With Austria no longer throwing up obstacles, the London Peace Conference developed in the Kingdom of Prussia's favor. On September 1, 1867, Prussia and Denmark signed an armistice treaty.
There was no avoiding territorial concessions. The two duchies of Schleswig-Holstein had already been swallowed whole by Prussia; naturally, it was impossible to make them spit them back out.
There was no point even thinking about reparations. The Kingdom of Denmark had found a new patron—the Nordic Federation. Though this nation was still being formed and was not as powerful as the Kingdom of Prussia, it had no problem defending itself.
The Swedes had not sought the two duchies of Schleswig-Holstein mainly because they feared Denmark would become too powerful, making it harder for them to maintain control over the country.
Moreover, Sweden's Karl XV wanted to annex Finland, which would put him in opposition to the Russians. If Sweden also came into conflict with Prussia, the pressure on national defense would be too great.
Even so, Sweden helped Denmark secure a symbolic compensation payment of roughly 2 million Divine Shields, soothing Danish feelings.
This was small money. No matter how poor the Kingdom of Prussia was, it did not lack such a trifling sum. In order to get the matter settled and pocket the gains as quickly as possible, the Berlin Government readily agreed.
With the Russians as their common enemy, Prussia and the soon-to-be-established Nordic Federation would have plenty in common to discuss. If not for the need to draw Denmark into the fold, the Swedish Government would have long since kicked the Russians while they were down.
From this perspective, Prussia's decision to give up the Jutland Peninsula in exchange for an ally was still a very worthwhile deal.
The Russian Empire had an immensely deep foundation. Even