After having come to know about the third coalition against France, Napoleon had changed his programme. Instead of making an attack on England, he directed his army towards Austria, because he knew it well that Austria was the arch enemy of France.

She had participated in every coalition against France. Napoleon had already said to one of his Ministers, “If he failed to make use of his grand army against England, he would utilise it against Austria.”

Napoleon advanced towards Austria and reached near Danube without caring for the neutrality of Prussia and surrounded the Austrian army at Ulm on 20th October 1805.

The French army forced the Austrian Commander, Mack, to surrender along with his 50 thousand soldiers. It was the grand success of Napoleon for which he was praised by his enemies.

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Though he met a disastrous defeat at Trafalgar and a person lesser than Napoleon would have been bewildered by this defeat, nonetheless he continued his campaign against Austria and captured Vienna, the capital. Napoleon defeated the joint forces of Austria and Russia at the field of Austerlitz.

As all the three emperors were present at the battlefield, the battle is also known as “Three Emperors’ Battle”. The Austrian Emperor had to sue for a treaty and Pitt the Younger died of shock, within six months of this defeat.

Remaking of Germany

Napoleon not only took advantage of these circumstances for crushing Austria but he also paid attention towards the remaking of Germany and destroying the Holy Roman Empire. His German policy had three objectives:

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1. To get the boundary of France extended up to Rhine.

2. To oust Austria from Germany.

3. To establish French supremacy in the German provinces.

Napoleon had achieved his first object by concluding the treaties of Campo Formio and Luneville and had destroyed the German states by uniting the provinces west of Rhine River in France. Now he directed attention to the attainment of other objectives.