Ruqayyah Snyder
The complex history of conflict between Austria and France is a long one, spanning from the French Revolutionary Wars to the Napoleonic Wars and World War I. The first instance of conflict was the War of the First Coalition (1792-1797), when France declared war on the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria, with Prussia joining the Austrian side. This was the first attempt by European monarchies to defeat the French First Republic. Over the course of the war, other nations joined the coalition, including Britain, Spain, and Portugal. Napoleon, as the leader of the French army, played a crucial role in crushing the royalist rebellion at the Siege of Toulon in 1793. The War of the First Coalition ended with the Treaty of Campo Formio, which ceded Belgium to France and recognised French control over the Rhineland and parts of Italy. The War of the Second Coalition (1798-1802) followed, with Austria and France fighting five wars within 23 years, with Austria losing all but the last. During the Napoleonic Wars, Austria and France continued to clash, with Austria formally declaring war on France in 1813, leading to Napoleon's defeat and exile. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, tensions escalated again, culminating in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, which sparked World War I.
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What You'll Learn
The French Revolutionary Wars
The War of the First Coalition was the first attempt by the European monarchies to defeat the French First Republic. France declared war on the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria in April 1792, with the Kingdom of Prussia joining the Austrian side a few weeks later. A number of other European states, including Britain, joined the First Coalition over the course of the war. Napoleon joined the war as the leader of the French army in 1796, facing the British forces at the 1793 Siege of Toulon, where he played a crucial role in defeating the royalist rebellion. In 1796, Napoleon was sent to Northern Italy to fight the Austro-Piedmontese armies. His successful invasion of Italy contributed to Austria's decision to sign the Treaty of Campo Formio, ceding Belgium to France and recognizing French control of the Rhineland and parts of Italy.
The War of the Second Coalition began in 1798 when Napoleon invaded Egypt, seeking to threaten British India and force Great Britain to make peace. During this period, there was also a French invasion of Germany under Moreau and Hoche. The Mediterranean campaign of 1798 served as a bridge between the First and Second Coalitions. The War of the Second Coalition ended in 1802, marking the conclusion of the French Revolutionary Wars.
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The Declaration of Pillnitz
The declaration stated that the situation of the King of France was a matter of common interest to all the sovereigns of Europe and called on them to use their resources to place the King in a position to establish a monarchical form of government that would promote the welfare of the French nation. It further stated that the Emperor and the King of Prussia were resolved to act promptly and in common accord, employing their forces if necessary.
The French government interpreted the declaration as a threat to its sovereignty and responded with a series of provocations. This led to a French declaration of war on Austria in April 1792, marking the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars. The war between Austria and France lasted for 23 years, with Austria losing all but the last of the five wars fought during this period.
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The War of the First Coalition
In the years leading up to the war, France had conquered territories in the Italian peninsula, the Low Countries, and the Rhineland with its very large and powerful military, which had been totally mobilized for war against most of Europe with mass conscription of the vast French population. As early as 1791, the other monarchies of Europe watched the developments in France with outrage and considered intervening, either in support of King Louis XVI or to take advantage of the chaos in France. The key figure was the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II, brother of Queen Marie Antoinette of France. Leopold and King Frederick William II of Prussia issued a joint declaration, the Declaration of Pillnitz, expressing concern about the developments in France and threatening consequences if anything happened to the royal family. The French government interpreted this declaration as a threat to its sovereignty and responded with a series of provocations that led to a French declaration of war on Austria in April 1792.
The First Coalition consisted of Austria, Prussia, Great Britain, the Dutch Republic, Spain, and several other European powers. They were only loosely allied and fought without much coordination or agreement, with each power seeking a different part of France it wanted to appropriate after a French defeat. Prussia, having allied with Austria in February 1792, declared war on France in June 1792. In July 1792, an army composed mostly of Prussians joined the Austrian side and invaded France. These powers made several invasions of France by land and sea, with Prussia and Austria attacking from the Austrian Netherlands and the Rhine, and Britain supporting revolts in provincial France and laying siege to Toulon.
Napoleon did not enter the war as the leader of the French army until 1796, although he played a major role in crushing the royalist rebellion at the 1793 Siege of Toulon. Promoted to general in 1795, he was sent to the battlefields of the French Revolutionary Wars to fight the Austro-Piedmontese armies in Northern Italy in 1796. Napoleon was successful in a daring invasion of Italy, a victory that contributed to Austria’s decision to sign the Treaty of Campo Formio, ceding Belgium to France and recognizing French control of the Rhineland and much of Italy. The ancient Republic of Venice was partitioned between Austria and France. This ended the War of the First Coalition, although Great Britain and France remained at war.
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The War of the Second Coalition
The first half of the war saw the Coalition drive the French back in Italy, Germany, and Holland, but they were unable to seriously threaten an invasion of France or defeat the French decisively in battle. The Coalition suffered from poor communication between its member nations, which hampered their effectiveness.
The second half of the war saw Napoleon Bonaparte and General Moreau inflict major defeats on the Coalition, forcing them to surrender. The French Republic was victorious, and the status quo from the previous war was upheld. The overall goal of Britain and Russia was to contain the expansion of the French Republic and restore the monarchy in France, while Austria sought primarily to recover its position and emerge from the war stronger than it had entered.
The final defeat of the coalition and its dissolution occurred during the campaigns of Bonaparte in 1800 in Italy, where the Austrians were decisively defeated at Marengo on June 14, and of Moreau in Germany, where he forced them out of the war with a crushing victory at Hohenlinden on December 3. The consequences of the Second Coalition proved fatal to the Directory, which was blamed for the resumption of hostilities in Europe. Conditions were now ripe for the military dictatorship of Napoleon Bonaparte, who seized power in a coup in November 1799.
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Austria-Hungary's support for Germany
Austria-Hungary and Germany formed the Dual Alliance in 1879, a surprising alliance at the time given the differences between the two nations. Austria-Hungary, a multinational empire, believed that Germany's promotion of nationalism would lead to its own downfall. Germany, meanwhile, viewed Austria-Hungary as a relic of the past, with little understanding or sympathy for its complex structure and problems. Despite this, the two nations were united by a common language, similar cultures, and a shared distrust of Russia.
The assassination of Franz Ferdinand in 1914 brought these tensions to a head. Austria-Hungary knew that any conflict with Serbia would likely involve Russia, so it turned to its ally, Germany, for support. On 5 July, Germany promised Austria-Hungary full support for a severe response against Serbia, and on 28 July, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This declaration brought Russia into the conflict, defending a fellow Slavic nation, and Germany followed suit, declaring war on Russia on 1 August 1914.
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Frequently asked questions
The French Revolution caused outrage among the monarchies of Europe, who considered intervening to suppress the revolution and to take advantage of the chaos in France. Austria and Prussia issued the Declaration of Pillnitz, threatening severe consequences if anything happened to King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. In April 1792, France declared war on the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria.
In 1809, Austria was stripped of its Italian possessions, its western German lands, and its access to the Adriatic Sea. Inspired by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon, Austria's leader, Johann Philipp, called for war with France. In May 1809, the French army occupied Vienna.
In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated by a Serbian-backed terrorist. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and Russia came to the defence of Serbia. Germany supported its ally, Austria-Hungary, and declared war on Russia, bringing France into the war on Russia's side.
