Editing Battle of Austerlitz (section)

==Background==
Europe had been in turmoil since the start of the [[French Revolutionary Wars]] in 1792.{{sfn|Hall|Davis|1957|p=31}} In 1797, after five years of war, the [[French First Republic|French Republic]] subdued the [[First Coalition]], an alliance of Austria, Prussia, Great Britain, Spain, and various Italian states.{{sfn|Schroeder|1996|pp=172–174}} A [[Second Coalition]], led by Britain, Austria and Russia, and including the [[Ottoman Empire]], Portugal and the [[Kingdom of Naples]],{{sfn|Pearson|1994|p=5}} was formed in 1798, but by 1801, this too had been defeated, leaving the British the only opponent of the new [[French Consulate]].{{sfn|Schroeder|1996|pp=178–180, 226–228}} In March 1802, France and Britain agreed to end hostilities under the [[Treaty of Amiens]].{{sfn|Schroeder|1996|p=226}}

However, many problems persisted between the two sides, making implementation of the treaty increasingly difficult.{{sfn|Grainger|2004|pp=129–130}} The British government resented having to return the [[Cape Colony]] and most of the Dutch West Indies to the [[Batavian Republic]].{{sfn|Schroeder|1996|pp=241–243}}{{sfn|Grainger|2004|pp=33}} Napoleon was angry that the British refused to abandon the island of [[Malta]].{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=304}} The tense situation only worsened when Napoleon sent an expeditionary force to restore French authority and slavery in [[Saint-Domingue]].{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=320}}{{sfn|Grainger|2004|p=55}} In May 1803, Britain declared war on France.{{sfn|Grainger|2004|p=221}}

===Third Coalition===
In December 1804, an Anglo-Swedish agreement led to the creation of the Third Coalition.{{sfn|Jorgensen|2004|pp=25–28}} British Prime Minister [[William Pitt the Younger]] spent 1804 and 1805 in a flurry of diplomatic activity geared towards forming a new coalition against France, and by April 1805, Britain and Russia had signed an alliance.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=331}}{{efn|The [[Baltic Sea]] was dominated by Russia, something Britain was not comfortable with, as it provided valuable commodities like timber, tar, and hemp which were crucial supplies to the British. Additionally, Britain supported the [[Ottoman Empire]] against Russian incursions towards the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. Meanwhile, French territorial rearrangements in Germany occurred without Russian consultation, and Napoleon's annexations in the [[Po River|Po valley]] increasingly strained relations between the two.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=328}}}} Having been defeated twice in recent memory by France and being keen on revenge, Austria joined the Coalition a few months later.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=331}}