Austro-Prussian War

The **Austro-Prussian War** (also known by many other names like the **Seven Weeks' War**, **German Civil War**, **Brothers War** or **Fraternal War**, known in Germany as  ("German War"),  (; "German war of brothers")) was a war fought in 1866 between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Each side was helped by many allies in the German Confederation. Prussia was also allied with the Kingdom of Italy, which connected the conflict to the Third War of Independence of Italian unification.

The Austro-Prussian War was part of the rivalry between Austria and Prussia and with Prussian control over the German states.

The most important result was a change in power over the German states from Austrian to Prussian hegemony. The German Confederation was ended and replaced by the North German Confederation. Italy also took the Austrian province of Venetia after the war.

The war started when Prussian troops invaded Schleswig-Holstein. The region had been disputed between Prussia and Austria ever since both had taken it from Denmark. Prussia then invaded the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Saxony, and the Electorate of Hesse on 15 June. Italy declared war on Austria on 20 June.

## Infobox (military conflict)

- **image**:
- **caption**: _Battle of Königgrätz_, by Georg Bleibtreu. Oil on canvas, 1869
- **partof**: the wars of Unification of Germany, German unification and the Austria–Prussia rivalry
- **conflict**: Austro-Prussian War
- **date**: 14 June – 22 July 1866
()
- **place**: Bohemia, present-day Germany, Italy, and Adriatic Sea
- **result**: Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian-led German states and Kingdom of Italy, Italian victory
* Peace of Prague (1866), Dissolution of the German Confederation
* North German Confederation Treaty, Formation of the North German Confederation
* German question, Exclusion of Austria and Liechtenstein from unified Germany
* Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, Formation of Austria-Hungary
- **territory**: * Prussia annexes Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Duchy of Holstein, Holstein, Duchy of Schleswig, Schleswig, Electorate of Hesse, Hesse-Kassel, Duchy of Nassau, Nassau, Free City of Frankfurt, Frankfurt and fringe possessions of Kingdom of Bavaria, Bavaria and Grand Duchy of Hesse, Hesse-Darmstadt
* Italy completely annexes Veneto, Venetia and part of Friuli
- **combatant1**: Prussian-led German states
*  Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia
**  Saxe-Lauenburg
*  Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Schwerin
*  Duchy of Brunswick, Brunswick
*  Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Saxe-Coburg & Gotha
*  Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Altenburg
*  Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Mecklenburg-Strelitz
*  Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, Oldenburg
*  Duchy of Anhalt, Anhalt
*  Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Schwarzburg
*  Waldeck (state), Waldeck
*  Principality of Lippe, Lippe
*  Free City of Lübeck, Lübeck
*  Bremen (state), Bremen
*  Hamburg
 Kingdom of Italy, Italy
- **combatant2**:  Austrian-led German Confederation States of the German Confederation, states
*
*
*
*
*
*  Electorate of Hesse, Hesse-Kassel
*
*  Grand Duchy of Hesse, Hesse-Darmstadt
*  Duchy of Nassau, Nassau
*  Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Meiningen
*  Principality of Reuss-Greiz, Reuss-Greiz
*  Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe, Schaumburg-Lippe
*  Free City of Frankfurt, Frankfurt
*  Liechtenstein
- **commander1**: *  William I, German Emperor, Wilhelm I
*  Otto von Bismarck
*  Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Helmuth von Moltke
*  Albrecht von Roon
*  Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II
*  Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora, Alfonso La Marmora
*  Giuseppe Garibaldi
- **commander2**: *  Franz Joseph I of Austria, Franz Joseph I
*  Archduke Albrecht, Duke of Teschen, Albrecht von Teschen
*  Ludwig von Benedek
*
*  Ludwig II of Bavaria, Ludwig II
*  Prince Karl Theodor of Bavaria, Prince Karl Theodor
*  Albert of Saxony, Crown Prince Albert
- **strength1**: 637,262
* 437,262
* 200,000
- **strength2**: 522,203
* 407,223
* 38,000
* 26,500
* 20,000
* 18,400
* 7,000
* 5,000
* 80