Ministers of other European countries rush to offer compromise proposals to avert a war that might drag their own countries into conflict.

Austria's Foreign minister, Count Beust, proposes transferring Luxembourg to neutral Belgium, in return for which France would be compensated with Belgian land.

However, Belgian King Leopold II refuses to part with any of his lands, putting paid to Beust's proposal.

With the German public angered and an impasse developing, Napoleon III seeks to backtrack; he certainly does not want to appear to be unduly expansionist to the other Great Powers.

Thus, he demands only that Prussia withdraw its soldiers from Luxembourg City, threatening war in the event that Prussia does not comply.

To avoid this fate, the Russian Emperor Alexander II calls for an international conference, to be held in London.

The United Kingdom is more than happy to host the talks, as the British government fears that the absorption of Luxembourg, by either power, would weaken Belgium, its strategic ally on the continent.

All of the Great Powers are invited to London to hammer out a deal that will prevent war.