And this, about 300 years later, is where "Deutschland Deutschland über alles" came from - to end this mess of exclaves within enclaves within exclaves within enclaves and to put a united "Germany over all of it".
"[..]The first line, "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, über alles in der Welt" (usually translated into English as "Germany, Germany above all, above all in the world"), was an appeal to the various German monarchs to give the creation of a united Germany a higher priority than the independence of their small states.[..]"
Explanation from Wikipedia regarding the first line of the first (usually not sung) stanza of the german national anthem. The Anthem was written during the Vormärz (Premarch) 1830-1848 and is directed towards a unified and free Germany.
The Imperial Circles were subdivisions of the Holy Roman Empire from 1500 to 1806. Within the Circles the immediat territories (e.g. Free Cities, Duchies, Counties, Prince-Bishoprics etc.) would organise their representation in the Reichstag (Parliament), control the coins, the tolls, their contingent for the Imperial Army and other things.
The Imperial Circles were an attempt by the Emperors to centralize and standardize the use of executive force within the Holy Roman Empire.
I saw this and thought I was done for, but then I noticed the names and it looks like hundreds of hours of Europa Universalis IV in my youth finally paid off
- According to english Wikipedia
Explanation from Wikipedia regarding the first line of the first (usually not sung) stanza of the german national anthem. The Anthem was written during the Vormärz (Premarch) 1830-1848 and is directed towards a unified and free Germany.
The Imperial Circles were an attempt by the Emperors to centralize and standardize the use of executive force within the Holy Roman Empire.