Napoleon's

Threat

ened Invasion

of

"God has given it to me. Beware of touching it." Eugene Beauharnais, Napoleon's stepson, was appointed viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy, which was enlarged by the annexation of Parma; while Napoleon assigned Lucca to his sister Elise, the wife of the Corsican Bacciochi. Genoa was annexed to France.

Napoleon's alliance with Spain placed the Spanish fleet at his disposal in 1805; and he formed a new scheme for the combination of the French and Spanish fleets, for crushing the squadron under Admiral Cornwallis before Lord Nelson's fleet could come to its rescue, and for England. thus making a descent upon the English coast by the vast armament. Great Britain made gigantic preparations to resist the threatened invasion, and three hundred thousand volunteers mustered for that purpose. But Mr. Pitt trusted more to the new coalition which he formed against Napoleon on the Continent of Europe.

Coalition

of

SECTION VII.-NAPOLEON'S AUSTRO-RUSSIAN WAR OF 1805 AND RESULTS.

THE general alarm created by the usurpations of Napoleon in GerAustria, many, Holland, Italy and Switzerland, and the influence of English Russia, gold, induced Austria, Russia and Sweden to unite in a coalition with Sweden Great Britain against France, August, 1805. There was a strong

and

Great Britain.

Napoleon's

March

the

party in Prussia, under the high-spirited queen, Louisa, and Prince Louis Ferdinand, in favor of joining the coalition against the Emperor of the French; but the three Ministers-Haugwitz, Lucchesini and Lombard who were favorable to France and wholly lacking in patriotism, still possessed the confidence of the peace-loving King Frederick William III. Thus Prussia remained neutral for the time, to her subsequent sorrow.

While the attention of all Europe was directed to Boulogne, where Napoleon was fitting out his vast armament for the invasion of Engagainst land, he was silently making his preparations for the memorable camAustrians paign of 1805. His talents for command and his military genius and were never displayed in a more brilliant light than in this campaign. With the greatest promptitude, Napoleon suddenly broke up his camp at Boulogne, assembled an army on the Rhine and marched eastward for the purpose of driving the Austrians out of Bavaria, which they had invaded in utter disregard of neutral rights.

Russians.

Assured of the assistance of most of the South German princes, Napoleon crossed the Rhine in September, 1805, with seven divisions commanded by his most experienced marshals-Ney, Murat, Lannes, Soult, Marmont and others; while Bernadotte disregarded Prussia's

His Invasion

of

and

Violation

neutrality by marching through the Brandenburg margravate of Anspach-Bayreuth upon the Isar. This violation of Prussian territory so irritated King Frederick William III. that he entered into closer Germany relationship with the allies and assumed a menacing attitude, without declaring war, waiting for a favorable opportunity. The Electors of Baden, Würtemberg and Bavaria, the Dukes of Hesse and Nassau and other German princes reinforced Napoleon's army with their troops; as they had as much to expect from his grace as they had to fear from his frowns.

In the meantime, after Marshal Ney's victory at Elchingen, October 14, 1805, the Austrian detachment under General Mack was shut up in Ulm and cut off from the main army of the allies. Helpless and despairing of deliverance, the incompetent General Mack opened negotiations with the French, which ended in his disgraceful capitulation, by which he surrendered Ulm with thirty-three thousand Austrian troops, including thirteen generals, as prisoners of war, and all their colors, magazines and artillery, October 20, 1805. With the deepest humiliation the heroic Austrian warriors marched before Napoleon, laid down their arms before the victor, placed forty banners at his feet and delivered up sixty cannon with their horses. A division of twenty thousand Austrians, which had escaped from Ulm, was surrounded and captured at Nördlingen. General Mack was court-martialed and deprived of his command by order of the Austrian govern

ment.

On the very next day after Mack's disgraceful capitulation at Ulm the naval power of France received a blow from which it never recovered. The French fleet under Admiral Villeneuve, after sailing from Toulon, united with the Spanish fleet under Admiral Gravina at Corunna. Then the combined fleets sailed toward the West Indies, but suddenly returned to Cadiz and hastened to unite with the French squadron at Brest and to crush the British fleet in the Channel. But the headlong pursuit by the British fleet under Lord Nelson before the maneuver of the allied fleets was complete brought the two fleets face to face off Cape Trafalgar, on the south-western coast of Spain, where the decisive naval combat was fought, October 21, 1805.

