Angela Merkel was Germany's first-ever female chancellor, and she remained so for over 13 years. Not only will she be a major chapter in Germany's history books, but she rose to become one of the world's most influential leaders of the last decade.
The governing CSU lost its absolute majority in Bavaria where the Greens came out the big winner. Support for Merkel's federal junior coalition partner SPD was halved, with the vote being seen as a vote against Merkel's grand coalition.