In 1858, Princess Victoria, daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, marries Prince Frederick William, known as Fritz, son of King Wilhelm of Prussia. Vicky, as she is known, soon departs for the continent and has some difficulty acclimatizing to the austere and militaristic culture, though she and Fritz have a loving marriage. She soon bears him a son, named Wilhelm after his father, and other children follow. In matters of state however, both Fritz and Vicky with their liberal views find themselves at odds with those in power. King Wilhelm has little time for Parliament and prefers autocratic rule. He finds a kindred spirit in the man he makes his Prime Minister, Otto von Bismarck, who in 1866 invades the Austro-Hungarian empire and then France in 1870, thus establishing Prussia and Germany as the principal power in Europe.
—garykmcd