| Kingdom Of Westphalia |
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The Kingdom of Westphalia was a historical state that existed from 1807 - 1813 in parts of present-day Germany . While formally independent, it was a Vassal state of France , ruled by Napoleon 's brother Jérôme Bonaparte . It was named after Westphalia , but had little territory in common with that area. The Kingdom of Westphalia was created in 1807 by merging territories ceded by Prussia in the Peace Of Tilsit , among them the former Electorate of Hanover , with the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg and the Electorate of Hesse . It included the city of Magdeburg . Its capital was Cassel , and the King kept court at the palace of Wilhelmshöhe, re-named Napoleonshöhe. The state was a member of the Confederation Of The Rhine . Intended as a Napoleonic "model state", a constitution was written and a number of social reforms were implemented in the kingdom, including the abolition of Servitude , the right of Free Enterprise , and the Napoleonic Code . A Metric System of weights and measures was introduced. The right to free expression was curtailed and Censorship instituted. A significant burden on the kingdom was the requirement to supply troops and financial support for the Napoleonic Wars . Large numbers of Westphalian troops perished in the Russian Campaign Of 1812 ; the Westphalian Guards heroically but unsuccessfully charged the Raevski Redoubt during the Battle Of Borodino . After France lost the Battle Of Leipzig in 1813 , the kingdom was dissolved and its predecessor states were reestablished. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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