Otto von Bismarck helped unify Germany under Prussian rule in the late 19th century through deft diplomacy and warfare. As Chancellor of Prussia, he engineered wars against Denmark, Austria, and France that weakened these powers and increased Prussian influence. His manipulation of the Ems Dispatch helped spark the Franco-Prussian War, resulting in a united German Empire in 1871 with Wilhelm I as Kaiser. Bismarck's policies of "blood and iron" and Realpolitik utilized both military might and political cunning to overcome resistance to unification and establish German dominance in central Europe.