War of the Third Coalition
The War of the Third Coalition was a European War during the years 1803 to 1806. It was the first conflict of the Napoleonic Wars. During the war, France and the countries it conquered, led by Napoleon I, defeated an alliance, called The Third Coalition. The Third Coalition was made up of the Holy Roman Empire, Russia, Britain and others. The main fighting in Central Europe ended with Napoleon's victory at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805 but a smaller campaign continued in Italy until Napoleon won there, too.
War Of The Third Coalition Media
- Hennequin - Napoléon Ier distribue les croix de la légion d'honneur au camp de Boulogne le 16 août 1804 (grand).jpg
Napoleon inspecting the troops at Boulogne, 16 August 1804
- Strategic Situation of Europe 1805.jpg
The strategic situation in Europe in 1805 before the start of the Ulm Campaign and the war
- Ulm campaign - Invasion of Bavaria and French assembly on the Rhine, 2-25 September 1805.jpg
The French concentrated around the Rhine from early to mid-September. 210,000 troops of the Grande Armée prepared to cross into Germany and encircle the Austrians.
- Ulm campaign - French strategic envelopment, 26 September-9 October 1805.jpg
The French invasion in late September and early October caught the Austrians unprepared and severed their lines of communication.
- Central Europe, 7-9 October 1805.jpg
The strategic situation from 7 to 9 October. With Kutuzov too far away to offer significant aid, the Austrians found themselves in a precarious position.
- Ulm campaign - Engagements around Ulm, 11-14 October 1805.jpg
The strategic situation from 11 to 14 October. The French hurl themselves westwards to capture the Austrian army.
General Mack surrenders his army at Ulm. Napoleon's strategic encirclement of the Austrians, in conjunction with the Battle of Austerlitz six weeks later, sealed the fate of the Third Coalition.
Napoleon with his troops on the eve of battle, questioning local peasants on the movements of the Austro-Russian Army. Painting by Lejeune
The French occupied the vineyards in the floodplain, and were surrounded by Russian troops as they emerged from defiles of the mountains. Another column of Russians approached Dürenstein from the south.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bodart 1916, p. 43.
- ↑ Bodart 1916, p. 128.