Battle of the Three Emperors
The Life Guards Cavalry Regiment captures the eagle of the 4th Line Regiment, painting by B. Villevalde
prehistory
Napoleon prepared an army for an invasion of England, concentrating his forces on the French coast of the English Channel, in Boulogne. The British were able to pit the Austrian and Russian empires against France. The Austrians were eager for revenge for their crushing defeat in the War of the Second Coalition (1798–1802), when the Habsburg Empire was forced to make major concessions to the French in Germany and Italy.
The Russians were drawn into the war by the young and vain Emperor Alexander Pavlovich, plus the skillful policies of London, which used the continental powers as cannon fodder in its struggle with France for hegemony in Europe and the world. Russian high society, more oriented toward high politics in Europe and especially in the German world than toward domestic affairs and national interests, also played a role.Russian blood for the salvation of "foggy Albion").
The Allies had assembled a massive force: some 500 soldiers, who were to advance from northern Germany to Italy. Britain financed the Allies and dominated the seas, having sunk the Franco-Spanish fleet at Cape Trafalgar.
The arrogant Austrians, overestimating their strength and believing that Bonaparte would not have time to react to their actions, launched offensives before the arrival of the Russian army under Kutuzov. They miscalculated badly. Napoleon executed a well-organized forced march, transferring the Grande Armée (as he called the army intended to invade England) from northern France to Germany. The Austrian command was unable to respond adequately. This led to the Ulm disaster in October 1805. Austria lost its shock army, and Bonaparte seized the initiative in the war.
Kutuzov, during the astonishing 400-kilometer Ulm-Olmütz forced march, saved the army, even though the Austrian high command tried to "bury" it by blocking the capital with Russian troops. Meanwhile, Bonaparte occupied Vienna. He repeatedly attempted to destroy the Russian troops, but Kutuzov and Bagration thwarted his plans.The Battle of Schöngraben: To Die, but to Save the Army).
In November 1805, Kutuzov joined forces with Russian and Austrian reinforcements. Russian Emperor Alexander I and Austrian Emperor Francis II arrived to join the army.
Underestimating the enemy
Bonaparte needed another decisive victory over the Allies. Time was against him. Russian reinforcements were arriving, and an Austrian army, transferred from Italy, was approaching. Prussia was still hesitant, but could intervene at any moment on the side of Austria and Russia. The war party prevailed in Berlin, and the Prussians did not want France to strengthen its position in Germany. Therefore, Napoleon skillfully provoked the Allies into battle.How Napoleon Outplayed Emperors Alexander and Franz).
The cunning Kutuzov easily discerned the great Frenchman's plans. He proposed stalling for time, retreating, stretching the enemy's lines of communication, linking up with reinforcements (the Russian commander had implemented this plan during the 1812 campaign), and then striking. The Prussian army could also enter the war, posing a threat on the enemy's flank.
However, the Austrian court, dissatisfied with Kutuzov's "cowardly" strategy, demanded battle. The Austrians risked nothing—the Russian troops were bearing the brunt of the attack, and the Austrians were already prepared to conclude a separate peace behind the Russians' backs. Tsar Alexander, desiring military glory, and virtually his entire retinue, confident in the superiority of the "invincible" Russian army, also wanted battle.
Alexander's confidence was bolstered by the numerical superiority of the allied forces. The allied army numbered approximately 85 men with approximately 280 guns (60 Russians and 25 Austrians). The enemy's strength was underestimated, with the Corsican believed to have no more than 40 to 50 soldiers and to be wary of battle. In reality, the French numbered more than 73.
Defeat
The battle plan was developed by the Austrian General Weyrother. He proposed outflanking the enemy with the left wing (three columns), where half of the allied forces were concentrated. In the center stood the two columns of Kolovrat and Miloradovich, under the overall command of Kutuzov. Behind them stood the Guards Reserve of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich. On the right flank were the columns of Bagration and Liechtenstein (Austrian).
Ultimately, the allies considered attacking, believing that the numerically weaker French forces would hold the line. Kutuzov opposed this plan, but they ignored him.
