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Pg.4 __**//FLASHBACK!//**__ **The Wars Leading to Unification**

In 1863, during the Polish uprising in Russian Poland, Bismarck supported the Russians, while public sympathy was with the Poles. Bismarck then secured Russian goodwill for his policy of unification. In 1863-64 the Danish played into Bismarck's hands. They passed a constitution declaring, Denmark including Schleswig, a Unitarian state, thus violating the Treaty of London in 1852 which guaranteed Schleswig's autonomy. The German feeling population majority of Schleswig, together with the Holsteiners and Lauenburgians, rose in rebellion. Prussia and Austria declared war in 1864 called the German-Danish war .the Danish were quickly defeated; Denmark ceded Schleswig and Lauenburg to Prussia, Holstein to Austria. In 1866 Bismarck provoked Austria into declaring war valled the Seven Weeks War. A number of other German states - Bavaria, Nassua, Hessen-Kassel, Hannover, joined the Austrian side. The Prussians were victorious in the Battle of Sadowa and quickly a piece was concluded. Austria ceded Holstein to Prussia and withdrew from the German Confederation. It also ceded Venetia to Italy, which gained Bismarck Italy's goodwill. Austria lost nothing; Bismarck's demands had been moderate in order to facilitate good German-Austrian relations afterwards. Prussia annexed Holstein, Hannover, Nassau, Hessen-Kassel and the city of Frankfurt. French Emperor Napoleon III warned Prussia not to extend its influence south of the Main River. The states to the north of it established the North German Confederation in 1867, a confederation clearly dominated by Prussia. Napoleon III wanted to gain territory for France and eyed at Luxemburg, a concession Bismarck was willing to make. However, Germany's public opinion was strongly against it, and Bismarck gave in, placing Prussian troops into the fortress of Luxemburg in 1867, angering Napoleon III.