The treaty confirmed the terms of 12 August Armistice of Cormons,[1] resulting in the transfer of Venetia and most of Friuli to the French Empire, who then gave the region to Italy after the consent of the inhabitants through a referendum.

The Italian government hoped that the ongoing Austro-Prussian campaign would allow their armies to flank the Austrian forces, seizing Venice, Friuli, Trentino, and Trieste with little difficulty.

Later, the Habsburgs were forced to seek an armistice with Italy due to the collapse of their northern armies following the decisive Battle of Sadowa and the rapid Prussian advance into Bohemia and towards Vienna.

[1] During the negotiations of the treaty, Austria agreed to surrender the land of the former Venetian Republic (present-day Veneto and Friuli) and Mantua.

[1] Emperor Franz Joseph had already agreed to cede Venetia and Mantua to France, in exchange for non-intervention in the Austro-Prussian War, but France, who was acting as intermediary between Prussia and Austria, ceded them to Italy on 19 October, as agreed in a secret treaty in exchange for the earlier Italian acquiescence to the French annexation of Savoy and Nice.

The treaty brought the Italian state greater prestige and elevated its diplomatic position in Europe as a great power.

[1] The Treaty of Vienna was a major milestone for the Unification of Italy, bringing Venice and the Veneto into the Italian State.