北德意志邦联（德语：Norddeutscher Bund）于德意志邦联解散后，在1867年成立，有德国北方二十二个邦国组成。它其实只是一个过渡组织，在1871年德意志帝国成立后便被废除。但是，它帮助普鲁士控制德国北部，加强她对南德邦国的影响力，犹如关税同盟一样。邦联明显地排除了奥地利与巴伐利亚。
邦联在普奥战争后成立。普鲁士击败奥地利后，奥托·冯·俾斯麦创立北德宪法。宪法在1867年7月1日生效。普王威廉一世出任邦联主席，首相俾斯麦兼任邦联首相。所有德意志邦国在联邦议会 (Bundesrat) 都有议席，普鲁士独占十七席。北德议会 (Norddeutscher Reichstag) 就是由民选产生。
普法战争后，巴伐利亚、符腾堡与巴登 (连同黑森公国的剩余部分) 与邦联合并，组成德意志帝国。威廉一世成为德意志皇帝。
邮政
邦联其中一个功能，就是由1868年1月1日开始，处理邦国的邮政事务及发行邮票。邦联在北部省份发行新货币Groschen，配合众邦国不同的货币系统。南部省份就用Kreuzer。两种货币的币值上有不同图案，以作识别。它们都被称为Norddeutscher Postbezirk。
汉堡推出一款特别的quarter-schilling邮票，称为Stadtpostbrief Hamburg。
1872年1月1日，新发行的德意志帝国邮票取代邦联邮票。
成员邦
* 普鲁士，包括劳恩堡
* 萨克森
* 梅克伦堡-什未林
* 萨克森-威玛-艾森纳赫
* 梅克伦堡-斯特雷利茨
* 奥尔登堡
* 布伦瑞克
* 萨克森-迈宁根
* 萨克森-阿尔滕堡
* 萨克森-科堡-哥达
* 安哈尔特
* 施瓦茨堡-鲁道尔斯塔特
* 施瓦茨堡-桑德豪森
* 瓦尔德克 (Waldeck)
* 罗伊斯-格瑞茨
* 罗伊斯-施莱茨-格拉
* 绍姆堡-利泊
* 利泊
* 吕贝克
* 不来梅
* 汉堡
* 黑森公国在美因河以北的部分，亦即上黑森省 (Oberhessen)
The North German Confederation (German: Norddeutscher Bund), came into existence in August 1866 as a military alliance of 22 states of northern Germany with the Kingdom of Prussia as the leading state. In July 1867 it was transformed into a federal state. It provided the country with a constitution and was the building block of the German Empire, which adopted most parts of the federation's constitution and its flag.
Unlike the earlier German Confederation, the North German Confederation was in fact a true state. Its territory comprised the parts of the German Confederation north of the river Main, plus Prussia's eastern territories and the Duchy of Schleswig, but excluded Austria, Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden and the southern parts of the Grand Duchy of Hesse.
It cemented Prussian control over northern Germany, and emanated that same control via the Zollverein (Customs Union) and secret peace treaties (agreed with the southern states the day before the Peace of Prague) into southern Germany.
Although it ceased to exist after the creation of the German Empire in 1871, the federation was the building block for the German constitution adopted that year. This constitution granted immense powers to the new chancellor, Otto von Bismarck who was appointed by the President of the Bundesrat (Prussia). This was because the constitution made the chancellor 'responsible,' however not accountable, to the Reichstag. This therefore allowed him the benefit of being the link between the emperor and the people. The Chancellor retained powers over the military budget, after the constitutional crisis that engulfed Wilhelm I in 1862. Laws also prevented certain civil servants becoming members of the Reichstag, those who were Bismarck's main opposition in the 1860's.
The federation came into being after Prussia defeated Austria and the other remaining states of the German Confederation in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. Otto von Bismarck created the constitution, which came into force on 1 July 1867, with the King of Prussia, William I, as its President, and Bismarck as Chancellor. The states were represented in the Bundesrat (Federal Council) with 43 seats (of which Prussia held 17). Most notably, Bismarck introduced universal male suffrage into the confederation for elections to the Reichstag. The Bundesrat membership was extended before 1871 with the creation of the Zollverein Parliament in 1867, an attempt to create closer unity with the southern states by permitting representatives to be sent to the Bundersrat.
Following Prussia's victory over the Second French Empire and the subsequently formed Third Republic in the Franco-Prussian War of 1871, Bavaria, Württemberg, and Baden (together with parts of the Grand Duchy of Hesse which had not originally joined the federation), unified with the states of the Federation to form the German Empire, with William I taking the new title of German Emperor (rather than Emperor of Germany as Austria was not included).
