The war of the Third Coalition (also known as the Russo-Austro-French War of 1805) was one of the Napoleonic Wars that lasted from 1803 to 1815. It was fought between France, Spain, Bavaria, and Italy, against the Third Anti-French Coalition, which included Austria, Russia, Britain, Sweden and the Kingdom of Naples.
Napoleon began planning an invasion of England in 1803. By the summer of 1805, his army was stationed on the French coast of the English Channel, preparing to invade England. The ground forces that Napoleon gathered were sufficient for a successful invasion, but after the defeat at Trafalgar of the French-Spanish fleet by the British navy, there was not enough naval power in the French fleet to cover the landing of Napoleon’s army, so it was decided to attempt to pull the British fleet away from the English Channel.
On April 11, 1805, Russia and Britain signed the St. Petersburg Union Treaty, which laid the foundation of the Third Coalition. On August 8, the treaty was joined by Austria. However, all attempts to include Prussia in military action against Napoleon ended in failure.
Plan and Forces of the Coalition
A new plan for a war with France was adopted at the meeting in Vienna, attended by the high command of the Austrian army and an envoy of the Russian Emperor. To fight against Napoleon, they needed to gather a great coalition army.
The Convention between Austria and Russia determined the allocation of these powers, intended for the campaign: 250,000 Austrians and 180,000 Russians. At the same time, the plan envisaged participation in the war of 100,000 Prussians, 16,000 Swedes, 16,000 Danes, 35,000 troops of various German contingents, 20,000 Neapolitans and 5,000 Englishmen. However, these forces were largely hypothetical, since neither the Prussians, nor the small German states, nor the Danes had yet joined the coalition.
The July plan referred to troops that actually available at that time. The 50,000-strong Russian army, whose command would later be handed to General Kutuzov, was to gather at the southwestern border of Russia and move to Austria to join forces with them. Approximately 90,000 Russian soldiers were to be collected from the Prussian border. These troops were to demand free passage through the Prussian lands and thereby force the Prussian king to join the coalition. Subsequently, after going through Prussian territory, 50,000 of them were to be sent to Bohemia to help the Austrians, and 40,000 to go to the northwest of Germany. It was here that 16,000 Russian soldiers were to arrive by sea and land in the Stralsund area. They had to unite with the same number of Swedes and the 40,000-strong corps that had passed through Prussia. The Russian and Austrian commanders hoped that they would be joined by 60,000 Prussians. In southern Germany, 120,000 Austrian troops to be deployed, and in northern Italy 100,000 thousand Austrian soldiers. Finally, in the south of Italy, around Naples, 25,000 Russians, and 5,000 British soldiers were to land, and, united with the Neapolitans, to act against the southern flank of the French army grouping in Italy. Thus, the action of the allies was supposed to go in four main directions: Northern Germany, Southern Germany, Northern Italy, Southern Italy.
The total strength of the allied army, thus, was 437,000. And with the Prussians, 497,000. Moreover, it was assumed that in a short time the Austrians would strengthen their army by an additional 100,000, both with their own troops and with the contingents of the German princes.
Military Operations at Sea
The attempt to divert the British, threatening their domination in the West Indies, failed. The French-Spanish fleet under the command of the French admiral Villeneuve failed to break through the British blockade on the way back to Europe at Cape Finisterre, and had to retreat to Spain, to the port of Cadiz, where it was blockaded.
At Cape Trafalgar, the French-Spanish navy took up the battle with the English Navy of Admiral Nelson and was completely defeated, although Nelson was mortally wounded in this battle. The French fleet never recovered from this defeat, relinquishing to the British command of the sea.
Military Operations on Land
To protect themselves from a French invasion, England hastily gathered another anti-French coalition. Unlike the first and second coalition, it was no longer anti-republican, but anti-Napoleonic.
Austria, taking advantage of most of Napoleon’s army being concentrated in the north of France, planned to take military action in northern Italy and in Bavaria. To help the Austrians, Russia moved two armies, under the command of General Kutuzov.
Having received information about the actions of the coalition forces, Napoleon was forced to postpone the invasion of the British Isles for an indefinite period and move troops to Germany.
In the meantime, the 72,000-strong Austrian army, under the command of Baron Karl von Leiberich, invaded Bavaria, without waiting for Russian troops who had not yet reached the front. Napoleon left the Boulogne camp and, and in the shortest time possible, reached Bavaria. The Austrian army capitulated in the Battle of Ulm. Left alone, Kutuzov was forced to retreat.
Napoleon occupied Vienna without serious resistance. Russian general Kutuzov stopped his retreat and, with help from the Austrian army, entered the battle with the French at Austerlitz, and suffered a severe and crushing defeat, retreating in disorder.
Results of the War
Shortly after Austerlitz, Austria entered into the Presburg Peace with France, which deprived Austria of a number of territories. Russia, despite heavy losses, continued military operations against Napoleon as part of the fourth anti-French coalition, also in conjunction with the active participation of England. The continental part of the Naples Kingdom, including the capital city of Naples, was conquered by Napoleon.
Sources:
- Coalition Wars // Military Encyclopedia
- Sokolov OV The army of Napoleon.
- Lashuk A. Napoleon. Campaigns and battles
- Delderfield R. Marshals of Napoleon