Austria's Post-Napoleon Vision: Establishing States

After Napoleon's defeat, the Austrian Empire was restored as one of the great powers of the 19th century. However, the Austrian Empire did not last long and became the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867.

In the aftermath of the Battle of Austerlitz, Austrian Emperor Franz ceded various possessions to the French Emperor and his allies. In July 1806, Napoleon established the Confederation of the Rhine, a collection of German states under French hegemony. This led to the Holy Roman Empire's dissolution in August 1806, with Emperor Franz abdicating and remaining Emperor of Austria.

The Austrian Empire survived Napoleon's expansionist efforts, but not without losses. Ongoing conflicts with France led to peace treaties that saw more Habsburg territories removed from the family's rule. The 1810 marriage of Napoleon to Franz's eldest daughter, Marie Louise, cemented an eventual (short-lived) alliance.

Napoleon's eventual defeat allowed Austria and his other enemies to reorganise borders again more favourably at the famous Congress of Vienna in 1814/1815.

The Austrian Empire's defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz

The Austrian Empire, led by Emperor Francis I, had formed an alliance with Russia and Britain known as the Third Coalition to counter the threat posed by Napoleon's growing power. However, Napoleon moved swiftly and decisively, marching his Grande Armée to the Rhine and then into Moravia, where they confronted the Austrian and Russian forces. The Austrian army, led by General Karl Mack, was inadequately equipped, poorly trained, and lacked effective leadership. Napoleon, on the other hand, was a master strategist and tactician.

Napoleon employed a combination of deception and bold maneuvers to lure the Allies into a trap. He feigned weakness by abandoning the dominant Pratzen Heights and weakening his right flank, enticing the Allies to launch an assault. Napoleon's plan was to encourage the Allies to commit their forces to cutting off his right flank, thereby exposing their own center and left flank. Napoleon concealed his main force in a dead zone opposite the Heights, ready to launch a decisive counterattack.

The Battle of Austerlitz began in the early morning of December 2, with the Allied forces advancing towards Telnitz, which was defended by French troops. The fighting was intense, with multiple charges and countercharges. Napoleon's strategy of weakening his right flank succeeded in drawing the Allies in, and the French center, led by Marshal Soult, launched a powerful counterattack, sweeping through both flanks of the Allies and routing them. The French cavalry, led by Marshal Murat, played a crucial role in breaking the Allied lines.

The Allied defeat at Austerlitz was devastating, with around 36,000 casualties and the loss of more than 130 guns. The French losses were also significant, with around 9,000 casualties. The Battle of Austerlitz ended with a decisive French victory, forcing Austria to make peace and withdraw from the Coalition. Napoleon's triumph at Austerlitz secured his imperial regime and gave him the initiative in Europe, leading to his greatest triumphs. The battle demonstrated Napoleon's military genius, as he skillfully manipulated the Allies into a position of vulnerability and then delivered a crushing blow. Austerlitz was a pivotal moment in the Napoleonic Wars, showcasing the tactical brilliance of Napoleon and the prowess of his Grande Armée.

The Treaty of Pressburg

The treaty was signed by Johann I Joseph, Prince of Liechtenstein, and the Hungarian Count Ignác Gyulay for the Austrian Empire, and Charles Maurice de Talleyrand for France. It established "peace and amity" and confirmed Austria's withdrawal from the Third Coalition.

As a minor compensation, the Austrian Empire annexed the Electorate of Salzburg, which had been under Habsburg rule since 1803. The Elector, who was the Austrian Emperor's brother, was compensated with the Duchy of Würzburg, created from territories of the former prince-bishopric. Francis II also recognised the kingly titles assumed by the Electors of Bavaria and Württemberg, foreshadowing the end of the Holy Roman Empire. An indemnity of 40 million francs to France was also part of the treaty.

