Treaty of Pressburg (1805) in the context of "Free City of Augsburg"

The War of the Third Coalition (French: Guerre de la Troisième Coalition) was a European conflict lasting from 1805 to 1806 and was the first conflict of the Napoleonic Wars. During the war, France and its client states under Napoleon I and its ally Spain opposed an alliance, the Third Coalition, which was made up of the United Kingdom, the Austrian Empire, the Russian Empire, Naples, Sicily, and Sweden. Prussia remained neutral during the war.

Britain had already been at war with France following the breakdown of the Peace of Amiens and remained the only country still at war with France after the Treaty of Pressburg. From 1803 to 1805, Britain was under constant threat of a French invasion. The Royal Navy, however, assured its naval dominance at the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805.

The Ulm campaign was a series of French and Bavarian military maneuvers and battles to outflank and capture an Austrian army in 1805 during the War of the Third Coalition. It took place in the vicinity of and inside the Swabian city of Ulm. The French Grande Armée, led by Emperor Napoleon, had 210,000 troops organized into seven corps and hoped to knock out the Austrian army in the Danube before Russian reinforcements could arrive. Rapid marching let Napoleon conduct a large wheeling maneuver, which captured an Austrian army of 60,000 under Feldmarschall-Leutnant (FML) Karl Freiherr Mack von Leiberich on 20 October at Ulm. The campaign is by some military historians regarded as a strategic masterpiece and was influential in the development of the Schlieffen Plan in the late 19th century. Napoleon himself wrote:

The victory at Ulm did not end the war since a large Russian army under Mikhail Kutuzov was near Vienna to defend the city against the French. The Russians withdrew to the northeast to await reinforcements and to link up with Austrian army units. The French moved aggressively forward and captured Vienna on 12 November. On 2 December, the massive Battle of Austerlitz, causing 24,000 to 36,000 casualties, removed Austria from the war. The resulting Treaty of Pressburg in late December brought the Third Coalition to an end and established Napoleonic France as the major power in Central Europe, which led to the War of the Fourth Coalition against the Kingdom of Prussia and Russia the following year.

Innsbruck (German: [ˈɪnsbʁʊk] ; Bavarian: Innschbruck [ˈɪnʃprʊk]) is the capital of the Austrian state of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. It is located on the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass 30 km (19 mi) to the south. The city had a population of 132,188 in 2024.

Innsbruck originated in the Middle Ages as a strategic crossing point over the Inn River. The name means "bridge over the Inn". In 1363, Innsbruck came under Habsburg control and later became an important residence of Emperor Maximilian I, who enriched the city with landmark buildings like the Golden Roof. During the Early Modern Era, it served as a key political and cultural hub of Tyrol, also playing a role as a center of Catholic reform. In the early 19th century, following the Treaty of Pressburg, the city was temporarily incorporated into the Kingdom of Bavaria, before returning to Austrian rule after the Congress of Vienna.

Interview Between Napoleon and Francis II after the Battle of Austerlitz (French: Entrevue de Napoléon Ier et de François II après la bataille d'Austerlitz) is an 1812 history painting by the French artist Antoine-Jean Gros. It portrays the meeting of Napoleon, Emperor of France, and Francis II of Austria in the aftermath of the Battle of Austerlitz in December 1805. Francis requested an interview to discuss terms a day after Napoleon's crushing victory over Austria and its Russian allies. The meeting took place in the Moravian countryside about ten miles south of the battlefield and agreed an immediate armistice to be followed by the Treaty of Pressburg a few weeks later.

The Austrian emperor is accompanied by the Prince of Liechtenstein. It was part of a major commission from several artists depicting the glories of the Napoleonic era. The work was intended to be ready for the Paris Salon of 1808, but was not finally completed and exhibited until the 1812 Salon. By the time the work was exhibited Francis was Napoleon's father-in-law following the latter's marriage to Marie Louise. The following year, however Austria joined the alliance against Napoleon and declared war on France.