Napoleon Visits the Wounded After Battle of Austerlitz, 1805

The Battle of Austerlitz (December 2, 1805) was one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. In what is widely regarded as the greatest victory ever achieved by Napoleon, the Grande Armcee of France defeated a larger Russian and Austrian army led by Tsar Alexander I and Holy Roman Emperor Francis II. The battle occurred near the town of Austerlitz in the Austrian Empire (modern-day Slavkov u Brna in the Czech Republic). Austerlitz brought the War of the Third Coalition to a rapid end, with the Treaty of Pressburg signed by the Austrians later in the month. The battle is often cited as a tactical masterpiece. Napoleon Bonaparte (August 15, 1769 - May 5, 1821) was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution. As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815. He is regarded as one of the greatest military commanders of all time. The Peninsular War and 1812 French invasion of Russia marked turning points in Napoleon's fortunes. In 1813 Napoleon was forced to abdicate and exiled to the island of Elba. He escaped a year later and returned to power, but was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Napoleon was confined by the British on the island of Saint Helena and died there in 1821

Picture No

12695731

Media ID

47681468

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3348px x 4050px (5.6MB)

Credit

Wellcome Images/Science Source/Mary Evans