Battle of Austerlitz

1805 battle during the War of the Third Coalition

In the battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon Bonaparte fought Russian and Austrian troops. The battle took place near Austerlitz (now in the Czech Republic) in 1805. Napoleon’s big victory let him create the Confederation of the Rhine. The book War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy contains a detailed description of the battle.

Battle of Austerlitz
Part of the War of the Third Coalition
Colored painting showing Napoleon on a white horse and General Rapp galloping towards Napoleon to present the captured Austrian standards
Napoléon at the Battle of Austerlitz, by François Gérard (Galerie des Batailles, Versailles)
Date2 December 1805
Location
Austerlitz, Moravia, Austrian Empire
(now Slavkov u Brna, Czech Republic)

49°8′N 16°46′E / 49.133°N 16.767°E / 49.133; 16.767
Result

Decisive French victory

Territorial
changes
Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and creation of the Confederation of the Rhine
Belligerents
 France
Commanders and leaders
Napoleon I
Strength
65,000–68,000 (not including III Corps)[1]84,000–95,000[2]
Casualties and losses
  • 1,305 dead
  • 6,940 wounded
  • 8,245 total casualties
  • 573 captured
  • 1 standard lost[3]
Total: 9,000
  • 16,000 dead or wounded
  • 20,000 captured
  • 186 guns lost
  • 45 standards lost[4]
Total: 36,000

The battle sometimes (as of the 2020s) gets acted out (or reenacted).[5]

References