Austria's Exclusion: Unraveling The Erfurt Summit Mystery

The Congress of Erfurt was a meeting between Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, from Tuesday 27 September to Friday 14 October 1808. The meeting was intended to reaffirm the alliance concluded the previous year with the Treaties of Tilsit which followed the end of the War of the Fourth Coalition. Austria was excluded from the meeting as Napoleon wanted to contain Austria before finishing off Spain.

Napoleon's priority was to contain Austria before finishing off Spain

The Congress of Erfurt was the meeting between Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, from Tuesday 27 September to Friday 14 October 1808. The meeting was intended to reaffirm the alliance concluded the previous year with the Treaties of Tilsit which followed the end of the War of the Fourth Coalition.

Napoleon was in the position of having to ask Alexander for something, and with a far-weaker hand than the previous year at Tilsit. Napoleon and Alexander's relationship had soured by the time of the meeting at Erfurt, with anti-French sentiment at the Russian court beginning to threaten the newly forged alliance.

Napoleon's former minister Talleyrand, who was accompanying Napoleon as grand chamberlain and official negotiator, far from serving his emperor, spent his time at Erfurt undermining the cause that he was meant to be working towards.

Six months after the meeting, the expected war with Austria began, and Alexander barely lived up to his agreement, aiding France as little as possible.

Alexander I failed to live up to his agreement with Napoleon, aiding France as little as possible

The Congress of Erfurt was the meeting between Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, from Tuesday 27 September to Friday 14 October 1808. The meeting was intended to reaffirm the alliance concluded the previous year with the Treaties of Tilsit which followed the end of the War of the Fourth Coalition. At Tilsit, Napoleon had made an admirer of Alexander, but by the time of the meeting at Erfurt anti-French sentiment at the Russian court was beginning to threaten the newly forged alliance. Napoleon and his foreign minister Jean-Baptiste Nompère de Champagny sought to strengthen the alliance once more in order to settle affairs in Spain and prepare for the expected war with Austria.

The Congress of Erfurt was the meeting between Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, from Tuesday 27 September to Friday 14 October 1808. The meeting was intended to reaffirm the alliance concluded the previous year with the Treaties of Tilsit which followed the end of the War of the Fourth Coalition. At Tilsit, Napoleon had made an admirer of Alexander, but by the time of the meeting at Erfurt anti-French sentiment at the Russian court was beginning to threaten the newly forged alliance. Napoleon and his foreign minister Jean-Baptiste Nompère de Champagny sought to strengthen the alliance once more in order to settle affairs in Spain and prepare for the expected war with Austria.

The Congress of Erfurt was the meeting between Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, from Tuesday 27 September to Friday 14 October 1808. The meeting was intended to reaffirm the alliance concluded the previous year with the Treaties of Tilsit which followed the end of the War of the Fourth Coalition. At Tilsit, Napoleon had made an admirer of Alexander, but by the time of the meeting at Erfurt anti-French sentiment at the Russian court was beginning to threaten the newly forged alliance. Napoleon and his foreign minister Jean-Baptiste Nompère de Champagny sought to strengthen the alliance once more in order to settle affairs in Spain and prepare for the expected war with Austria.

The Congress of Erfurt was the meeting between Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, from Tuesday 27 September to Friday 14 October 1808. The meeting was intended to reaffirm the alliance concluded the previous year with the Treaties of Tilsit which followed the end of the War of the Fourth Coalition. At Tilsit, Napoleon had made an admirer of Alexander, but by the time of the meeting at Erfurt anti-French sentiment at the Russian court was beginning to threaten the newly forged alliance. Napoleon and his foreign minister Jean-Baptiste Nompère de Champagny sought to strengthen the alliance once more in order to settle affairs in Spain and prepare for the expected war with Austria.

The Congress of Erfurt was the meeting between Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, from Tuesday 27 September to Friday 14 October 1808. The meeting was intended to reaffirm the alliance concluded the previous year with the Treaties of Tilsit which followed the end of the War of the Fourth Coalition. At Tilsit, Napoleon had made an admirer of Alexander, but by the time of the meeting at Erfurt anti-French sentiment at the Russian court was beginning to threaten the newly forged alliance. Napoleon and his foreign minister Jean-Baptiste Nompère de Champagny sought to strengthen the alliance once more in order to settle affairs in Spain and prepare for the expected war with Austria.

The Congress of Erfurt was the meeting between Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, from Tuesday 27 September to Friday 14 October 1808. The meeting was intended to reaffirm the alliance concluded the previous year with the Treaties of Tilsit which followed the end of the War of the Fourth Coalition. At Tilsit, Napoleon had made an admirer of Alexander, but by the time of the meeting at Erfurt anti-French sentiment at the Russian court was beginning to threaten the newly forged alliance. Napoleon and his foreign minister Jean-Baptiste Nompère de Champagny sought to strengthen the alliance once more in order to settle affairs in Spain and prepare for the expected war with Austria.

