Second Schleswig War

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Second Schleswig War
Part of the unification of Germany
Top: Battle of Dybbøl, 7–18 April Bottom: Battle of Als, 30 June
Date 1 February – 30 October 1864 (8 months and 29 days) Location Schleswig and Jutland Pre-war actions in Holstein and Lauenburg Result Austro-Prussian Victory Territorial changes Denmark loses Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg to Prussia and Austria
Belligerents
Kingdom of Prussia  Austrian Empire	Kingdom of Denmark
Commanders and leaders
Otto von Bismarck Friedrich Graf von Wrangel	Christian IX Christian Julius de Meza
Strength
At the outbreak of war: 61,000 soldiers 158 guns Later reinforcements: 20,000 soldiers 64 guns[1]	38,000 100+ guns[1]
Casualties and losses
Dead: 1,275[2] Wounded: 2,393[2] Missing: 165[2] Total: 3,833	Dead: 2,933[2] Wounded: 3,159[2] Captured: 7,000 Total: 13,093

The Second Schleswig War (Danish: Den anden slesvigske krig; German: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 February 1864, when Prussian and Austrian forces crossed the border into the Danish fief Schleswig.^[a] Denmark fought troops of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austrian Empire representing the German Confederation.

Like the First Schleswig War (1848–1852), it was fought for control of the duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg. Succession disputes concerning the duchies arose when the Danish king died without an heir acceptable to the German Confederation. The war started after the passing of the November Constitution of 1863, which tied the Duchy of Schleswig more closely to the Danish kingdom, which was viewed by the German side as a violation of the London Protocol.

The war ended on 30 October 1864, with the Treaty of Vienna and Denmark's cession of the Duchies of Schleswig (except for the island of Ærø, which remained Danish), Holstein and Saxe-Lauenburg to Prussia and Austria.

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