How Exactly was the Confederation of the Rhine formed

Hello, so I've been musing and ATL involving the Napoleonic wars and as part of the research for it I've been trying to find out how exactly the COR formed and how it induced Francis II to abdicate his throne as HRE.

I looked up a translation (google translate so bear with me), and from my understanding of the treaty Francis was still recognised as HRE/German Emperor but had to reliquish suzerainty over the bavarian, franconian and swabian circles and recognise Bavaria and Wuttermberg as kingdoms though they were still technically part of the empire.

Imperial_Circle


This certainly weakens Francis's Imperial Authority but it doesn't mention anything with regards to the remaining circles. Granted at this point Prussia and Austria were virtually equals in all but name and Hanover under French occupation, This would still leave the few minor states in the other circles nominally within the suzerainty of Francis as HRE. So how was it possible for the minor states in those circles to accede into the COR in July of 1806? They had to right to conduct their own foreign affairs (Fer III messed up) but I don't think that applied to leaving the HRE. Was it simply Francis couldn't do anything about it accepted the formation of the confederation and then resigned his post as HRE as it was utterly meaningless after the formation of the COR?

Thanks, sorry if the question is a bit longwinded.

Also I've read that it was because he knew another habsburg wouldn't win the next Imperial election in event of his death, how much truth is there to that?
 

Attachments

  • File:Map_of_the_Imperial_Circles_(1560)-EN.svg
    106.2 KB · Views: 350
My understanding is that Francis abdicated and dissolved the HRE against Napoleon's wishes: Francis believed that the concessions he was forced to make to Napoleon in the Treaty of Pressburg made his position as HREmperor non-viable and would serve as a stepping stone to Napoleon taking over the HRE the next time he took a bite from the apple. By dissolving the HRE, he was giving up a position that had become a liability to him rather than an asset, and he was burning a bridge in front of Napoleon.
 
Top