Leslie Massey
The Congress of Erfurt was a meeting between Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, from 27 September to 14 October 1808. The meeting was held to reaffirm the alliance between the two nations, which had been concluded the previous year with the Treaties of Tilsit following the War of the Fourth Coalition. Notably, Austria was not in attendance at the Congress of Erfurt, as anti-French sentiment at the Russian court threatened the newly forged alliance. Napoleon and his foreign minister, Jean-Baptiste Nompère de Champagny, sought to strengthen the alliance in preparation for an expected war with Austria.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of the Meeting at Erfurt | 27 September to 14 October 1808 |
| Participants | Napoleon, Emperor of the French; Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia; Talleyrand, former minister of Napoleon; Francis I; Marshall Lannes |
| Purpose | To reaffirm the alliance concluded the previous year with the Treaties of Tilsit; to settle affairs in Spain; to prepare for the expected war with Austria |
| Outcome | Relative failure; the Erfurt Convention, in fourteen articles, calling upon Britain to cease its war against France; recognition of the Russian conquest of Finland from Sweden; statement that in case of war with Austria, Russia should aid France "to the best of its ability" |
| Related Events | The War of the Fourth Coalition; The War of the Sixth Coalition; The Franco-Russian Alliance; The Battle of Jena-Auerstedt |
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What You'll Learn
Austria's exclusion from the Confederation of the Rhine
The Confederation of the Rhine was created by Napoleon in July 1806, following the Treaty of Pressburg. It joined sixteen of France's allies among the German states, including Bavaria and Württemberg. After the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt in October 1806, various other German states, including Saxony and Westphalia, also joined the Confederation.
Austria was excluded from the Confederation of the Rhine, along with Prussia, Danish Holstein, Swedish Pomerania, and the French-occupied Principality of Erfurt. This exclusion was due to Austria's opposition to the Confederation and its rejection of the Assembly's Declaration of the Rights of the German People. The Frankfurt Assembly, which had proposed a constitution that excluded Austria, was forced to flee to Württemberg, where its final meeting was forcibly dispersed in June 1849.
Austria's absence from the Confederation of the Rhine had significant implications for the country's diplomatic relations and position in Europe. During the Congress of Vienna in 1814-1815, Austria was one of the four powers that played a pivotal role in overthrowing Napoleon. Along with Prussia, Russia, and Great Britain, Austria concluded a special alliance with the Treaty of Chaumont in March 1814.
In the subsequent peace treaties with France, Austria sought to maintain the balance of power, protect the interests of conservative nations, and rebuild its diplomatic position in Germany and Italy. At the negotiation table, Austria's position was stronger than that of France, which had to relinquish all recent conquests, while Austria gained much of northern Italy.
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The Franco-Russian alliance
The Congress of Erfurt, which took place from 27 September to 14 October 1808, was a meeting between Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia. 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. The Franco-Russian alliance was intended to settle affairs in Spain and prepare for the expected war with Austria.
Napoleon attempted to impress Alexander with the spectacle and prestige of the French Empire, but the meeting ultimately proved to be a relative failure. This was partly due to the actions of Napoleon's former minister Talleyrand, who sought to undermine the negotiations. Talleyrand believed that Napoleon was leading France to destruction and secretly advised Alexander to resist his demands.
The Congress of Erfurt was the last meeting between Napoleon and Alexander. By 1812, Russia was no longer complying with Napoleon's Continental System of economic warfare against the United Kingdom, and anti-French sentiment in the Russian court had intensified. The Franco-Russian alliance, therefore, did not have a lasting impact on the relationship between the two empires.
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The Austrian ambassador
In the lead-up to the Congress of Vienna, the Austrian ambassador would have been involved in the Treaty of Chaumont in March 1814, which was a special alliance between Austria, Great Britain, Russia, and Prussia. This was followed by the Treaty of Paris in May 1814, which was signed by the same four powers, along with Sweden and Portugal. These treaties stipulated that all former belligerents should send plenipotentiaries to the Congress in Vienna. The Austrian ambassador would have been involved in the negotiations and discussions leading up to these treaties and would have played a role in ensuring Austria's interests were represented.
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The Erfurt Convention
The meeting at Erfurt occurred against the backdrop of shifting European geopolitics and aimed to reaffirm the alliance forged between Napoleon and Alexander the previous year through the Treaties of Tilsit, which concluded the War of the Fourth Coalition. However, by the time of the Erfurt meeting, anti-French sentiment at the Russian court threatened this alliance. Napoleon and his foreign minister, Jean-Baptiste Nompère de Champagny, sought to strengthen the alliance to settle affairs in Spain and prepare for an anticipated war with Austria.
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, working against Napoleon, had concluded that the French emperor was leading his country to destruction. He secretly advised Alexander to resist Napoleon's demands. Despite Napoleon's attempts to impress Alexander with the splendour of the French Empire, the meeting ultimately ended in relative failure. Talleyrand, who accompanied Napoleon as grand chamberlain and official negotiator, undermined the French cause.
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The Austrian court
In the lead-up to the meeting, Napoleon tried to both reassure and intimidate the Austrian court in Vienna. On two occasions in August 1808, Napoleon spoke forcefully to the Austrian ambassador. However, these discussions did not lead to a resolution, and the question of Austria's role in the Franco-Russian alliance remained a point of contention.
In summary, while Austria was not directly involved in the Meeting at Erfurt, the Austrian court played a significant role in the broader geo-political context of the time, including the Congress of Vienna and the wider efforts to maintain the balance of power and protect conservative interests in Europe.
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Frequently asked questions
Austria was excluded from the meeting at Erfurt because the meeting was intended to strengthen the alliance between France and Russia in preparation for an expected war with Austria.
The key attendees of the meeting at Erfurt were Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia.
The outcome of the meeting at Erfurt was the Erfurt Convention, which called upon Britain to cease its war against France, recognized the Russian conquest of Finland from Sweden, and stated that Russia should aid France in the expected war with Austria.
