Nutcracker - German King - 35 cm / 14 inch

German Christmas Nutcracker - German King - Product Information

Kings existed already back in the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans, and our forefathers too, the early Germanic tribes, had their kings, who were elected for life by general acclamation and according to the ancestral code of their respective tribal council, During the time of the barbarian invasions, there emerged rulers, especially among the Franks, the Merowingians and the Carolingians, who had inherited this rank. But they were nevertheless bound by their ancestral code of law, yet they of course demanded the power to make laws and to enforce justice. The kingdom of the Franks and the Germans emerged from this ancestral Franconian tribal empire. The German King (Rex Germanorum) however, in contrast to the other monarchies, was always an elected king as far back as the Middle Ages. He had the right to make recommendations with regard to his successor, but as a matter of principle, the German king was elected by the secular and clerical princes, who later became known as the electors. The place where the king was elected was always Frankfurt-on-the-Main, and the place where he was crowned was Aachen. The king held court at various places. His powers of authority were never concretely outlined. The German king did not have unlimited power and was bound by the hereditary code of law. This hereditary or traditional code, the statutes, still exist today in every little assembly and in every club & organization in our country.While an inherited monarchy already existed in France as far back as the Middle Ages, Germany remained an elected monarchy until 1806, although the power of kingship in Germany had become increasingly more restricted with the end of the 30-Years War in 1648. Napoleon was the first to enforce major changes in 1806 and designated the new kingdoms of Bavaria, Württemberg and Saxony. Up until that time, Europe consisted only of the kingdoms of England, France, Germany, Spain, Denmark and Sweden as well as the papal designated kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary. Poland and Prussia then also took on the crowns of kingdom, and at the Congress of Vienna of 1815, the kingdoms of the Netherlands, Belgium and Greece were also determined. You really have to be old enough to be able to remember a German king. Here in our region of Saxony, it was King Friedrich August. He was certainly an original character, who after abdicating, told off the rebellious rabble during the Revolution of 1918 in the following original manner: "Now you can make a filthy mess of things all by yourselves." He was a sovereign ruler indeed as is our handsome king here, who yearns to be taken home so that he can be the sovereign of your collection.

This Nutcracker is made by the legendary Steinbach company. For generations Steinbach has brought joy and pleasure to collectors from around the world. The Steinbach Nutcrackers are undoubtedly the most famous ones in the world. Steinbach means highest level of quality and brilliancy in design. Some of the limited editions by Steinbach have increased considerably in value through the years. This Nutcrackers belongs to the BIG series. Please consider that Steinbach products are very popular collectible items that are not stored in warehouses in mass quantities. With limited editions it could be possible that the produced number of pieces has reached the limit before we are notified and we are not able to deliver. In this case you will be informed as soon as possible. The size stated is the approximate size of the item. Minor differences are possible.

Please note that Steinbach items might slightly change in design from time to time. The item you receive will not always be 100% the same as shown on the picture.

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