Franco-Austrian Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Franco-Austrian Alliance was a diplomatic and military alliance between France
and Austria that was first established in 1756 following the First Treaty of Versailles
which lasted for much of the remainder of the century until it was abandoned during the French Revolution
.
The Alliance had its heyday during the Seven Years War when France and Austria joined forces to fight the mutual enemy of Prussia
. Following the allies' defeat in that war, the intimacy of the alliance weakened, and by the 1780s it had become something closer to a formality—when Austria briefly considered the idea of entering the American War of Independence on Britain's side against France. By the time of the French Revolution—when France first declared itself a constitutional monarchy, and then overthrew and executed its king—it had collapsed entirely and Austria actively tried to restore the French monarchy by going to war with the new French Republic.
France and its allies had managed to severely weaken Austrian power and forced them to give up small amounts of territory. In the following War of the Austrian Succession
France allied with Prussia to attack Austria, which ended in Austria being forced to cede its richest and most prized province of Silesia
to the Prussians.
The failure of Britain in both these wars to prevent Austria's losses led to a re-evaluation of the Anglo-Austrian Alliance
which had existed since 1731, and Austria began to consider gaining new allies who would help them to recover Silesia, which was the top priority of Maria Theresa, the ruler of Austria.
By 1754, six years after the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
which had brought the previous war to an end, a new figure Von Kaunitz had risen to power in Vienna as a close advisor of Maria Theresa. He was committed to ending the British alliance, and looking for a new military partner. His friendship with the French ambassador Choiseul
provided a close link between Paris and Vienna, and Choiseul indicated to Kaunitz that France was willing to consider a rapprochement with Austria, despite the long-standing history of conflict between the two states.
When in 1756 Britain signed a limited defensive alliance with Prussia
, the Austrians and French were outraged at what they perceived as a betrayal by their respective allies. In response Austria and France signed a defensive alliance of their own the First Treaty of Versailles
. This stipulated that if either country were attacked by a third party, they would come to their assistance. As the Austrians were now planning an attack on Prussia to retake Silesia, the treaty was seen as a way of preventing any other power trying to intervene on the side of the Prussians. These sudden political changes formed part of what became known as the stately quadrille
.
In August 1756, Frederick the Great of Prussia, fearing that his country was about to be overrun and partitioned
by its enemies, launched a pre-emptive strike against Austria's ally Saxony
which he succeeded in capturing. This triggered the declaration of the Seven Years War, and Austria went to war with Prussia with France as an ally. The Treaty of St Petersburg saw Sweden
and Russia
join the anti-Prussian alliance. Britain was Prussia's only major ally, although London was at war with France only and not with Austria, Russia, Saxony or Sweden.
The alliance reached its high water mark in late 1757, when a French invasion overran Hanover, Austrian troops recaptured Saxony
, and Austria liberated its own province of Bohemia
which had been occupied by the Prussians. Having signed a Second Treaty of Versailles in 1757 the French were now committed to an offensive war and sent troops to aid the Austrians against Prussia as well as financial subsidies to support the large armies the Austrians put into the field. By the autumn of 1757 it appeared that the Franco-Austrian forces would overwhelm the much smaller Prussia, and would then partition it with their allies. Two decisive Prussian victories at Rossbach
and Leuthen
ended this offensive.
France and Austria struggled after this to defeat their enemies - as the Prussians fought them to a standstill in a conflict that was extremely costly in terms of men, resources and money and brought the French government close to the brink of bankruptcy. While French troops were poured into Germany, Britain attacked France's colonies around the globe, causing France to lose most of its North American, Caribbean, African and Asian colonies. France was ultimately forced to abandon its financial commitments to Austria because of a lack of money to pay them with. France and Austria continued fighting in Germany until late 1762 when an armistice was signed with Britain and Prussia. The Treaty of Paris
saw Austria forced to acknowledge continued Prussian ownership of Silesia
while France had to cede a number of colonies to the British. The war was extremely costly and left large swathes of Central Europe in ruins with little discernible continental advantage for any of the participants.
Austria and France were each disappointed with the military performance of the other during the war. The failure of the two states (and their allies) to overwhelm Prussia was considered by Paris a major reason for France's loss of numerous global colonies to the British, while the Austrians were unimpressed by the level of French help they had received in their hopes of recovering Silesia
. This disappointment led to a cooling of relations between the two states, as France drew closer to its neighbour, Spain, while Austria looked to its Russian ally in the east, with whom they shared an enmity towards the Ottoman Empire
.
