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. Prussian élan and organisation quickly crushed Austria, leaving Bismarck's state dominant in central Europe.
The war was decided in the Battle of Königgratz on July 3 and paved the way for the Prussia-led German Empire of 1871.
