Damon Mcknight
The War of the First Coalition (1792–1797) was the first attempt by European monarchies to defeat the French First Republic. In April 1792, France declared war on the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria, with the Kingdom of Prussia joining the Austrian side a few weeks later. By 1797, the French had defeated the First Coalition, occupied the Low Countries, the west bank of the Rhine, and Northern Italy. The War of the First Coalition ended with the Treaty of Campo Formio, which was signed on October 17, 1797, and ceded Belgium to France.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 1797 |
| Conflict | War of the First Coalition |
| Outcome | French victory |
| French Leader | Napoleon Bonaparte |
| Territories Conquered | Austrian Netherlands, Lombardy, Northern Italy |
| Treaties | Treaty of Campo Formio, Treaty of Lunéville |
| Significant Battles | Battle of Castiglione, Siege of Mantua |
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What You'll Learn
The War of the First Coalition (1792-1797)
The War of the First Coalition (April 1792–October 1797) was the first of seven wars waged by various military alliances of great European powers, known as Coalitions, against Revolutionary France and its successor, the First French Empire, and their allies. The war pitted France against Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Spain, Russia, and several other countries.
The war emerged from the French Revolution, pitting the constitutional Kingdom of France and the French Republic that succeeded it against several loosely allied European powers. Each power had its eye on a different part of France it wanted to appropriate after a French defeat, which never occurred. The war was sparked by deteriorating relations between the French revolutionaries and neighbouring monarchies following the Declaration of Pillnitz in August 1791. Eight months later, in April 1792, France declared war on Austria, with Prussia declaring war on France in June 1792. An army under the Duke of Brunswick, composed mostly of Prussians, joined the Austrian side and invaded France in July 1792.
The French were initially successful on several fronts, occupying the Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice, and invading Germany, capturing Speyer, Worms, and Mainz along the Rhine, and reaching as far as Frankfurt. In November 1792, the French won a great victory over the Austrians at Jemappes, occupying the entire Austrian Netherlands by the beginning of winter. However, in March 1793, the French suffered a defeat at Neerwinden, and internal strife in the form of the War in the Vendée. In response, the French government formed the Committee of Public Safety and drafted all potential soldiers aged 18 to 25. The newly raised French armies counterattacked, repelled the invaders, and advanced beyond France.
In 1794, the French achieved huge victories at Fleurus against the Austrians and Dutch, and at the Black Mountain against the Spanish, signalling a new stage in the wars. By 1795, the French had captured the Austrian Netherlands and the Dutch Republic, and put Spain and Prussia out of the war with the Peace of Basel. In April 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte began his first campaign in Italy, destroying the Habsburg forces and evicting them from the Italian peninsula within a year. With French forces marching towards Vienna, the Austrians sued for peace, agreeing to the Treaty of Campo Formio in October 1797, ending the First Coalition.
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The French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolution had a significant impact on the structure of the state and society in France, and these changes were imposed on neighbouring states as well. The wars were characterised by large armies, new enthusiasm among the troops, and the mass conscription of the vast French population. By 1797, the French had defeated the First Coalition and occupied the Low Countries, the west bank of the Rhine, and Northern Italy. This led to the Treaty of Campo Formio, in which Austria ceded the Austrian Netherlands to France and Northern Italy was turned into several French sister republics.
The French army, under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte, played a crucial role in the Revolutionary Wars. Napoleon's first campaign in Italy began in April 1796, and within less than a year, the French armies had destroyed the Habsburg forces and evicted them from the Italian peninsula. With French forces marching towards Vienna, the Austrians sued for peace and agreed to the Treaty of Campo Formio in October 1797. Napoleon's victories enhanced his popularity in France and contributed to the spread of revolutionary principles throughout Europe.
The War of the Second Coalition began in 1798 with the French invasion of Egypt, led by Napoleon. The British, Austrians, and Russians formed a coalition against France, including the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, and the Kingdom of Naples. However, by 1801, this coalition had also been defeated. The French victory at Hohenlinden in Bavaria forced the Austrians to seek peace once again, leading to the Treaty of Lunéville in 1801. With Austria and Russia out of the war, Britain agreed to the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, concluding the Revolutionary Wars.
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The Treaty of Campo Formio
The treaty also established the Cisalpine and Ligurian republics in northern Italy under French influence, and France gained Venice's Ionian Islands in the Adriatic Sea, including Corfu and other islands in the Mediterranean. France promised to use its influence to help Austria obtain Salzburg and part of Bavaria, and it was secretly agreed that Prussia, a former ally of Austria, would receive no territorial compensation.
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The French capture Austrian Netherlands
The French Revolutionary Wars, which lasted from 1792 to 1802, were a series of sweeping military conflicts that arose from the French Revolution. The wars pitted France against several countries, including Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and various Italian states. The conflicts were divided into two periods: the War of the First Coalition (1792–1797) and the War of the Second Coalition (1798–1802).
In 1794, the tide turned in favour of the French, who achieved significant victories at Fleurus against the Austrians and Dutch and at the Black Mountain against the Spanish. By 1795, the French had captured the Austrian Netherlands and the Dutch Republic. The French also forced Spain and Prussia to withdraw from the war through the Peace of Basel.
The French capture of the Austrian Netherlands was facilitated by the disorganisation of the Austrian army and the expectation that the local population would rise against Austrian rule. The French army, led by General Dumouriez, won a decisive victory over the Austrians at Jemappes on November 6, 1792, and occupied the entire country by the start of winter.
The French Revolutionary Wars resulted in the occupation of the Low Countries, the west bank of the Rhine, and Northern Italy by the French. The French success in these conflicts ensured military occupation and the spread of revolutionary principles across much of Europe. The War of the First Coalition ended in 1797 with the Treaty of Campo Formio, which recognised French control over the Austrian Netherlands and Northern Italy, which was turned into several French sister republics.
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Napoleon's Italian campaign
The Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1801) were a series of conflicts fought primarily in Northern Italy. The campaign of 1796–1797, also known as Napoleon Bonaparte's First Italian Campaign, brought prominence to the young, relatively unknown commander.
In September 1796, Bonaparte marched north against Trento in Tyrol, but the Austrians had already marched toward Mantua by the Brenta valley. Napoleon then exploited the Austrian mistake of dividing their forces to defeat them in detail, but in doing so, he abandoned the siege of Mantua. The Austrian army was then commanded by the Emperor's brother, the Archduke Charles. The French advanced to within 100 miles of Vienna, and the Austrians sued for peace.
In April 1797, Napoleon put forward a series of points in the Peace of Leoben, which the Austrians accepted and signed. The Italian campaign ended, and the First Coalition collapsed, leaving only Britain in the field fighting against France. The Treaty of Campo Formio, signed on 17 October 1797, ended the First Coalition against the Republic. The War of the Second Coalition began in 1798 with the French invasion of Egypt, headed by Napoleon.
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Frequently asked questions
The French army led by Napoleon Bonaparte held Austria in 1797.
The War of the First Coalition (1792-1797) was the first attempt by European monarchies to defeat the French First Republic. By 1797, the French had defeated the First Coalition and occupied the Low Countries, the west bank of the Rhine, and Northern Italy.
By 1797, Austria had been defeated by the French and was forced to sign the Treaty of Campo Formio, ceding Belgium to France and recognizing French control of the Austrian Netherlands and Northern Italy.