On the eve of the battle Nelson had read from the mast-head of his flag-ship the famous signal: "England expects every man to do his duty." A deafening shout went up from the whole British fleet, thus declaring every man's acceptance of the heroic admiral's appeal. This was Nelson's last order. He was struck by a musket-ball in the very heat of the conflict, while standing on the deck of his flag-ship, the Victory. He drew his cloak about him and covered his face with his handkerchief, so that his crew might not see that he was wounded.

of Prussian Territory.

Mack's

Capitula

tion of Ulm.

Naval Battle of

Trafalgar.

Nelson's

signal,

Victory and

Death.

Honors to

and His

ions.

He was carried below, and the battle went on for three hours while he was in his death-agony. Learning at last that his fleet had gained a complete victory, England's greatest naval hero's soul departed, with the exclamation: "Thank God, I have done my duty!" The French admiral, Villeneuve, committed suicide in despair. Most of the French and Spanish vessels were captured.

Upon hearing of this great victory, Pitt gave utterance to these Nelson words: "England has saved herself by her courage. She will save Compan- Europe by her example." Nelson's victory was dearly purchased with his death, and his country's grief was shown by the honors paid to his memory. His brother was raised to the peerage. His widow was granted a liberal pension. His remains were deposited in St. Paul's Cathedral, accompanied by a procession more splendid than any that had ever been witnessed on a similar occasion; and a monument was erected to his memory at the public expense, as a lasting testimony of national gratitude. His companions in victory also received rewards. Admiral Collingwood was raised to the peerage, and a liberal provision was made for the wounded and for the families of the slain. In London this victory is commemorated by the name of Trafalgar Square, and no other Englishman has been honored like Nelson.

Prussia's

Menace to

The war party in Prussia had gained the ascendency since BernaNapoleon. dotte's violation of Prussian territory. During a visit of the Czar Alexander I. to Berlin he and King Frederick William III. swore eternal friendship for each other and enmity to Napoleon, over the coffin of Frederick the Great, in the church of the garrison at Potsdam; after which the Prussian king sent his Minister Haugwitz with threatening demands to Napoleon.

Battle of

Dirnstein and Napoleon's Оссира

tion of Vienna.

Proceeding in his victorious career along the Danube, in the Austrian territories, Napoleon defeated the Russians under Kutusoff and Bagration in a series of bloody engagements, the most important of which was the battle of Dirnstein, November 11, 1805. Napoleon entered Vienna, November 13, 1805; and the Prince of Auersburg, who had orders either to defend the bridge over the Danube, which was fortified and filled with gunpowder, or to blow it into the air, suffered himself to be so thoroughly deceived by the French general's craft and by pretended negotiations for peace that he surrendered it to the French without any defense and in good condition. The irresolution Austro- of the Emperor Francis II. and the dissensions between the Austrians Retreat. and the Russians facilitated the victory of the French, who pursued the Austro-Russian army into Moravia, defeating it in constant engagements and capturing an immense booty.

Russian

At Austerlitz, in Moravia, December 2, 1805, was fought the Three Emperors' Battle, in which the winter sun shone upon the most brilliant

of all Napoleon's victories. The allied Austrians and Russians lost ten thousand men killed, while twenty thousand were taken prisoners, and one hundred and twenty cannon were among the spoils of victory. The Emperors of Germany and Russia witnessed the battle from a neighboring eminence; and after the battle the Emperor Francis II., who desired peace, allowed himself to be persuaded to pay an humble visit to Napoleon in his tent, and consented to an armistice stipulating for the retreat of the Russians from the Austrian states.

Three

Emperors'

Battle of

Auster

litz.

Press

burg.

The negotiations which then commenced ended in the Peace of Press- Peace of burg between France and Austria, December 26, 1805, by which Austria relinquished territory containing three million inhabitants. Thus the House of Hapsburg lost the territory of Venice, which was annexed to Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy; the Tyrol and Vorarlberg, which were annexed to Bavaria; and a part of Austria, of which the Breisgau and the lands of the Black Forest were assigned to Baden. This treaty conferred the title of kings upon the Electors of Bavaria and Würtemberg, Napoleon's allies; while Baden was erected into a grand-duchy.

