Shortly after his accession to power he arbitrarily closed the Chambers for refusing to sanction his Army Bill.

His army scheme was then forced through by the royal fiat alone.

On the reopening of the Schleswig-Holstein question, owing to the death of the King of Denmark, German nationalist sentiment was aroused, which Bismarck knew how to use for the aggrandisement of Prussia.

The Danish war, in which the two leading German States collaborated and which ended in their favour, had as its result a disagreement of a serious nature between these rival, though mutually victorious, Powers.
In all these events the hand of Bismarck was to be seen.

He it was who dominated completely Prussian policy from 1862 onwards.