The Austrian Empire's invasion of Bavaria

Following the defeat at Austerlitz, Austria concluded peace immediately with the Treaty of Pressburg on December 26, 1805. As part of this treaty, Austria gave up Venice to Napoleon's Italian kingdom and ceded Tirol to Bavaria, among other territorial losses. The Kingdom of Bavaria, which had only recently been established in 1806, faced challenges from the outset of its creation, relying heavily on the support of Napoleonic France. During the French invasion of Russia in 1812, about 30,000 Bavarian soldiers were killed in action. With the Treaty of Ried of October 8, 1813, Bavaria left the Confederation of the Rhine and agreed to join the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon. On October 14, Bavaria made a formal declaration of war against Napoleonic France.

The Austrian Empire's defeat at the Battle of Wagram

The battle began when Napoleon crossed the Danube with a force of 172,000 men and attacked Archduke Charles' army of 136,000. Despite initial setbacks, Napoleon's forces were able to break through the Austrian lines and force a retreat. The Austrians were thinly spread out and unable to withstand the full force of the French assault. The battle was particularly bloody, with 74,000 casualties, largely due to the use of 800 artillery pieces and a flat battlefield that left little room for manoeuvre. While the Austrian casualties were only slightly higher than those of the French, the defeat was a serious blow to the morale of the Austrian troops, who could no longer find the will to continue the struggle.

The defeat at Wagram led to the Treaty of Schönbrunn, which resulted in the Austrian Empire losing one-sixth of its subjects and some territories, becoming landlocked until the German Campaign of 1813. The battle also forced Austria to sign an armistice and eventually ended the 1809 war against French control of Germany.

The Battle of Wagram demonstrated Napoleon's military prowess and his ability to adapt his tactics to the situation. Despite the victory, Napoleon failed to secure an overwhelming advantage, and the heavy casualties took a toll on his army. The battle also highlighted the bravery and resilience of the Austrian forces, who fought fiercely despite being outnumbered and ultimately overwhelmed. The defeat at Wagram was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars, leading to a period of peace and the eventual rise of Napoleon as Emperor of France.

The Austrian Empire's defeat at the Battle of Znaim

The Battle of Znaim, fought on July 10-11, 1809, was the last major engagement between Austria and France in the War of the Fifth Coalition. It was the culmination of a week of pursuit by Napoleon's forces after their victory at the Battle of Wagram, and it brought the 1809 war between the two nations to a close.

Following their defeat at Wagram, the Austrians, led by Archduke Charles, retreated north into Bohemia. Napoleon, hoping to defeat the Austrians once and for all, ordered his troops north two days later. The French eventually caught up with the Austrians at Znaim (now Znojmo in the Czech Republic), about 80 kilometres north of Vienna.

Archduke Charles, realising his forces were not in a position to give battle, proposed a ceasefire and went to begin peace negotiations with Napoleon. However, French Marshal Auguste de Marmont refused to observe the ceasefire and committed his 10,000-strong XI Corps into battle. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Marmont boldly decided to engage the Austrians, hoping to hold them in place until Napoleon could arrive with reinforcements.

Marmont's Bavarian division attacked a nearby village, Zuckerhandl, and also ordered his troops to take the village of Tesswitz, south of Znaim. The Bavarians initially succeeded in taking Tesswitz but were then driven out by Austrian reinforcements. Marmont renewed the attack, and Tesswitz changed hands several times throughout the day. The village was heavily contested, and the Bavarians suffered their highest single-day losses of the entire campaign.

By July 11, André Masséna's corps had joined Marmont's in the battle, but the Austrians had also reinforced their position around Znaim. After two days of intense fighting, both sides suffered similar casualties, and neither had gained a clear advantage. Napoleon finally arrived with news of an armistice and ordered Marmont to end the battle.

The Battle of Znaim was a bloody and savagely contested engagement that brought the 1809 war between France and Austria to a close. It was overshadowed by the scale and drama of the larger Battle of Wagram, which had taken place just days earlier. The armistice negotiated at Znaim led to a peace treaty signed at Schönbrunn Palace on October 14, 1809.

The Austrian Empire, which had been officially established in 1804, continued to fight against Napoleon throughout the Napoleonic Wars, except for a period between 1809 and 1813 when it was first allied with Napoleon and then remained neutral during the early weeks of the Sixth Coalition War. After Napoleon's defeat, the Austrian Empire was recognised as one of the great powers of the 19th century at the Congress of Vienna.

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