When comparing the historical age of Germany and Italy as unified modern nation-states, Italy is technically older than Germany. The Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed shortly after the unification process known as the Risorgimento in March 1861, bringing together various peninsular states and kingdoms under King Victor Emmanuel II. In contrast, the modern unified German nation-state—the German Empire—was officially established a decade later, following the Franco-Prussian War in January 1871, when the various German-speaking principalities were consolidated under Prussian leadership. While both geographic regions possess ancient cultures, tribal histories, and medieval kingdoms spanning many centuries, their formal political incarnations as unified countries place Italy's modern birth slightly ahead of Germany's.