I just read that after defeating Prussia in 1806, most of the German states were organized into the Rheinbund, but for some reason, Erfurt, as the Principality of Erfurt, was annexed directly to France, as a "principality directly subordinated to the Emperor."
It seemed a bit random to me, and I was wondering, what was the reasoning behind this? According to a map I found, apparently, Erfurt was directly ruled by Prussia beforehand, but then, why not just fob it off onto one of Napoleon's relatives or give it to a neighboring prince?
It seemed a bit random to me, and I was wondering, what was the reasoning behind this? According to a map I found, apparently, Erfurt was directly ruled by Prussia beforehand, but then, why not just fob it off onto one of Napoleon's relatives or give it to a neighboring prince?