Editing Austro-Prussian War (section)

==Outbreak of war==
The war erupted as a result of the dispute between Prussia and Austria over the administration of [[Schleswig-Holstein]], which the two of them had conquered from Denmark and agreed to jointly occupy at the end of the [[Second Schleswig War]] in 1864. The crisis started on 26 January 1866, when Prussia protested the decision of the Austrian Governor of Holstein to permit the estates of the duchies to call up a united assembly, declaring the Austrian decision a breach of the principle of joint sovereignty. Austria replied on 7 February, asserting that its decision did not infringe on Prussia's rights in the duchies.{{sfn|Prussian General Staff|1872|p=4}} In March 1866, Austria reinforced its troops along its frontier with Prussia.{{sfn|Prussian General Staff|1872|p=4}} The Kingdom responded with a partial mobilization of five divisions on 28 March.{{sfn|Prussian General Staff|1872|p=5}}

The Prussian Minister President [[Otto von Bismarck]] made [[Italo-Prussian Alliance|an alliance with Italy]] on 8 April, committing it to the war if Prussia entered one against Austria within three months, which was an obvious incentive for him to go to war with Austria within three months so that Italy would divert Austrian strength away from Prussia. Vienna responded with a mobilization of the Southern Army on the Italian border on 21 April. Italy called for a general mobilization on 26 April and Austria ordered its own one the next day.{{sfn|Prussian General Staff|1872|p=7}} Prussia's general mobilization orders were signed in steps on 3, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 12 May.{{sfn|Prussian General Staff|1872|p=12}}

When Austria brought the Schleswig-Holstein dispute before the [[Federal Convention (German Confederation)|German Diet]] on 1 June and also decided on 5 June to convene the Diet of Holstein on 11 June, Prussia declared that the [[Gastein Convention]] of 14 August 1865 had thereby been nullified and invaded Holstein on 9 June. When the German Diet circumvened the creation of a national parliament proposed by the Kingdom and responded by voting for a partial mobilization against Prussia on 14 June, Bismarck claimed that the German Confederation had ended. The Prussian Army invaded Hanover, Saxony and the Electorate of Hesse on 15 June. Italy declared war on Austria on 20 June.