In May 1809, the Austrian army scored a significant victory against Napoleon at the Battle of Aspern. This win gave hope to Napoleon’s enemies, who had been under French dominance for years. Around the same time, Pope Pius VII excommunicated Napoleon for taking over papal lands, further boosting the morale of his adversaries. Despite this setback, Austria hesitated, unsure whether to pursue peace or continue fighting. Napoleon, on the other hand, quickly regrouped and called for reinforcements near Vienna. His forces swelled to 164,000 men and 544 guns, ready to face Archduke Charles’s Austrian army of 128,000 men and 414 guns.
Six weeks after the defeat at Aspern, Napoleon was ready to cross the Danube again. This time, his engineers had constructed sturdy bridges to prevent past mistakes. Confidently, Napoleon declared, “For the French army, the Danube no longer exists.” The stage was set for what would become the largest battle in European history at that time.
On the rainy evening of July 4th, the French army began crossing from the island of Lobau. Instead of heading towards Aspern and Essling, they moved east towards Gross-Enzersdorf, which soon caught fire from French artillery. Archduke Charles had left only a small force to delay the French, but by dawn, the French Fourth and Second Corps were pushing them back, creating space for the rest of the army to deploy.
At 1 PM, Napoleon advanced across six miles of cornfields towards the Austrian position on the Wagram plateau. The French army was strategically positioned, with cavalry and infantry protecting the flanks and the center filled by the Saxon Corps and the Army of Italy.
At 6 PM, Napoleon ordered a full-scale assault on the Wagram plateau. However, the Austrians put up a fierce resistance. By nightfall, confusion arose as the Saxon Ninth Corps, wearing white uniforms similar to the Austrians, was mistakenly fired upon by their allies, causing panic and retreat.
Both armies spent the night planning their next moves. Napoleon intended for Davout’s Third Corps to attack the Austrian flank, but Marshal Bernadotte had withdrawn his Saxons without orders, allowing the Austrians to occupy a crucial position. Napoleon’s attempt to recapture it failed, resulting in heavy losses.
The Austrians faced their own issues. Archduke Charles planned a dawn attack, hoping for reinforcements from his brother, Archduke John. However, delays and miscommunication stalled the Austrian advance. Taking advantage of this, Davout launched an attack at 10 AM, leading to intense fighting in the village of Markgrafneusiedl and a large cavalry battle in the fields.
Napoleon needed to reinforce his left flank but was determined to keep his reserves for a decisive strike. He ordered Masséna’s Fourth Corps to move across the battlefield, a risky maneuver that succeeded in forcing the Austrians back.
Napoleon assembled a grand battery of over 80 cannons in the center, a tactic he often used to break enemy lines. The artillery barrage was intense, and by 1 PM, Napoleon ordered a general attack. Despite the heavy cannonade, the Austrian forces resisted fiercely, and Macdonald’s troops suffered severe losses.
However, the relentless French attacks wore down the Austrian army. Archduke Charles, realizing his army was near breaking point, ordered a retreat. The Austrians withdrew in an orderly fashion, and while Napoleon claimed victory, his army was too exhausted to pursue effectively.
The Battle of Wagram was the largest and bloodiest battle in European history at that time, with French casualties at 37,500 and Austrian at 41,500. A few days later, the Austrians sought a ceasefire after realizing they couldn’t withstand another French assault. Despite British support arriving too late, Austria made peace with Napoleon in October, signing the Treaty of Schönbrunn. This treaty forced Austria to cede territory and limit its army, marking another victory for Napoleon.
However, the battle revealed cracks in Napoleon’s strategy. His enemies were learning, and he increasingly relied on young conscripts to replace his experienced soldiers. Although victorious, this campaign would be Napoleon’s last major triumph.
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Create an interactive map of the Battle of Wagram using online tools like Google My Maps or similar. Plot key locations such as Lobau Island, Gross-Enzersdorf, and the Wagram plateau. Annotate each point with descriptions of the events that took place there. This activity will help you visualize the battle’s geography and understand the strategic movements of both armies.
Participate in a role-playing debate where you represent either Napoleon or Archduke Charles. Prepare arguments based on their strategies and decisions during the battle. This will enhance your understanding of the leaders’ perspectives and the challenges they faced. Engage with your classmates to debate the effectiveness of each leader’s tactics.
Construct a detailed timeline of the events leading up to, during, and after the Battle of Wagram. Include key dates, troop movements, and significant decisions made by both sides. This will help you grasp the sequence of events and the broader context of the Napoleonic Wars.
Using a simple physics simulation tool, model the impact of Napoleon’s grand battery. Experiment with different angles and forces to see how artillery could affect enemy lines. This hands-on activity will give you insight into the importance of artillery in Napoleonic warfare and the challenges of battlefield tactics.
