The unification of Germany was finally completed on 18 January 1871, after the Franco-Prussian War, when the royal families of the German states gathered at the Palace of Versailles to proclaim the German Empire and crown King Wilhelm I of Prussia as Emperor of Germany.
The unification of Germany was quite late, and although the Holy Roman Empire had been powerful and glorious before, it gradually became a loose political alliance of hundreds of small princely states in the later period.
The ruler spent most of his time in the Habsburg Dynasty of the Grand Duchy of Austria, which was also a very bullish nobleman, who almost monopolized the throne of the Holy Roman Empire for hundreds of years.
After the rise of Napoleon in France, the situation in Europe changed dramatically, the prestige of the defeated Austria in the empire was destroyed, and the Holy Roman Empire was declared destroyed.
However, the French Revolution stimulated the various states of the Holy Roman Empire, and their national consciousness gradually awakened, eager to establish a strong and unified state, especially the German-speaking state.
Among them, we have to talk about Prussia. Prussia was just a small kingdom before, and its fate was still in the hands of others. However, due to prussia's tradition of military despotism of the Teutonic Knights, the strength of the army, the high quality of education, and the efforts of several generations of Prussian kings, the Kingdom of Prussia gradually became a very powerful state in the original empire.
After B.S. Berger came to power, Prussia began a process of unification, which was the "Little Germany" that excluded Austria. At the same time, Bcmarck took the path of bloody unification by force.
Among them, three wars were very critical, the first of which was the Putin War. Prussia and Austria jointly defeated Denmark and handed Schleswig under Prussian jurisdiction.
The second war was between Prussia and Austria, a war between the two countries for leadership. After the end, Prussia will exclude Austria and its allies. Failed Austria had to set its sights on the Balkans.
The third war was the Franco-Prussian War. On the surface, the unity of Prussia had nothing to do with France, but it was much at stake. First, Germany and France have countless border disputes. Second, France prides itself on being the first on the European continent and does not allow a second powerful Germany to emerge, so it will intervene.
At that time, the French emperor was Napoleon III, who did not take Prussia in his eyes at all, and as a result, France was defeated, and the French emperor was captured by others, which was a shame.
After winning the Franco-Prussian War, Prussia established the German Empire at the Palace of Versailles in France.