The Seven Weeks War 1866

The Seven Weeks War (also called the Austro-Prussian War) was a war between Prussia and its German Confederation allies (including Mecklenburg-Schwerin) and Italy on the one side and Austria and its German Confederation allies (including Baden, Bavaria, Hanover, Hesse, Elector of Hesse Saxony, and Wurttemberg) on the other. To overcome Austrian dominance of the German Confederation and to unite the German states under Prussia hegemony, Otto von Bismarck, the Prussian chancellor, ignored the objections of King Wilhelm I and provoked war with Austria. The actual pretext found by Bismarck was a dispute over the administration of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, which Austria and Prussia had won from Denmark in 1864 and had since held jointly. Diplomatic exchanges began in January 1866 and military preparations a little later, but hostilities did not actually break out until the middle of June after Prussia occupied Holstein on June 6th. A majority vote by members of the German Confederation in favor of the Austrian call for military mobilization on June 14th led to Prussia repudiating the legitimacy of the German Confederation as it existed, and war on June 15, 1866. Italy declared war on June 20th.

The Six Weeks War was fought in two related but operationally separate campaigns. By the alliance with Italy, Bismarck contrived to divert part of the Austrian forces to the south. Austrian force of arms enjoyed success in Venetia with a decisive defeat of a larger Italian army at the Battle of Custozza on June 24th; the defeat so unsettled Italian military leaders that, despite the Italian numerical superiority, they fell back and spent a month reorganizing the army. At sea, the Battle of Lissa an Austrian fleet defeated a larger Italian force on July 20th.

In the north, however, the modernized Prussian army proved superior to those of Austria and its German Confederation allies. Prussian armies advanced into Bohemia and successively defeated Austrian armies in several encounters: Trautenau, Nachod, Skalitz, Soor, and Gitschin. The decisive battle was fought at Koniggratz (also call the Battle of Sadowa) on July 3rd where a combined Austrian and Saxon army was completely defeated by the Prussians. Meanwhile, a smaller Prussian force, known as the Army of the Main (River), dealt with the armies of Hanover and other German Confederation states that had sided with Austria; Hanover managed to hand Prussia its only defeat in battle during the war (at Langensalza, June 27th to 29th) but ultimately surrendered to the overwhelming Prussian forces as did the rest of the Austrian allies.

Preliminary peace talks began shortly after Battle of Koniggratz, with Emperor Napoleon III as mediator. A five day truce began on July 22nd and preliminary peace was signed on July 26th; a truce extension and a formal armistice followed on August 2nd. The Treaty of Prague was signed on August 23, 1866, formally ending the Seven Weeks War. By the terms of the treaty, Austria was excluded from German affairs, Prussia annexed Schleswig-Holstein, Hanover, Hesse, Nassau, and Frankfurt, and the German Confederation was replaced by the Prussian dominated North German Confederation (to include all the German states north of the Main River); the option of forming a southern German confederation, possibly under Austrian domination, was not ruled out by the treaty. Despite military victories over Italy, Austria was pressured by France and Prussia to cede Venetia to Italy (Treaty of Vienna). Forced out of Italy and northern German, Austria then reorganized its remaining territories as the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1868.

References

Clodfelter, 305-8; COW55; EB - Seven Weeks War; Kohn, 439.

Category

Inter-State War

Region

Western Europe

Belligerents

Prussia, Italy, Austria, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Baden, Bavaria, Hanover, Hesse, Hesse Elector, Saxony, Wurttemberg

Dispute

Territory

Initiation Date

June 15, 1866

Termination Date

July 26, 1866

Duration

42 days

Outcome

Imposed Settlement
(Prussian victory)

Fatalities

Total: 44,100
Italy: 4,000
Hesse: 100
Wurttemberg: 100
Bavaria: 500
Austria: 28,000
Prussia: 10,000
Mecklenburg-Schwerin: 100
Hesse Elector: 100
Saxony: 600
Baden: 100
Hanover: 500

Magnitude

4.6