Denmark and Prussia concluded the Treaty of Malmö during the Schleswig-Holstein War. The armistice of 26 August 1848 settled the situation in Schleswig and Holstein for at least seven months.

Schleswig and Holstein (as well as Lauenburg) had the Danish king as duke. In March 1848, a revolutionary German-oriented government was formed for Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, Holstein. The German Confederation and then the revolutionary German Empire supported the revolutionary government in Kiel, also militarily. The supporting troops were provided by German states such as Prussia.

The armistice of Malmö led to fierce protests in Germany, particularly among the revolutionary left. In their view, Prussia, under pressure from the great powers (Britain and Russia), had abandoned the revolutionary government in Kiel. When the Imperial Parliament in Frankfurt accepted the treaty, the so-called September riots shook the city.

Denmark denounced the Treaty of Malmö on 22 February 1849, thus beginning the second phase of the war between Denmark and a German army under the Prussian General Karl von Prittwitz. The war ended in the summer of 1850 with another treaty.