Ulm campaign

Quick Facts: Who was Ulm campaign?

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Ulm campaign

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A 1805 military campaign where Napoleon outflanked and captured the Austrian army near Ulm.

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Origins & Early Life

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.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Napoleon himself wrote: four months of marching about, months of fatigue and wretchedness, have proved to me that nothing is more hideous, more miserable, than war. And yet our sufferings in the Guard are not to be compared with those of the line. 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.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

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. Europe had been by then embroiled in the French Revolutionary Wars since 1792. After five years of war, the French Republic subdued the First Coalition in 1797. A Second Coalition was formed in 1798 but this too was defeated by 1801.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1792: 1792 Milestone — Europe had been by then embroiled in the French Revolutionary Wars since 1792.
2. 1797: 1797 Milestone — After five years of war, the French Republic subdued the First Coalition in 1797.
3. 1798: 1798 Milestone — A Second Coalition was formed in 1798 but this too was defeated by 1801.
4. 1805: 1805 Milestone — 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.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Ulm campaign

True or False: “The Ulm campaign was solely responsible for ending the Napoleonic Wars immediately after 1805.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While decisive, the victory at Ulm did not end the war; Russia remained a threat and the conflict continued until the Treaty of Pressburg in late December.

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