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The Third Coalition
In May 1804, Napoleon made himself Emperor of France, and thereby Emperor of the Italian Republic and the Confederation of Switzerland as well. Fearing the encroaching sphere of French influence in the Holy Roman Empire, Emperor Francis II proclaimed himself Emperor of Austria soon after Napoleon’s coronation, hoping to preserve his imperial status if the Holy Roman Empire fell. Subsequently, in 1805, Austria allied with Britain. When the Russian Tsar, Alexander I, joined this group in April, the Third Coalition was born.
By 1805, Napoleon was preparing to attack England. He had forces massed on the French coast of the English Channel, preparing them for an amphibious assault, one that could be devastating for Britain if the French Army ever reached land. However, Napoleon soon had to divert his army to handle a combined Russian and Austrian army that was marching on France, but continued to put naval pressure on England. This was unsuccessful, as, on October 21, 1805, the British fleet decimated Napoleon's fleet at the battle of Trafalgar, solidifying its supremacy on the sea. Despite his loss on the sea, Napoleon showed his on supremacy on land on December 2, 1805, by smashing the Russo-Austrian offensive in Moravia at Austerlitz. The Russians retreated to Poland, and the Austrians signed the Treaty of Pressburg, which gave Napoleon even more Austrian territory in Italy.
The Fall of the Holy Roman Empire and the Third Coalition
In 1806, Napoleon finally dissolved the tottering Holy Roman Empire, replacing it with the Confederation of the Rhine, with himself as its “protector.” Prussia, which had stayed out of the Third Coalition, became concerned with Napoleon's expansion of power in Germany, and Frederick William III foolishly went to war without any allies. He was soundly defeated at the battles of Jena and Auerstedt in October 1806 and forced to retreat. Along with the Confederation of the Rhine, Napoleon now controlled western Prussia.
Next, Napoleon pursued the Russians, overrunning them at Friedland in Prussia on June 14, 1807. Alexander I was afraid of retreating into Russia, lest a rebellion break out when fighting started on Russian soil. Instead, he negotiated the Treaty of Tilsit with Napoleon in July 1807, allying himself with Napoleon and horrifying the other rulers in Europe. Thus, the Third Coalition was dead.
Alexander I and Napoleon
Alexander I was an interesting historical character. While Britain remained Napoleon’s archenemy, on more than one occasion it was Alexander who prevented Napoleon from achieving a key objective. Like Napoleon, Alexander controlled a vast territory and was one of the most powerful forces in Europe. Alexander also considered himself an “enlightened despot.” (Unfortunately for his subjects, he was only half correct about that.) Although a tsar in the Russian tradition, he had been educated by a very liberal Swiss tutor, and wanted to rationalize and modernize the Russian state. He saw himself as Napoleon’s rival in Europe, and advocated an idea of “collective security,” by which all of the powers would work together to make sure no single nation grew too powerful. In this case, the nation to oppose was France.
However, Alexander also had personal motives for opposing Napoleon. He was genuinely jealous of Napoleon’s power and influence and had been offered 1.25 million pounds for every 100,000 soldiers raised to oppose Napoleon by Britain. Finally, Alexander wanted what Russian rulers always want: Poland. It would simultaneously serve as a buffer between Russia and invasion from Western Europe and allow the tsar to extend his influence westward. However, even these motivations were not enough to prevent Alexander from allying with Napoleon when he was most desperate.
