A few days before this campaign began. the Italians, who had entered into an alliance with Prussia in order to secure the liberation of Ve netia, assembled an army of 200.000 men. one half of which, under General La Marmora (q.v.) was to cross the Nincio between Pesehiera and 1%lantua, while the other half was stationed round Bologna to operate on the lower Po. To op pose this force.•the Archduke Albert. the com mander-in-chief of the Austrian forces in Italy, had about 90,000 men near Verona. besides the garrisons of the Quadrilateral and Venice, which were not available for field service. On June 23d La Marmora's army crossed the Alineio, unop posed by the Austrians. The Archduke, however, succeeded in drawing his opponent into an un favorable position and attacked him (June 24th) at Custozza with his whole force. The Austrians achieved a decisive victory. The Italians fell back, in fair order, toward the Almcio, unpur sued by their exhausted opponents.
While the Italian generals were deliberating on the renewal of the campaign, news came of the great defeat which the Austriaus had sus tained in the north, and of the cession of Venetia, by the Emperor of Austria, to the Emperor Na poleon. On July 20th the Italian fleet, under Persano, suffered a great defeat at Lissa at the hands of Admiral Tegetthoff, the Austrian com mander.
In spite of her disasters, Italy was very loath to agree to the armistice signed by the two bellig erent German Powers at Nikolsburg. on July 26th, and attempted to insist upon the surrender by Austria to her of the Trentino. Prussia, how ever, would not support this demand, and Victor Emmanuel gave way reluctantly, and agreed to the armistice, August 12th. The Peace of Prague was signed August 23d.
A third contest was, about the same time, in progress between Prussia and those State. of Germany which had engaged in the struggle on the side of Austria. The Hanoverian army was compelled to surrender at Langensalza, June 28th. The operations against the forces of the South German States ( Bavaria. Wiirttemberg, Baden, and the Gm-and Duchy of Hesse) in the valley of the Alain and in the Lower Franconia ( Kissel). gen) were speedily brought to a 'successful issue by Vogel von Falekenstein and other Prussian generals. For results of the war, sec GERMANY; PRUSSIA; ITALY.
Consult: Hozier, The Scren Weeks' War (Lon don, 1S67) Leconte, Guerre de la Prussc ct de /'Italic contre l'Autriche et in confeWration gerwanique ( Paris. 1 s',Gs;) ; Fontane. Der deutsche Krieg von 1866 (2(1 ed., Berlin, IS67) ; Knorr, Der l'eldng des Jokers 1866 in West- and ittl deutschlail 1867) ; also the official accounts of the general staffs.