Research the Treaty of Schönbrunn and its implications for Austria and Napoleon’s empire. Prepare a presentation to share with the class, highlighting the treaty’s terms and its impact on European politics. This will deepen your understanding of the political aftermath of the Battle of Wagram and its significance in history.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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An Epic History TV / History Marche collaboration.
In May 1809, the Austrians had defeated Napoleon’s army in the Battle of Aspern. His enemies took heart. After years of French military dominance, it seemed the tide was turning at last. Three weeks later, Pope Pius VII excommunicated Napoleon for annexing papal land, another propaganda coup for his enemies. However, in the wake of its victory, Austria hesitated, unsure whether to seek peace or continue the war. Meanwhile, Napoleon responded with a flurry of activity. He summoned reinforcements to join him near Vienna: the Army of Italy, under his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais, and the Eleventh Corps under Marshal Marmont, who had together driven Archduke John’s Austrian army out of northern Italy, as well as Marshal Bernadotte’s Saxon Ninth Corps. Napoleon’s army grew from 90,000 to a massive 164,000 men and 544 guns, ready to take on Charles’s army of 128,000 and 414 guns.
Six weeks after his first attempt had ended in defeat, Napoleon ordered his army to cross the river once more. This time, his engineers had built solid bridges across the Danube to ensure there was no repeat of the disasters of Aspern. “For the French army,” Napoleon declared, “the Danube no longer exists.” The stage was set for the largest battle yet seen in European history.
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On the evening of July 4th, in heavy rain, the French began crossing from the island of Lobau, not towards the devastated villages of Aspern and Essling, but east towards Gross-Enzersdorf, which was soon ablaze from French shells. Archduke Charles had left only a small advance guard to delay the French. By dawn, General Masséna’s Fourth Corps and Oudinot’s Second Corps were driving those troops back, winning space for the French army to deploy.
At 1 PM, Napoleon was ready to begin his advance across 6 miles of flat cornfields towards the main Austrian position: an escarpment known as the Wagram, 100 meters behind the Russbach stream. As General Lasalle’s light cavalry and Masséna’s Fourth Corps swung left to guard the flank, Oudinot’s Second Corps and Davout’s Third Corps advanced towards the Wagram. Bernadotte’s Saxon Corps and Eugène’s Army of Italy filled the center.
At 6 PM, unsure of the enemy’s strength, Napoleon ordered a full-scale assault against the Wagram plateau. However, his troops met determined Austrian resistance along the line. By dusk, the Saxon Ninth Corps had pushed into the village of Deutsch-Wagram. The Saxon infantry wore white uniforms, like the Austrians, and as darkness fell, they were mistaken for the enemy and fired upon by friendly units. The Saxons panicked and fled with heavy losses. Napoleon’s attempt at a quick breakthrough had failed.
That night, both armies slept in the open while Charles and Napoleon planned their next moves. On the second day, Napoleon planned for Davout’s Third Corps to lead the attack, rolling up the Austrian flank, while his other corps pinned down the enemy with local attacks. But to the Emperor’s fury, he learned that overnight, without orders, Marshal Bernadotte had withdrawn his battered Saxons from Aderklaa, which the Austrians now occupied. Aderklaa was a crucial strongpoint in the center of the battlefield. Napoleon gave orders for its immediate recapture, but the French and Saxon attack failed, resulting in heavy losses.
The Austrians had their own problems. Archduke Charles, knowing he faced a superior enemy, decided his only chance of victory lay in an all-out dawn attack. He was relying on his brother Archduke John reaching him with 13,000 reinforcements in time to support the attack on the left. But by dawn, there was still no sign of him. Moreover, as Fourth Corps began its assault on Grosshofen on time, Third Corps, which had received its orders late, was still getting into position, holding up the entire Austrian right wing. Charles had to tell Fourth Corps to abort its unsupported attack until the other corps were ready.
With the Austrians paralyzed by delays, at 10 AM, Davout began his attack. A fierce infantry battle erupted in the village of Markgrafneusiedl, while in the fields, dragoons and hussars fought a large cavalry battle, as each side tried to outflank the other. Davout’s corps took the village, though they couldn’t stop the Austrians from withdrawing to a strong new position on the Wagram escarpment. Meanwhile, a serious threat had developed to Napoleon’s left flank and rear. Klenau’s Sixth Corps had driven back the outnumbered French, with some units advancing as far as Essling, dangerously close to Napoleon’s vital river crossings.
Napoleon urgently needed to reinforce his left flank, but he was also determined to hold back his reserves for a decisive attack. So he ordered Masséna’s Fourth Corps to march across the battlefield and reinforce the left. A huge redeployment like this, right in front of the enemy, was high-risk. So Marshal Bessières was ordered to lead a cavalry attack straight against the enemy center. Casualties were high. Even Marshal Bessières had his horse killed under him, alarming his men. But the enemy was kept busy while Fourth Corps completed its redeployment and forced Klenau’s corps to fall back.
