The Frankfurt Parliament was a representative body for all German states, born in the wake of a number of revolutions in the mid-19th Century.

Rulers of what is now Germany had been part of the Holy Roman Empire for centuries, with the title of those leaders varying between King of Germany and King of the Romans (both being effectively the same thing). The last ruler of the Holy Roman Empire was Francis II, who abdicated after the defeat of imperial forces to France at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1806.

French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte replaced the Empire with the Confederation of the Rhine, which comprised 35 former German states and was in existence for seven years. Significantly, not joining the Confederation were Austria and Prussia, both of whom fought on against France.

After the Allied victory at Leipzig in 1813, many of those former German states joined the Sixth Coalition, declaring war on France. The Allies dissolved the Confederation of the Rhine on Nov. 4, 1813.

The Congress of Vienna in 1815 created the German Confederation, a new grouping of 40 states that included the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia, both of which were large and powerful.

The German Confederation loosely governed its member states for four decades. In the wake of the Revolutions of 1848, which brought about great change in Austria and France, many of these German states were the locations for uprisings and demands for more representative government. Out of this came the National Assembly, also known as the Frankfurt Parliament, which first sat on May 18, 1848. This expanded to include a Provisional Central Power, consisting of a number of ministers and a prime minister. The stage was set for a constitutional monarchy.

The other primary task of the Frankfurt Parliament was the drafting of a governmental blueprint along the lines of a representative constitution. Work continued on this set of rules and procedures into the following year, with the Assembly narrowly approving the Constitution on March 27, 1849. Heading the new government was an emperor, whose successor would be his own offspring or other family member.

Prussia was by far the most powerful of the German states. Many in the National Assembly expected the Prussian King, Frederick William IV, to fill the role of emperor. However, the king declined, stating that he didn't want his authority to depend on the permission of a representative body. With Prussia providing powerful opposition, the new constitution had little chance of continuing. Some in the Assembly sought support for yet another draft constitution, but their efforts were for naught. The Frankfurt Parliament disbanded on May 31, 1849. The German Confederation remained, with the Confederate Diet again running things by 1851.