Austro-Prussian War

In 1866 Austria and Prussia fought the Austro-Prussian War or Seven Weeks War. Overtly fought over control of Schleswig-Holstein, the war brought to a head the rivalry between Otto von Bismarck's vision of a Prussian-dominated Kleindeutschland and the Austrian alternative of a pan-Germanic Grossdeutschland. In the war, Prussia found itself allied to the Kingdom of Italy, and many of the smaller states of northern Germany, while Austria was allied to most of the middle-sized German states - Saxony, Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden, Hanover, Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Darmstadt, Nassau, and others. Most of Austria's allies, however, provided little help - Hanover, in particular, was almost immediately overrun by the Prussians, while the Bavarian army dawdled rather than moving quickly to join the Austrians. Only the Saxons, who retreated into Bohemia, allowing the Prussians to occupy their small kingdom, proved of any help to the Austrians in the war. Prussian élan and the careful planning of Prussian Chief of the General Staff Helmuth von Moltke resulted in a quick Prussian victory, the war being decided in the Battle of Königgrätz (Sadowa) on July 3, only six weeks after the beginning of the war. At this point, the Austrians accepted mediation from France's Napoleon III. The Treaty of Prague on August 23, 1866 resulted in the dissolution of the German Confederation, Prussian annexation of Schleswig-Holstein, Hanover, Hesse-Kassel, Nassau, and Frankfurt, and the exclusion of Austria from German affairs. This left Prussia free to form the North German Confederation the next year. Although the Austrians had been more successful in their war with Italy, having defeated the Italians on land at the Second Battle of Custozza (June 24) and on sea at the Battle of Lissa (July 20), but the Austrian defeat in Central Europe forced the Austrian to make peace, ceding Venetia to the Italians by the Treaty of Vienna (October 12) \n \n\n