Napoleon now assembled a grand battery of more than 80 cannons in the center of the battlefield. This was one of Napoleon’s trademark tactics – a concentration of artillery to blast the enemy line and pave the way for a decisive French attack. The Grand Battery fired an estimated 15,000 rounds, setting light to the cornfields. Around 1 PM, Napoleon ordered a general attack. As Davout continued to batter at the enemy flank, Fourth Corps would advance on the left, Second Corps on the right, while in the center, General Macdonald would lead forward 8,000 men of the Army of Italy, formed up in a giant three-sided square to secure his flanks.
But despite the terrible French cannonade, Austrian Third Corps and Grenadiers of the Reserve met the French advance with heavy fire. Macdonald’s giant square was cut to pieces, its men mown down en masse by cannon fire, and the attack stalled. However, the Austrian army, battered by relentless French attacks, was near breaking point. Every part of the line was under pressure from the French. Archduke Charles, determined to keep his army intact, ordered a retreat. The Austrian withdrawal was disciplined and well-executed. Napoleon had his victory, but his army was also so shattered by fatigue and heavy losses that it was unable to launch any effective pursuit.
The Battle of Wagram was a brutal slugging match, the biggest and bloodiest battle yet seen in European history. French victory came at unprecedented cost: an estimated 37,500 casualties, against 41,500 Austrian. Four days later, French troops caught up with the retreating Austrians at Znaim. As the fighting escalated, Charles knew he could not withstand the French a second time and asked for a ceasefire. However, he had not consulted his older brother Emperor Francis, who was furious when he heard the news, especially because long-awaited British support was finally on the way.
Three weeks after the Battle of Znaim, the largest amphibious force Britain had ever assembled – 35 ships of the line and 39,000 troops – landed at Walcheren Island, on the Scheldt Estuary. Its aim was to destroy French shipping and naval stores. But following the successful bombardment and capture of Vlissingen, British commanders let the initiative slip from their grasp. Their force was bottled up by French troops on the marshy Dutch coast, where it was decimated by fever and dysentery. About 4,000 died, and many more became permanent invalids. The survivors were evacuated back to England in December.
Emperor Francis, informed of the British debacle and persuaded by his generals that Austria couldn’t fight on, made peace with Napoleon. In October, Austria signed the Treaty of Schönbrunn, giving up territory to the French Empire, including Bavaria, Saxony, the Duchy of Warsaw, and Russia. In total, the Austrian Empire was stripped of three and a half million subjects, forced to pay an indemnity, limit its army to 150,000 men, and join Napoleon’s Continental System, which meant ending all trade with British ships and merchants.
Archduke Charles, meanwhile – one of Napoleon’s more skilled opponents – had fallen out so bitterly with his brother, Emperor Francis, that he never held active command again. Napoleon had won another crushing victory, but there were worrying signs for the French Emperor. His enemies were learning, while he would increasingly have to rely on young conscripts to fill the gaps left by veterans killed or wounded on campaign. Few could have guessed in 1809, but Napoleon had just fought his last victorious campaign.
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This version maintains the essential details while ensuring clarity and appropriateness.
Napoleonic – Relating to Napoleon Bonaparte, his era, or his policies, especially during his rule as Emperor of the French and his military campaigns. – The Napoleonic Wars reshaped the political landscape of Europe in the early 19th century.
Wars – Conflicts between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state, often involving military action. – The wars of the 20th century had profound impacts on global politics and society.
Wagram – A significant battle fought in 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars, where Napoleon’s forces defeated the Austrian army. – The Battle of Wagram was a turning point that solidified Napoleon’s dominance over Austria.
Army – An organized military force equipped for fighting on land. – The Roman army was known for its discipline and innovative tactics, which contributed to the expansion of the Roman Empire.
Austria – A central European country that played a significant role in European history, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. – Austria was a key player in the coalition forces opposing Napoleon’s expansion across Europe.
Battle – A sustained fight between large, organized armed forces. – The Battle of Gettysburg was a pivotal moment in the American Civil War.
Artillery – Large-caliber guns used in warfare on land, including cannons and missile launchers. – The development of artillery significantly changed military strategies during the Napoleonic Wars.
Casualties – Persons killed or injured in a war or accident. – The high number of casualties in World War I led to a reevaluation of military tactics and strategies.
Treaty – A formally concluded and ratified agreement between countries. – The Treaty of Versailles officially ended World War I and imposed heavy reparations on Germany.
Strategy – A plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim, especially in military operations. – The strategy employed by the Allies during D-Day was crucial to the success of the Normandy invasion.
