AUSTERLITZ

Austerlitz, Moravia, 2 December 1805

Who

The Grande Armée came up against the Russians and Austrians in what was the Third Coalition against Napoleon.

What

The victor of this decisive battle would become the dominant force in Central Europe and the greatest of the three emperors.

Where

Austerlitz was a small town in the region of Moravia just over 100km from the centre of the Habsburg Empire, Vienna.

Why

With an invasion of Britain no longer an option, Napoleon had turned his attention eastwards to Austria and Russia.

Outcome

Napoleon records a stunning victory that causes the destruction of the Holy Roman Empire and the end of the Third Coalition.

Ever since the turn of the 19th century, Western Europe had been a battleground. The empires of old had been struggling against a reinvigorated French First Republic, and by 1803 a Third Coalition had been created to oppose Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Originally, the French had wanted to invade Britain, but their loss to the Royal Navy at Trafalgar and the subsequent Treaty of Amiens meant Napoleon began to cast his eyes eastwards. Having already secured Spain as an ally, the two powers that stood in the way were the Habsburg monarchy and what remained of an ailing Holy Roman Empire, plus the mighty Russian Empire. With the latter two led by Francis II and Tsar Alexander respectively, the coming war was to be fought between three emperors.

Napoleon was a shrewd tactician, with the loyal and