PC: question about the Austro-Prussian war

Analytical Engine

A question that is completely unrelated to a TL that I am totally not currently in the process of writing:

IOTL, as a result of the Prussians winning the Austro-Prussian war, it annexed:
  • Schleswig-Holstein
  • Hesse-Kassel
  • Nassau
  • Hannover
  • Frankfurt
  • parts of Hesse-Darmstadt
  • a small snippet of northwest Bavaria
Apart from SH, all of the above states were allies with Austria. However, there were several other Austrian allies that Prussia didn't annex. Instead, it merely forced them to join the North German Confederation:
  • Saxony
  • Saxe-Meiningen
  • Reuss-Greiz
  • Schaumburg-Lippe
  • the northern half of Hesse-Darmstadt
Aside from Schleswig-Holstein, how plausible is it that Prussia doesn't annex the above states*, just making them join the North German Confederation instead? (Small border changes are allowable.)



*By which, I mean "what are the chances of each state being spared annexation?"
 

Mikestone8

Get rid of Bismarck - Stray shell at Koniggratz perhaps?

Wilhelm I was prepared to spare all the Princes (bar the cession of a few old family heirlooms like East Friesland and Ansbach-Bayreuth) but he wanted cessions of territory by Austria and Saxony, the only ones who had fought against Prussia in any serious way. This didn't suit Bismarck, who was anxious to conciliate Austria with an easy peace. But of course he had to give Wilhelm something in lieu, and those northern states were the only thing available.
 

Analytical Engine

Mikestone8 said:
Get rid of Bismarck - Stray shell at Koniggratz perhaps?

Wilhelm I was prepared to spare all the Princes (bar the cession of a few old family heirlooms like East Friesland and Ansbach-Bayreuth) but he wanted cessions of territory by Austria and Saxony, the only ones who had fought against Prussia in any serious way. This didn't suit Bismarck, who was anxious to conciliate Austria with an easy peace. But of course he had to give Wilhelm something in lieu, and those northern states were the only thing available.
Click to expand...

Like I said, I'm happy with shaving bits off of the states, maybe a connection to Wetzlar via Nassau or Hesse-Darmstadt, shaving southern Hannover to create a land connection between the east and west halves, taking the exclaves off of Hesse-Kassel, etc.

Mostly, I was wondering whether Prussia would accept influence over these states, given that they would still be part of a North German Confederation anyway, with some minimal border modifications.
 
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