France's War With Austria: Who Won In 1792?

The French Revolutionary Wars, which lasted from 1792 to 1802, were a series of sweeping military conflicts that resulted from the French Revolution. The War of the First Coalition (1792-1797) was the first attempt by the European monarchies to defeat the French First Republic. In April 1792, France declared war on the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria, and the Kingdom of Prussia joined the Austrian side a few weeks later. The French Revolutionary War would shape the course of European history, rolling one into the other and lasting a decade or more – if one counts the Napoleonic Wars that followed.

The War of the First Coalition (1792-1797)

Prussia, having allied with Austria in February, joined the war in June 1792. In July, an army led by the Duke of Brunswick, composed mostly of Prussians, joined the Austrian side and invaded France. In response, France counterattacked and won the Battle of Valmy on 20 September 1792, after which the Legislative Assembly proclaimed the French Republic. The Prussians, facing a longer and more costly campaign than anticipated, decided to retreat and preserve their army.

During the war, France was successful on several fronts. General Custine invaded Germany, capturing Speyer, Worms, and Mainz along the Rhine and reaching Frankfurt. In the north, General Dumouriez invaded Belgium and defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Jemappes on 6 November 1792, occupying the entire country by the beginning of winter. In the south, the French occupied Savoy and Nice from the Sardinians.

On 21 January 1793, the execution of Louis XVI united all European governments, including Spain, Naples, Sicily, and the Netherlands, against the Revolution. France then declared war on Britain, the Netherlands, and Spain. In the course of 1793, the Holy Roman Empire, the kings of Portugal and Naples, and the Grand Duke of Tuscany also declared war on France, forming the First Coalition.

The French introduced mass conscription, drafting all potential soldiers aged 18 to 25. They also established the Committee of Public Safety, which oversaw the Reign of Terror to suppress internal revolts and crush dissent. The French counterattacked with their newly raised armies, repelled the invaders, and advanced beyond their borders.

In May 1795, France established the Batavian Republic as a sister republic. They gained Prussian recognition of their control over the Left Bank of the Rhine through the Peace of Basel. With the Treaty of Campo Formio, Austria ceded the Austrian Netherlands to France, and Northern Italy was turned into several French sister republics. The First Coalition collapsed, leaving only Britain in the field fighting against France.

The Girondin case for war

The Girondins dominated French politics during the government of the Legislative Assembly (October 1791–September 1792). They were harsh critics of the court and, through the oratory of Pierre-Victurnien Vergniaud and Brissot, they inspired measures taken against the émigrés and anti-Revolutionary priests in October and November 1791. From the end of 1791, under the leadership of Brissot, they supported foreign war.

The Girondins reached the height of their power and popularity in the spring of 1792. On April 20, 1792, the war they urged was declared against Austria. Earlier, on March 23, two of the group entered the government under King Louis XVI: Étienne Clavière as finance minister and Jean-Marie Roland as interior minister. Roland’s wife, Mme Jeanne-Marie Roland, held a salon that was an important meeting place for the Girondins.

However, throughout the summer, the Girondins vacillated in their position toward the existing constitutional monarchy, which was coming under serious attack. The storming of the Tuileries Palace on August 10, 1792, which overthrew the monarchy, took place without their participation and marks the beginning of their decline, as more radical groups (the Paris Commune, the Parisian working class, and the Jacobins under Maximilien Robespierre) came to direct the course of the Revolution.

The Girondins' reluctance to adopt emergency measures for the defence of the Revolution and to provide for the economic demands of the Parisian workers ultimately led to their fall. They were held responsible for defeats suffered by the army in the spring of 1793 and were made more unpopular by their refusal to respond to the economic demands of the Parisian workers. A popular rising against them in Paris, beginning on May 31, ended when the Convention, surrounded by armed insurgents, ordered the arrest of 29 Girondin deputies on June 2, 1793.

Valmy marked a turning point

The outcome of the battle was unexpected by contemporary observers and marked a turning point for several reasons. Firstly, it was a vindication for the French revolutionaries and a stunning defeat for the Prussian army, which was widely regarded as one of the most effective armies in Europe at the time. Secondly, the victory boosted the morale of the French troops and emboldened the newly assembled National Convention to formally declare the end of monarchy in France and establish the French Republic. This was a significant development as it allowed the Revolution to continue and set in motion a series of events that would define the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras.

The Battle of Valmy also had far-reaching consequences beyond France. The victory led to the continuation of the war with Austria and ensured that Europe would not see peace for 23 years. The battle also allowed the French to invade Belgium, where they won a follow-up victory at the Battle of Jemappes on 6 November 1792.

In summary, the Battle of Valmy was a turning point because it was an unexpected victory for the French, boosted their morale, led to the establishment of the French Republic, and had far-reaching consequences for the course of the war and the broader European political landscape.

Napoleon's Italian campaign

The campaign began with the Montenotte campaign on 10 April 1796, where Bonaparte descended from the Alps into Italy and achieved a rapid series of victories. He knocked Piedmont-Sardinia out of the First Coalition and then chased the Austrian army across Lombardy, culminating in the French victory at Lodi on 10 May 1796. After putting down revolts in Pavia and Milan, Napoleon's focus shifted to the long and difficult siege of Mantua, which lasted from June 1796 to January 1797. During this time, he also directed the French forces in a series of invasions of the states of Central and Northern Italy, such as Modena, Reggio, Genoa, and the Papal States.

Napoleon's campaign was marked by a series of decisive victories, which allowed the establishment of French domination over much of Northern and Central Italy. He defeated every Austrian army sent against him, redrew the map of northern Italy, and made himself one of the most influential men in France. His victories led to great personal prestige and widespread popularity, and he became a celebrity in Paris and throughout Europe.

The campaign ended with the fall of Mantua in February 1797, which opened up the route to Vienna. Bonaparte led his army through the Tyrol to within 100 miles of the Austrian capital, at which point the Austrians sued for peace. The Peace of Leoben was agreed upon in April 1797, and the Treaty of Campo Formio was signed in October, ending the War of the First Coalition.

The Treaty of Campo Formio

The treaty's public articles concerned only France and Austria and called for a Congress of Rastatt to be held to negotiate a final peace for the Holy Roman Empire. In the treaty's secret articles, Austria, as the personal state of the Emperor, promised to work with France to certain ends at the congress. The treaty meant the definitive end to the ancient Republic of Venice, which was disbanded and partitioned by the French and the Austrians.

The treaty transferred a number of Austrian territories into French hands. Lands ceded included the Austrian Netherlands (most of modern-day Belgium). Territories of the Republic of Venice were divided between the two states: certain islands in the Mediterranean, including Corfu and other Venetian possessions in the Ionian Sea, were turned over to the French.

Austria recognised the Cisalpine Republic and the newly created Ligurian Republic, formed of Savoyard state and Genoese territories, as independent powers. The Italian states formally ceased to owe fealty to the Holy Roman Emperor, ending the formal existence of the Kingdom of Italy, which had existed de jure but not de facto since at least the 14th century.

The treaty contained secret clauses, signed by Napoleon and representatives of the Holy Roman Emperor, which divided up certain other territories and agreed to the extension of the borders of France up to the Rhine, the Nette, and the Roer. Free French navigation was guaranteed on the Rhine, the Meuse, and the Moselle. The French Republic had been expanded into areas that had never before been under French control.

Frequently asked questions