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Battle of Austerlitz
December 2, 1805· Battle· Europe
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
Napoleon routed a larger Russian and Austrian army in Moravia by luring it into weakening its center, his most celebrated victory.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
On December 2, 1805, about 73,000 French faced about 85,000 Russians and Austrians, led by two emperors, near today's Slavkov in the Czech Republic. Napoleon deliberately thinned his right flank to tempt the allies down from the Pratzen Heights in the center. As they attacked that flank, Marshal Soult's corps stormed the emptied heights and split their army in two. The allies lost about a third of their men killed, wounded or captured; French losses were far lower.
Why it matters
Austria made peace within weeks, the Third Coalition collapsed, and the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806. It remains the textbook example of a battle won by a trap.
How we know
French and allied after-action reports, Napoleon's bulletins (often exaggerated), and officers' memoirs. The battlefield, with the Peace Monument on the Pratzen Heights, is preserved.
Still debated
Exact casualty figures are uncertain, with estimates varying by several thousand.
Connections (2)
▸Napoleon Bonaparte won his greatest victory at Battle of AusterlitzWell documented
The connection
Napoleon chose the ground, studied the Pratzen Heights days earlier, and feigned weakness, even asking for talks, to tempt the allies to attack. He kept his main force hidden in the morning mist and launched Soult's corps just as the allied center emptied. Afterward he told his army, 'Soldiers, I am pleased with you.'
When and how
Near Austerlitz, now Slavkov u Brna in the Czech Republic, December 2, 1805, the first anniversary of his coronation.
How we know
Napoleon's orders and proclamation, allied reports and staff officers' memoirs describe his plan and how it unfolded.
Debates and open questions
How much of the trap was planned and how much improvised is debated, partly because Napoleon himself polished the story afterward.
▸Battle of Austerlitz broke the Third Coalition in French Revolutionary and Napoleonic WarsWell documented
The connection
Austerlitz knocked Austria out of the Third Coalition: the Treaty of Pressburg, signed December 26, 1805, cost it Venetia and Tyrol. Russia's army withdrew east. Napoleon then reorganized western Germany into the Confederation of the Rhine, and Francis II dissolved the centuries-old Holy Roman Empire in August 1806.
When and how
Pressburg, today Bratislava, December 26, 1805; Confederation of the Rhine, July 1806; Holy Roman Empire dissolved August 6, 1806.
How we know
The Treaty of Pressburg and Francis II's abdication declaration are preserved; their timing follows directly from the battle.
Debates and open questions
Whether a milder peace could have made Austria a lasting partner rather than a vengeful enemy is debated.