The new Kings of Bavaria and Würtemberg and the Grand Duke of Baden were united with the Bonaparte dynasty by ties of relationship. The daughter of the new Bavarian king, Maximilian Joseph, was married to Napoleon's stepson, Eugene Beauharnais. Catharine, the daughter of the King of Würtemberg, was married to Napoleon's frivolous brother, Jerome Bonaparte, who had just been divorced from his citizen wife. Charles, the grandson of the Grand Duke of Baden, was married to Stephanie Beauharnais, a niece of the Empress Josephine, who had been adopted by Napoleon. The lands on the Lower Rhine were annexed to the Duchy of Cleve-Berg, with the capital Düsseldorf, and conferred upon Joachim Murat, who had married Napoleon's sister Pauline.

Napoleon compelled Holland to accept a monarchical government in the place of her republican constitution, and conferred the crown of the new kingdom upon his brother Louis BONAPARTE. The royal family of Naples had violated its neutrality by receiving an AngloRussian fleet which had landed at Naples during the war; and on the day after the Peace of Pressburg, December 27, 1805, Napoleon published a decree that "the dynasty of the Bourbons has ceased to reign in Naples." Napoleon conferred the crown of Naples on his brother JOSEPH BONAPARTE, who was installed in his new dignity by a French army under Marshal Massena, which invaded the Kingdom of Naples just as the British and Russians were withdrawn in consequence of the battle of Austerlitz. King Ferdinand IV. fled to Sicily; but his highspirited queen, Caroline, remained at Naples and raised an army of lazzaroni and brigands, which she reinforced by convicts from the

Royal Intermar

riages of

Napoleon's

Family

and Relatives.

Louis Bonaparte, King of

Holland.

Joseph

Bona

parte,

King of
Naples

tan Re

jails. The better class of Neapolitans hailed the French as deliverers from the disorderly and dangerous rabble, and Marshal Massena enNeapoli- tered the city without resistance. Joseph Bonaparte's army was desistance. feated at Maïda by the British under General Stuart, in July, 1806; and his dominion was further menaced by a general rising of the Neapolitan peasantry, incited by the agents of Queen Caroline; but, after capturing Gaëta, Marshal Massena suppressed the insurrection and restored order.

Fiefs of the Empire.

Napoleon's Aggressions on

Prussia.

Pitt's Death.

Napoleon endowed his sisters with Italian principalities, and his favorite marshals and statesmen were rewarded by the investiture of newly-created" fiefs of the Empire." Thus Berthier became Prince of Neuchâtel; Talleyrand became Prince of Benevento, and Bernadotte became Prince of Ponte Corvo.

After the battle of Austerlitz the Prussian ambassador Haugwitz did not venture to convey the charge of his court to the victorious French Emperor. Without asking permission from his king, Haugwitz suffered himself to be induced, partly by threats and partly by Napoleon's engaging affability, to sign an unfavorable treaty, by which Prussia exchanged the Franconian principality of Anspach, some lands on the Lower Rhine and the principality of Neuremberg in Switzerland for Hanover, the hereditary German possession of the King of Great Britain. King Frederick William III. vainly opposed the exchange, which threatened to involve him in war with Great Britain. As he was separated from Austria by the conclusion of the Peace of Pressburg, he had no other alternative than to submit to the victor's terms. Thus the King of Prussia tore to pieces the treaty which he had signed with the Czar over the grave of Frederick the Great, and he congratulated the Emperor of the French upon his great victory at Austerlitz. Napoleon coldly replied: "This compliment was intended for another, but Fortune has changed the address."

The news of the sudden change of affairs caused by the battle of Austerlitz hurried Mr. Pitt, the British Prime Minister, to an early grave. Upon hearing of the defeat of Great Britain's allies in that great battle, he pointed to a map of Europe which hung on the wall, saying: "Roll up that map. It will not be wanted these ten years." Though he was only forty-seven, his hollow voice and wasted frame had long told that his days were few; and the great blow to his hopes involved in the failure of the coalition which he had raised up proved fatal to him. He died January 23, 1806, his last words being: "Alas! my country!" He was honored with a public funeral; and his remains were interred in Westminster Abbey, besides those of his illustrious father. Lord Wellesley exclaimed: "What grave contains such a father and such a son! What sepulcher embosoms the remains