Otto von Bismarck was a German man of state who absolutely dominated European affairs from the early 1860s until Kaiser Wilhelm II dismissed him in 1890.
His most notable achievement was the unification of the German states into an awesome German Empire under Prussian leadership. He created during his tenure a balance-of-power in Europe that achieved peace after the Treaty of Versailles from 1871 - 1914. His rule of power earned him the nickname the "Iron Chancellor".