War of the First Coaltion 1792-1797
Maximin Isnard (1755-1825)
From Isnard's speech before the
French Legislative Assembly in 1791
War of the First Coalition 1792-1797
The War of the First Coalition was part of the
French Revolutionary Wars.
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France vs. The First Coalition The members of the First Coalition were Austria, Piedmont-Sardinia, Prussia, Spain (until 1796), Portugal, the United Provinces, and Great Britain. When Did the War of the First Coalition Begin? The War of the First Coalition begun when France declared war on Austria on April 20, 1792. At that time, Austria and Prussia were allies. Thus, France took on more than one opponent.
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What Were the Causes of the War of the First Coalition?
The outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 triggered a wave of anti-royalism that questioned the structure of European monarchies.
To counterbalance these sentiments,
Prussia and Austria issued the
Declaration of Pillnitz on
August 27, 1791.
On December 14, 1791, the
revolutionaries had their
King
Louis XVI exactly where they wanted him. The King
was forced to announce that he will declare war, if the foreign
courts disregard his declarations in favor of the Revolution.
On February 7, 1792, Austria and Prussia signed a treaty of alliance to "quell the disturbances in France."
On March 1, 1792,
Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II,
who had put his signature under the Declaration of Pillnitz as well
as the Treaty of February 7, died.
On March 16, 1792,
Swedish King Gustav III, an
opponent of the French Revolution, was assassinated. He died two
weeks later.
Highlights of the War of the First Coalition
The
Battle of Fleurus, fought on June 26, 1794, was
the key battle in the War of
the First Coalition.
Part of the War of the First Coalition was the Roussillon Campaign, also called the Roussillon War, and the French invasion of Catalonia. This campaign was fought between France and Spain (1793-1794).
Also part of this war was
Napoleon's
First Italian Campaign.
Northern Italy - April-June 1796
Who Won the War of the First Coalition?
France won the War of the First Coalition.
Who Lost the War of the First Coalition and When?
In April 1795, Prussia gave up and signed the
First
Treaty of Basel. Three months later, Spain followed suit and
signed the Second Treaty of Basel.
Austria managed to hang in there a
little bit longer but eventually also signed a peace treaty with
France, the
Treaty of Campo Formio
on October 17, 1797. And that was the end of the
War of the First Coalition.
Here is more about the
Coalitions against
France.
Here are the maps
Central
Europe after the Peace of Basel (1795)
and of
Campo Formio (1797)
And here are the timelines 1792-1797
1648-1795 Prussia
French Revolutionary
Wars Timeline - 1792
French Revolutionary
Wars Timeline - 1793
French Revolutionary
Wars Timeline - 1794
French Revolutionary
Wars Timeline - 1795
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