Otto von Bismark th century German statesman Prince Otto von BismarckSchohausen Duke of Lauenburg was Chancellor of Prussia and architect of modern Germany His ambition was to unify the various independent German states into a single nation under Prussian leadership The catalyst to bringing this about was the FrancoPrussian War of when the other German states fought alongside the Prussians France was defeated and in the German Empire was established with Bismarck as Chancellor A print from The Life and Times of Queen Victoria by Robert Wilson Volume IV Cassell and Company London Paris New York Melbourne