The treaty ended the War of the Third Coalition, forcing Austria from the coalition and accelerating the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 26 December 1805
- French indemnity demanded
- 40 million francs
- Battle preceding treaty
- Battle of Austerlitz, 2 December 1805
- Territories ceded to France/allies
- Venetia, Istria, Dalmatia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Swabia
- Austrian compensation received
- Electorate of Salzburg
- Holy Roman Empire dissolved
- Within months of signing, Francis II abdicated title
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Napoleon's decisive defeat of the combined Russian and Austrian forces at the Battle of Austerlitz on 2 December 1805 compelled Austria to seek terms. A truce was agreed on 4 December, and France, represented by Talleyrand, opened negotiations with Austrian delegates to end the War of the Third Coalition.
The Peace of Pressburg was signed on 26 December 1805 in Pressburg (modern Bratislava) between Napoleon Bonaparte and Holy Roman Emperor Francis II. Austria withdrew from the Third Coalition, ceded Venetia, Istria, Dalmatia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, and Swabian territories to France and its German allies, and paid an indemnity of 40 million francs.
Austria's territorial losses and Francis II's recognition of the kingly titles of Bavaria and Württemberg fatally weakened the Holy Roman Empire. Within months, Napoleon established the Confederation of the Rhine, and Francis II renounced his title as Holy Roman Emperor, ending the empire after nearly a millennium. Remaining border issues were resolved by the Treaty of Fontainebleau in 1807.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Napoleon Bonaparte, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand.
Side B
1 belligerent
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, Johann I Joseph, Prince of Liechtenstein, Count Ignác Gyulay.