the Baltic, German
Austria, German Switzerland, and the rule of southern Denmark
(Schleswig-Holstein).
Click the below map
for the full-size version! Click on the map to zoom.
If an error has been made,
please notify the EHL Staff.
________________________________________
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
James Mayfield is the owner
and Chairman of the European Heritage Library. I am working
for a doctorate in history, with a specific emphasis on Islamic
and European histories. I am well versed in all world cultures,
ethnicities, religions, languages, politics, and historical
evolution in relation to and against each other.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES
USED:
The image used as the basis
for the map is widely redistributed and is not protected.
|
