26 February – German company
Commerzbank is founded in Hamburg.
10 March – The
Deutsche Bank is granted a banking licence by the
Prussian government.
16 July – In response to
Bismarck's refusal to cede parts of the Rhineland to Emperor Napoleon III of
France,[1] the near succession of a
Hohenzollern to the Spanish throne, and the
Ems Telegram,[2] France declares war on Prussia, beginning the
Franco-Prussian War.
4 August –
Battle of Wissembourg: The first battle of the Franco-Prussian War begins when three Prussian-led German
army corps surprise and get the better of the small French
garrison of Wissembourg. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the French defenders fiercely resist and inflict three times their number in casualties.[3]