The Punctation of Olmütz (), also called the Agreement of Olmütz, was a treaty between

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, dated 29 November 1850, by which Prussia abandoned the Erfurt Union and accepted the revival of the

German Confederation The German Confederation ( ) 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, which had been dissolved ...

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 (now Olomouc,

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

). 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 revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

and partially succeeded by the Frankfurt Assembly. After the Frankfurt Assembly failed, Prussia, in early 1850, took the initiative of the Erfurt Union, 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 Felix zu Schwarzenberg to isolate Prussia further. Austrian and allied armies advanced into the

Electorate of Hesse The Electorate of Hesse (), also known as Hesse-Kassel or Kurhessen, was the title used for the former Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel after an 1803 reform where the Holy Roman Emperor elevated its ruler to the rank of Elector, thus giving him ...

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

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, an ally of Austria, near

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

- Bronnzell. Prussia then decided to give in, partly because Tsar

Nicholas I of Russia Nicholas I, group=pron (Russian language, Russian: Николай I Павлович; – ) was Emperor of Russia, List of rulers of Partitioned Poland#Kings of the Kingdom of Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 18 ...

had chosen the side of Austria in the

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

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 Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

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, which took place in Dresden the following year without result.

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 revolutions of 1848–1849 1850 in the German Confederation

See also

References

Sources