By the 1780s the alliance had grown much weaker, owing to the death of Maria Theresa and the fall from power of Kaunitz. The new Emperor Joseph II
was more willing to consider establishing fresh alliances - potentially with Great Britain. Britain was at the time fighting a global war against France, Spain, Mysore, the Dutch Republic and the United States, which had declared independence in 1776. This left Britain diplomatically isolated and without a major ally. Britain now tried to secure Austrian support, hoping that an Austrian attack on France would draw French resources back across the Atlantic to concentrate on Europe - thereby safeguarding Britain's valuable West Indian colonies.
Although Austria ultimately remained neutral in the conflict, the alliance was considerably weakened - caused partly by a failure of the French to adequately support Austria in the brief War of the Bavarian Succession with Prussia. One of the strongest remaining links between the two states was the marriage of Marie Antoinette
, daughter of Maria Theresa and siser of Joseph II, to Louis XVI of France, which had taken place in 1770. Marie Antoinette was regarded by the French public as having enormous influence over her husband, and persuading him to pursue a pro-Austrian line. In reality she had little control over the King who was guided instead by his ministers including the anti-Austrian Comte de Vergennes.
for Austria to honour the Treaty of 1756. In 1792 the Austrians sent troops to invade France, threatening to destroy Paris if Louis XVI, now reduced to a constitutional monarch, was not restored to his previous status. The Austrians suffered a defeat at the Battle of Valmy
and Louis XVI was overthrown and, together with Marie Antoinette, executed the following year. Austria now joined a coalition of states trying to crush the French revolutionaries by force and Vienna became one of the centres of anti-revolutionary activity, giving shelter to many French royalist refugees.
was defeated in the War of the Fifth Coalition
in 1809 by the First French Empire
, the alliance was briefly revived. The Kaiser Franz's
second daughter, Marie Louise
, married Napoleon I
and became Empress consort of the French. The Austrians contributed 34,000 men to La Grande Armée
during the French invasion of Russia
.
The alliance broke down after Napoleon's retreat from Russia, and Austria joined the Sixth Coalition in 1813.
Early Modern France
Kingdom of France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century...
and Austria that was first established in 1756 following the First Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles (1756)
The Treaty of Versailles was a diplomatic agreement between Austria and France signed on 1 May 1756 at the Palace of Versailles in which the two countries offered each other mutual assistance if attacked by other powers, which was broadly interpreted as meaning Britain or Prussia...
which lasted for much of the remainder of the century until it was abandoned during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
The Alliance had its heyday during the Seven Years War when France and Austria joined forces to fight the mutual enemy of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
. Following the allies' defeat in that war, the intimacy of the alliance weakened, and by the 1780s it had become something closer to a formality—when Austria briefly considered the idea of entering the American War of Independence on Britain's side against France. By the time of the French Revolution—when France first declared itself a constitutional monarchy, and then overthrew and executed its king—it had collapsed entirely and Austria actively tried to restore the French monarchy by going to war with the new French Republic.
Background
Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries France and Austria had been enemies, repeatedly fighting wars against each other. During the War of the Polish SuccessionWar of the Polish Succession
The War of the Polish Succession was a major European war for princes' possessions sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II, King of Poland that other European powers widened in pursuit of their own national interests...
France and its allies had managed to severely weaken Austrian power and forced them to give up small amounts of territory. In the following War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
France allied with Prussia to attack Austria, which ended in Austria being forced to cede its richest and most prized province of Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
to the Prussians.
The failure of Britain in both these wars to prevent Austria's losses led to a re-evaluation of the Anglo-Austrian Alliance
Anglo-Austrian Alliance
The Anglo-Austrian Alliance connected the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Habsburg monarchy during the first half of the 18th century. It was largely the work of the British statesman Duke of Newcastle, who considered an alliance with Austria crucial to prevent the further expansion of French...
which had existed since 1731, and Austria began to consider gaining new allies who would help them to recover Silesia, which was the top priority of Maria Theresa, the ruler of Austria.