Anti-French sentiment at the Russian court threatened the alliance

The Congress of Erfurt was the meeting between Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, from Tuesday 27 September to Friday 14 October 1808. The Congress was intended to reaffirm the alliance concluded the previous year with the Treaties of Tilsit which followed the end of the War of the Fourth Coalition. At Tilsit, Napoleon had made an admirer of Alexander, but by the time of the meeting at Erfurt, anti-French sentiment at the Russian court was beginning to threaten the newly forged alliance. Napoleon and his foreign minister Jean-Baptiste Nompère de Champagny sought to strengthen the alliance once more in order to settle affairs in Spain and prepare for the expected war with Austria.

Napoleon's key concern was to contain Austria before finishing off Spain. Only then could the original projects be readdressed. He was now in the position of having to ask Alexander for something, and with a far-weaker hand than the previous year at Tilsit. Not even the immense spectacle and prestige with which he surrounded himself at Erfurt would change his situation, and it is hardly surprising that the meeting resulted in a relative failure. Even more so considering the fact that his former minister Talleyrand, who was accompanying Napoleon as grand chamberlain and official negotiator, far from serving his emperor, spent his time at Erfurt undermining the cause that he was meant to be working towards.

Out of the meetings came an agreement, the Erfurt Convention, in fourteen articles, calling upon Britain to cease its war against France, recognizing the Russian conquest of Finland from Sweden, and stating that in case of war with Austria, Russia should aid France "to the best of its ability." The two emperors departed for their homelands on 14 October. Six months later the expected war with Austria began, and Alexander barely lived up to his agreement, aiding France as little as possible. By 1810 both emperors were considering war with one another. Erfurt was the last meeting between the two leaders.

Prussia's chief minister, Joseph Maria von Radowitz, suggested Austria and Prussia share leadership

Prussia's chief minister, Joseph Maria von Radowitz, suggested the formation of a new union, in which Austria and Prussia would share leadership, and called a meeting of German states at Erfurt on March 20 to discuss the plan. The Erfurt Union Parliament was a conference called by Prussia to form a union of German states headed jointly by Prussia and Austria. The plan failed to win the adherence of the other large German states and had to be renounced by Prussia in the Punctation of Olmütz on November 29.

The Congress of Erfurt was the meeting between Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, from Tuesday 27 September to Friday 14 October 1808 intended to reaffirm the alliance concluded the previous year with the Treaties of Tilsit which followed the end of the War of the Fourth Coalition. At Tilsit, Napoleon had made an admirer of Alexander, but by the time of the meeting at Erfurt anti-French sentiment at the Russian court was beginning to threaten the newly forged alliance.

The Erfurt Convention was an agreement in fourteen articles calling upon Britain to cease its war against France, recognizing the Russian conquest of Finland from Sweden, and stating that in case of war with Austria, Russia should aid France "to the best of its ability". The two emperors departed for their homelands on 14 October. Six months later the expected war with Austria began, and Alexander barely lived up to his agreement, aiding France as little as possible. By 1810 both emperors were considering war with one another.

The Erfurt Union Parliament was a conference called by Prussia to form a union of German states headed jointly by Prussia and Austria. The plan failed to win the adherence of the other large German states and had to be renounced by Prussia in the Punctation of Olmütz on November 29. The revolution of 1848-49 had forced the dissolution of the old Austrian-dominated German Confederation. In 1850, Prussia’s chief minister, Joseph Maria von Radowitz, suggested the formation of a new union, in which Austria and Prussia would share leadership, and called a meeting of German states at Erfurt on March 20 to discuss the plan.

The revolution of 1848-49 had forced the dissolution of the old Austrian-dominated German Confederation

The Congress of Erfurt was the meeting between Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, from Tuesday 27 September to Friday 14 October 1808 intended to reaffirm the alliance concluded the previous year with the Treaties of Tilsit which followed the end of the War of the Fourth Coalition. At Tilsit, Napoleon had made an admirer of Alexander, but by the time of the meeting at Erfurt anti-French sentiment at the Russian court was beginning to threaten the newly forged alliance.

The Erfurt Convention was an agreement in fourteen articles calling upon Britain to cease its war against France, recognizing the Russian conquest of Finland from Sweden, and stating that in case of war with Austria, Russia should aid France "to the best of its ability." The two emperors departed for their homelands on 14 October. Six months later the expected war with Austria began, and Alexander barely lived up to his agreement, aiding France as little as possible.

A year before the convention of the Erfurt Union Parliament, on May 26, 1849, the Alliance of the Three Kings was concluded between Prussia, Saxony and Hanover, the latter two of which explicitly made the reservation of departure unless all other principalities with the exception of Austria joined. From this treaty sprung the Prussian policy of fusion, and thence the ambition of the Erfurt Union, which in its constitution abandoned the universal and equal male franchise of the Frankfurt Assembly in favour of the Prussian three-class franchise, which gave almost all men the right to vote but weighted the votes to favour the wealthy.

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