The Punctation of Olmütz (german: Olmützer Punktation), also called the Agreement of Olmütz, was a treaty between

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

and

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, dated 29 November 1850, by which Prussia abandoned the

Erfurt Union The Erfurt Union (german: Erfurter Union) was a short-lived union of List of German Confederation member states, German states under a federation, proposed by the Kingdom of Prussia at Erfurt, for which the Erfurt Union Parliament (''Erfurter Un ...

and accepted the revival of the

German Confederation The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...

under Austrian leadership.Taylor, p. 101 (Chapter 5). The treaty concluded the Autumn Crisis of 1850 in Germany. The treaty was the result of a conference held in Olmütz in the Austrian Margraviate of

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...

(now Olomouc,

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

). It is also known as the "humiliation of Olmütz", as the treaty was seen by many as a capitulation of the Prussians to the Austrians. The reason for the treaty was a conflict between Prussia and Austria about the leadership in the German Confederation. The confederation, dominated by Austria, had been dissolved in the

Revolutions of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

and partially succeeded by the Frankfurt Assembly. After the Frankfurt Assembly failed, Prussia, in early 1850, took the initiative of the

, a Prussia-led federation of most of the German states. A conflict between the Elector of Hesse and his subjects was the cause for the

Austrian chancellor The chancellor of the Republic of Austria () is the head of government of the Austria, Republic of Austria. The position corresponds to that of Prime minister, Prime Minister in several other parliamentary democracies. Current officeholder is ...

Felix zu Schwarzenberg Felix Ludwig Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzenberg (german: Felix Ludwig Johann Friedrich Prinz zu Schwarzenberg; cs, Felix Ludvík Jan Bedřich princ ze Schwarzenbergu; 2 October 1800 – 5 April 1852) was a Bohemian nobleman and an Au ...

to isolate Prussia further. Austrian and allied armies advanced into the

Electorate of Hesse The Electorate of Hesse (german: Kurfürstentum Hessen), also known as Hesse-Kassel or Kurhessen, was a landgraviate whose prince was given the right to elect the Emperor by Napoleon. When the Holy Roman Empire was abolished in 1806, its prin ...

. On 8 November 1850, the Prussian army had come close to war with

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

, an ally of Austria, near

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. History ...

Bronnzell Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. History ...

. Prussia then decided to give in, partly because

Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...

Nicholas I of Russia had chosen the side of Austria in the Warsaw negotiations in October 1850. Prussia gave up its claim for the leadership of the German states. At the same time, the German Confederation was restored. Prussia submitted to Austrian leadership of the confederation, agreed to demobilise and to partake in the intervention of the German Diet in Hesse and Holstein and renounced any resumption of the Erfurt Union. On the other hand, Austria agreed to call for a ministerial conference to discuss a reform of the German Confederation.

References

Sources

* A. J. P. Taylor. ''The Course of German History: A Survey of the Development of Germany since 1815''. Routledge, 1988 (1945). . {{DEFAULTSORT:Olmutz 1850 in the Austrian Empire 1850 treaties Olomouc Treaties of the Austrian Empire Treaties of the Kingdom of Prussia 1850 in Prussia Austria–Prussia relations German Confederation German revolutions of 1848–1849 1850 in Germany

See also

References

Sources