The Austro-Prussian war of 1866 saw Austria fighting Prussia, each with supporting German states backing them up. A Prussian victory cemented Prussia as the major power in the region and moved the region closer to a unified Germany. Moving forward, the following Franco-Prussian War (19 July 1870 – 10 May 1871) saw the French Empire of Napoleon III attempt to halt these German plans for unification due to a fear of the shift in the European balance of power that would result if the Prussians succeeded. After a French declaration of war, the German coalition mobilised quickly, in greater numbers and with better equipment than the French, resulting in a German victory, and cementing the new German union.