Diplomatic Revolution
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle of 1748 ended the War of the Austrian Succession following a congress assembled at the Imperial Free City of Aachen—Aix-la-Chapelle in French—in the west of the Holy Roman Empire, on 24 April 1748...
which had brought the previous war to an end, a new figure Von Kaunitz had risen to power in Vienna as a close advisor of Maria Theresa. He was committed to ending the British alliance, and looking for a new military partner. His friendship with the French ambassador Choiseul
Étienne François, duc de Choiseul
Étienne-François, comte de Stainville, duc de Choiseul was a French military officer, diplomat and statesman. Between 1758 and 1761, and 1766 and 1770, he was Foreign Minister of France and had a strong influence on France's global strategy throughout the period...
provided a close link between Paris and Vienna, and Choiseul indicated to Kaunitz that France was willing to consider a rapprochement with Austria, despite the long-standing history of conflict between the two states.
When in 1756 Britain signed a limited defensive alliance with Prussia
Anglo-Prussian Alliance
The Anglo-Prussian Alliance was a military alliance created by the Westminster Convention between Great Britain and Prussia which lasted formally between 1756 and 1762 during the Seven Years' War. It allowed Britain to concentrate the majority of its efforts against the colonial possessions of the...
, the Austrians and French were outraged at what they perceived as a betrayal by their respective allies. In response Austria and France signed a defensive alliance of their own the First Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles (1756)
The Treaty of Versailles was a diplomatic agreement between Austria and France signed on 1 May 1756 at the Palace of Versailles in which the two countries offered each other mutual assistance if attacked by other powers, which was broadly interpreted as meaning Britain or Prussia...
. This stipulated that if either country were attacked by a third party, they would come to their assistance. As the Austrians were now planning an attack on Prussia to retake Silesia, the treaty was seen as a way of preventing any other power trying to intervene on the side of the Prussians. These sudden political changes formed part of what became known as the stately quadrille
Stately quadrille
The stately quadrille is a term popularly used to describe the constantly shifting alliances between the Great Powers of Europe during the 18th century. The ultimate objective was to maintain the balance of power in Europe, and to stop any one alliance or country becoming too strong...
.
Seven Years War
Partition (politics)
In politics, a partition is a change of political borders cutting through at least one territory considered a homeland by some community. That change is done primarily by diplomatic means, and use of military force is negligible....
by its enemies, launched a pre-emptive strike against Austria's ally Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
which he succeeded in capturing. This triggered the declaration of the Seven Years War, and Austria went to war with Prussia with France as an ally. The Treaty of St Petersburg saw Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
join the anti-Prussian alliance. Britain was Prussia's only major ally, although London was at war with France only and not with Austria, Russia, Saxony or Sweden.
The alliance reached its high water mark in late 1757, when a French invasion overran Hanover, Austrian troops recaptured Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, and Austria liberated its own province of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
which had been occupied by the Prussians. Having signed a Second Treaty of Versailles in 1757 the French were now committed to an offensive war and sent troops to aid the Austrians against Prussia as well as financial subsidies to support the large armies the Austrians put into the field. By the autumn of 1757 it appeared that the Franco-Austrian forces would overwhelm the much smaller Prussia, and would then partition it with their allies. Two decisive Prussian victories at Rossbach
Battle of Rossbach
The Battle of Rossbach took place during the Seven Years' War near the village of Roßbach, in the Electorate of Saxony. Frederick the Great defeated the allied armies of France and the Holy Roman/Austrian Empire...
and Leuthen
Battle of Leuthen
In the Battle of Leuthen or Lissa, fought on 5 December 1757, Frederick the Great's Prussian army used maneuver and terrain to decisively defeat a much larger Austrian army under Charles of Lorraine, thus ensuring Prussian control of Silesia during the Seven Years' War.- Background :While Frederick...
ended this offensive.
France and Austria struggled after this to defeat their enemies - as the Prussians fought them to a standstill in a conflict that was extremely costly in terms of men, resources and money and brought the French government close to the brink of bankruptcy. While French troops were poured into Germany, Britain attacked France's colonies around the globe, causing France to lose most of its North American, Caribbean, African and Asian colonies. France was ultimately forced to abandon its financial commitments to Austria because of a lack of money to pay them with. France and Austria continued fighting in Germany until late 1762 when an armistice was signed with Britain and Prussia. The Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. It ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War...
saw Austria forced to acknowledge continued Prussian ownership of Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
while France had to cede a number of colonies to the British. The war was extremely costly and left large swathes of Central Europe in ruins with little discernible continental advantage for any of the participants.
