Franco-Prussian War

(1870-71) A quarrel over the Hohenzollern candidature for the Spanish throne, deliberately provoked by Bismarck with the Ems telegram to secure the predominance of Prussia in Europe. The French suffered heavy defeats at the hands of Prussia's modern army and and were humiliated by the Treaty of Frankfurt (10 May 1871), surrendering Alsace-Lorraine and agreeing to pay an indemnity of 5 billion francs.