In the late 19th century, the German Imperial Navy () experimented with a variety of cruiser types, including small avisos and larger protected cruisers. Due to budget constraints, the navy was unable to build cruisers designed solely for fleet service or for overseas duties. As a result, the naval construction department attempted to design vessels that could fulfill both roles. The protected cruisers, the first of which were the two vessels, were laid down starting in 1886. The protected cruisers evolved into more powerful vessels, culminating in , Germany's first armored cruiser. was laid down in 1896, a decade after the first German protected cruiser.
proved to be "ideally suited" to overseas duties and formed the basis for subsequent armored cruiser designs. followed in 1898 and incorporated several alterations, including a reduced primary armament, a thinner but more comprehensive armor system, and a higher top speed. The two vessels, laid down in 1900 and 1901, were designed with incremental improvements over . and , two sister ships laid down in 1902 and 1903, respectively, were similar to the two -class cruisers and incorporated only minor improvements. The two armored cruisers, laid down in 1904 and 1905, were marked improvements over the previous designs; they carried a much heavier armament and were more than faster than the earlier vessels. The last German armored cruiser, , bridged the development of larger, more powerful battlecruisers. The ship was significantly larger, better armed, and faster than the class, though she remained inferior to the new s then being built by the British Royal Navy.
German armored cruisers followed the pattern set by the corresponding battleships; as compared to foreign equivalents, German warships mounted smaller main battery guns, but a heavier secondary battery. This armament has been compared unfavorably against their British and other counterparts. Naval historian David Lyon remarked that the armored cruisers built by Germany were the "worst designed and least battle-worthy ships" in the navy. Conversely, the German battlecruisers, into which the armored cruiser evolved, were very highly regarded; naval historian John Campbell stated that was "a considerably better fighting ship than any of the 6 British 12 in gun battlecruisers."
SMS Fürst Bismarck
was the first armored cruiser constructed for the Imperial Navy. The ship was the only member of its class, and was designed primarily to serve in Germany's colonial fleet. The design for was an improvement over the previous protected cruiser— was significantly larger and better armed than her predecessors. She was equipped with four guns mounted in twin gun turrets fore and aft, and with twelve casemated guns as secondary armament. was fitted with Krupp armor; the ship's main armor belt was up to thick over the vessel's machinery spaces, and the deck was armored to a thickness of .
Assigned to the East Asia Squadron, assisted in suppressing the Boxer Uprising before being replaced in 1909 by . Modernized upon arriving in Germany, she acted in a coast-defense role early in World War I, but was soon relegated to service as a stationary training ship. Following the war, was scrapped in 1919–1920.
SMS Prinz Heinrich
SMS was built at the Imperial Dockyard in Kiel. She was laid down in 1898 and completed in March 1902 at a cost of 16,588,000 Marks. s design was a modification of , and traded a smaller main battery for higher speed and more comprehensive armor protection. The ship set a precedent for subsequent German armored cruisers by concentrating her secondary armament amidships, as opposed to , which spread the secondary armament along the length of the ship.
served with the German fleet for the majority of her career. After the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the ship participated in an operation against the British coast in December 1914, after which she was transferred to the Baltic Sea. Here, she operated against the Russian navy and was involved in the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in August 1915, where she damaged a Russian destroyer. In 1916, the ship was withdrawn from active duty and was used in several secondary roles in Kiel, including acting as a floating office for naval staff. was ultimately sold in 1920 and broken up for scrap later that year.