Seven Weeks’ War, also called the Austro-Prussian War, took place from June to August of 1866. Austria and many of the German states fought against Prussia and Italy. Otto von Bismarck, prime minister of Prussia, used the Seven Weeks’ War as part of his campaign to force Austria out of the German Confederation. He also used the war to make Prussia the dominant power in German affairs.
Before starting the war, Bismarck secured Italy’s military assistance. He promised to give Italy Venetia, which was then held by Austria, if Prussia won the war. Bismarck also helped persuade France and Russia to remain neutral. He then provoked the war by sending Prussian troops into Holstein, a former Danish duchy held by Austria. In response, Austria, joined by the German states of Hesse, Saxony, and Hanover, declared war on Prussia on June 14, 1866.
The Prussian army was outnumbered, but it had a brilliant leader in General Helmuth von Moltke. His skillful use of railroads and such new inventions as the fast-firing “needle gun” and the telegraph enabled the Prussians to win a series of quick victories. The greatest of these victories was the crushing defeat of the Austrians at the Battle of Koniggratz (also called Sadowa) on July 3. The Austrians won only a few battles against the Italians, and they were forced to accept Prussia’s offer of peace.
The peace treaty, which was signed in Prague on August 23, achieved Bismarck’s main goal: It excluded Austria from German affairs, leaving Prussia as the leading German power. In addition, Austria had to give Venetia to the new Kingdom of Italy and was also required to pay a small amount of money to Prussia.
The treaty also dissolved the old German Confederation. Prussia annexed Schleswig-Holstein, the German state of Hesse-Kassel, the Kingdom of Hanover, the Duchy of Nassau, and the free city of Frankfurt (am Main). Prussia then organized its own North German Confederation, which it dominated.