Peacetime alliance
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
. This disappointment led to a cooling of relations between the two states, as France drew closer to its neighbour, Spain, while Austria looked to its Russian ally in the east, with whom they shared an enmity towards the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
By the 1780s the alliance had grown much weaker, owing to the death of Maria Theresa and the fall from power of Kaunitz. The new Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
was more willing to consider establishing fresh alliances - potentially with Great Britain. Britain was at the time fighting a global war against France, Spain, Mysore, the Dutch Republic and the United States, which had declared independence in 1776. This left Britain diplomatically isolated and without a major ally. Britain now tried to secure Austrian support, hoping that an Austrian attack on France would draw French resources back across the Atlantic to concentrate on Europe - thereby safeguarding Britain's valuable West Indian colonies.
Although Austria ultimately remained neutral in the conflict, the alliance was considerably weakened - caused partly by a failure of the French to adequately support Austria in the brief War of the Bavarian Succession with Prussia. One of the strongest remaining links between the two states was the marriage of Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
, daughter of Maria Theresa and siser of Joseph II, to Louis XVI of France, which had taken place in 1770. Marie Antoinette was regarded by the French public as having enormous influence over her husband, and persuading him to pursue a pro-Austrian line. In reality she had little control over the King who was guided instead by his ministers including the anti-Austrian Comte de Vergennes.
French Revolution
The French Revolution destroyed the ties between the two states despite appeals by the French National AssemblyNational Assembly
National Assembly is either a legislature, or the lower house of a bicameral legislature in some countries. The best known National Assembly, and the first legislature to be known by this title, was that established during the French Revolution in 1789, known as the Assemblée nationale...
for Austria to honour the Treaty of 1756. In 1792 the Austrians sent troops to invade France, threatening to destroy Paris if Louis XVI, now reduced to a constitutional monarch, was not restored to his previous status. The Austrians suffered a defeat at the Battle of Valmy
Battle of Valmy
The Battle of Valmy was the first major victory by the army of France during the French Revolution. The action took place on 20 September 1792 as Prussian troops commanded by the Duke of Brunswick attempted to march on Paris...
and Louis XVI was overthrown and, together with Marie Antoinette, executed the following year. Austria now joined a coalition of states trying to crush the French revolutionaries by force and Vienna became one of the centres of anti-revolutionary activity, giving shelter to many French royalist refugees.
Napoleonic Wars
After the Austrian EmpireAustrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
was defeated in the War of the Fifth Coalition
War of the Fifth Coalition
The War of the Fifth Coalition, fought in the year 1809, pitted a coalition of the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom against Napoleon's French Empire and Bavaria. Major engagements between France and Austria, the main participants, unfolded over much of Central Europe from April to July, with...
in 1809 by the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
, the alliance was briefly revived. The Kaiser Franz's
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
second daughter, Marie Louise
Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma
Marie Louise of Austria was the second wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French and later Duchess of Parma...
, married Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte 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...
and became Empress consort of the French. The Austrians contributed 34,000 men to La Grande Armée
La Grande Armée
The Grande Armée first entered the annals of history when, in 1805, Napoleon I renamed the army that he had assembled on the French coast of the English Channel for the proposed invasion of Britain...
during the French invasion of Russia
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
.
The alliance broke down after Napoleon's retreat from Russia, and Austria joined the Sixth Coalition in 1813.
See also
- Anglo-Austrian AllianceAnglo-Austrian AllianceThe Anglo-Austrian Alliance connected the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Habsburg monarchy during the first half of the 18th century. It was largely the work of the British statesman Duke of Newcastle, who considered an alliance with Austria crucial to prevent the further expansion of French...
- Anglo-Prussian AllianceAnglo-Prussian AllianceThe Anglo-Prussian Alliance was a military alliance created by the Westminster Convention between Great Britain and Prussia which lasted formally between 1756 and 1762 during the Seven Years' War. It allowed Britain to concentrate the majority of its efforts against the colonial possessions of the...
- Foreign alliances of FranceForeign alliances of FranceThe foreign alliances of France have a long and complex history spanning more than a millennium. One traditional characteristic of the French diplomacy of alliances has been the "Alliance de revers" The foreign alliances of France have a long and complex history spanning more than a millennium. One...
- Franco-Prussian Alliance