As a result, the allied offensive failed. The strong allied left wing under Buxhoeveden (29 infantry battalions and 22 cavalry squadrons) advanced in three columns, led by Dokhturov, Langeron, and Przybyszewski, and became bogged down in fierce combat with the French, who, with inferior forces, halted the enemy advance. Buxhoeveden subsequently acted passively: he continued to linger at a minor point in the battle while the enemy broke through in the center, and he was late in withdrawing, resulting in heavy losses.
Napoleon awards a soldier a medal for bravery at the Battle of Austerlitz. British artist Richard Caton Woodville, Jr.
Meanwhile, Bonaparte, having guessed the enemy's plans and seizing the opportunity, struck with his main force (up to 50 soldiers) in the center, attacking the Pratzen Heights. The small Russian center, followed by the reserve (guard), fought desperately, but could not hold back the onslaught of the equally superior but more numerous French regiments. In a fierce battle, the French managed to break through the Russian defenses and struck the rear of the left wing. The allied forces were surrounded on three sides and eventually began to retreat in disarray.
A terrible tragedy unfolded. The Russian regiments were pinned down against the half-frozen Zachansky ponds. Entire regiments were literally gunned down by Bonaparte's well-organized French army. artillery or drowned when the ice collapsed. Other units were forced to surrender. In particular, Przybyszewski's column was unable to break through, and after a desperate resistance that pinned down the French and allowed the other two columns to escape, it surrendered. After his capture, the Russian general of Polish descent was court-martialed and demoted to private.
The right wing of the Russian forces under Bagration held firm, but it meant nothing. The allied forces were forced to retreat along the entire front.
The heroism of Russian soldiers and officers this time could not correct the mistakes of the high command. Thus, the Russian cavalry guards were almost completely destroyed in a clash with the French horse grenadiers. The French commanders were astonished by the heroism and bravery of the Russian troops and the incompetence of the command that had destroyed such magnificent regiments.
Russian cavalry returns after attacking the enemy at Austerlitz. Artist: Nikolai Samokish
The brilliant retinues of Emperors Alexander and Francis, so thirsty for victory and glory, fled. Russian historian Yevgeny Tarle, who wrote one of the best monographs on stories Napoleon noted:
Emperor Franz and Alexander fled the battlefield long before the final catastrophe. Their retinue scattered, leaving both monarchs behind. The monarchs also fled the battlefield and quickly separated, carried off by their horses in different directions. The short winter day was drawing to a close; the sun, which had shone brightly all day, had set, and Alexander and Franz fled captivity in the darkness. Alexander trembled as if in a fever and wept, losing his composure. His rapid flight continued in the following days. The wounded Kutuzov barely escaped capture.
The Allies lost 27 to 35 men in the battle, according to various estimates, including 11 to 20 captured. Russian military historian Alexander Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky estimated that the Allies lost 27 men, with the majority, 21, being Russian. Almost the entire artillery fleet—about 200 guns—and the entire enormous supply train with all its supplies were lost. French losses were 9 to 10 men.
F. Gerard. Napoleon at Austerlitz.
Defeat in the war
It was a decisive defeat. It was one of Napoleon's greatest battles. The war was lost.
Naturally, Prussia refused to enter the war. Bonaparte, in his triumphalist spirit, forced Prussia to enter into an alliance with France, gifting Hanover to Berlin.
The Allied High Command was demoralized. The Austrian Emperor declared further resistance pointless, even though Austria still had the strength to continue the war. On December 26, 1805, the Austrian Empire concluded a peace treaty at Pressburg, ceding Venice, Istria (excluding Trieste), and Dalmatia to Bonaparte, as King of Italy, and acknowledging all its losses in Italy.
Vienna made territorial concessions in favor of Bavaria and Württemberg. Emperor Francis II recognized the princes of Bavaria and Württemberg as kings, thus removing them from the authority of the institutions of the Holy Roman Empire. These German lands became satellites of Bonaparte. This marked the end of Habsburg dominance in the Holy Roman Empire (the German world), which Napoleon dissolved in 1806 and replaced with the Confederation of the Rhine, under his control.
The Austrians also paid a large indemnity. France once again became rich during the war.
Russia remained alone on the continent. Peace negotiations began, but they were unsuccessful. In 1806, the War of the Fourth Coalition began, with Austria replaced by Prussia, dissatisfied with France's rise in the German world.
Meeting of Napoleon and Francis II after the Battle of Austerlitz. Artist Antoine-Jean Gros (
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