Battle of Austerlitz
Austerlitz, Moravia, Austrian Empire (today Slavkov u Brna, Czech Republic)
What happened
Emperor Napoleon of France fought the armies of Tsar Alexander I of Russia, led by General Mikhail Kutuzov, and Emperor Francis II of Austria. Russia and Austria joined Britain in a new alliance against Napoleon, and their armies met his near Austerlitz in Moravia. Napoleon pretended his army was weak, gave up the high ground called the Pratzen Heights, and left his right side thin to tempt the allies to attack there. As the morning mist cleared, his hidden troops stormed the Pratzen Heights and split the allied army in two, and Napoleon won.
Why it matters
Result: French victory. Leaders: Napoleon I / Jean-Baptiste Bessières against Alexander I / Mikhail Kutuzov. Why it matters: It was the decisive battle of the war between Napoleon and the Third Coalition. Austria left the war, and the old Holy Roman Empire came to an end the next year.
What came next
Austria made peace in the Treaty of Pressburg, and in 1806 Francis dissolved the Holy Roman Empire.
Did you know?
It was called the 'Battle of the Three Emperors' after the three monarchs on the field.
Timeline
- 1804Napoleon is crowned Emperor of the French.
- 2 December 1805Napoleon defeats the Russians and Austrians at Austerlitz.
- 1806Francis dissolves the Holy Roman Empire.