Battle of Austerlitz (1805): The Battle of the Three Emperors

Europe Against Napoleon By 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte had become the most dangerous military power in Europe. France controlled much of western Europe, while Napoleon’s victories had brought several German states into the French orbit. Austria and Russia feared that, if they allowed him more time, France would become almost impossible to defeat. A new alliance formed against him: the Third Coalition, made up of Britain, Austria, Russia, Sweden, and Naples. Its purpose was to contain French expansion and restore the balance of power in Europe. Napoleon had originally gathered his main army around Boulogne for an invasion of Britain. But the plan did not last. Austria invaded Bavaria, a French ally, and Napoleon decided that the immediate danger was no longer across the English Channel. It was in southern Germany. in late August 1805, Napoleon broke up the camp at Boulogne and sent roughly 150,000 men east toward the Rhine. By 24 September, the Grande Armée was ready to cross into Germany. This decision came almost two months before the Battle of Austerlitz and weeks before the naval Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October. Trafalgar did not send Napoleon east; Napoleon had already committed himself to the continental campaign. (common misconception ) Trafalgar confirmed that France would not be able to invade Britain by sea, but by then Napoleon’s army was already deep in central Europe. Ulm and Vienna Napoleon’s army moved with extraordinary speed. His corps marched separately along different roads, but their movements were carefully coordinated so that they could join together around the enemy. This allowed the French to appear in several places at once while keeping their main strength hidden until the moment of attack. The Austrian army under General Karl Mack had moved into Bavaria expecting Russian support. Instead, Napoleon crossed the Danube behind it and surrounded the Austrian positions around Ulm. On 20 October, Mack surrendered with approximately 25,000 men. The French captured soldiers, artillery, supplies, and a large part of the Austrian army before the main Russian army had even arrived. The victory opened the road to Vienna. Napoleon entered the Austrian capital in November, but capturing Vienna did not end the war. A Russian army under Mikhail Kutuzov had escaped the French advance, and more Russian troops were moving west. The remaining Austrian forces joined them in Moravia. Napoleon was now far from France, deep inside enemy territory, and facing an army that outnumbered him. Estimates vary, but about 65,000–75,000 French troops eventually faced nearly 90,000 Russian and Austrian soldiers at Austerlitz. That imbalance explains Napoleon’s plan. He could not simply stand in front of the larger Allied army and expect numbers to defeat numbers. He needed to make the Allies attack in the wrong place, separate their army, and then defeat each part before the others could help. The Weakness That Wasn’t Napoleon chose his position near Brünn, modern-day Brno in the Czech Republic. To the southeast stood the village of Austerlitz and the Pratzen Heights, a long plateau that dominated the battlefield. The French occupied lower ground west of the heights. Their right flank rested near the villages of Telnitz and Sokolnitz, along the Goldbach stream. It looked like the weakest part of the French line. Napoleon made sure the Allies noticed. He pulled troops away from the Pratzen Heights and kept his right flank thin. He also encouraged the impression that the French army was tired and uncertain. To Allied observers, Napoleon appeared to be guarding a dangerous retreat route rather than preparing an attack. The deception worked because the Allies already wanted to believe it. Their commanders decided that the French right was vulnerable and planned to crush it with a powerful attack. They would move south from the Pratzen Heights, capture Telnitz and Sokolnitz, and cut the French communications toward Vienna. But there was a hidden cost to their plan: every Allied column sent against the French right would leave the Pratzen Heights weaker. Napoleon did not need to defeat the entire Allied army everywhere. He only needed to hold his right flank long enough for the Allies to weaken their centre. On the night of 1 December, the Russian and Austrian army prepared to move. The next day was the anniversary of Napoleon’s coronation as Emperor of the French. He had chosen the battlefield. Now he had to make the trap work. Encyclopaedia Britannica — Battle of Austerlitz. Wikipedia - Battle of Austerlitz. napoleon empire - Battle of Austerlitz EBSCO Research Starters — Battle of Austerlitz. Napoleon Series — Treaty of Pressburg, 1805. Brown University Library — Timeline: The Third Coalition and the Continental System.