Editing Battle of Austerlitz (section)

==Preliminary moves==
[[File:Charles Thévenin - Reddition de la ville d'Ulm.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|alt=Colored painting showing Napoleon receiving the surrender of General Mack, with the city of Ulm in the background. |[[Napoleon]] accepts the surrender of [[Karl Mack|General Mack]] and the Austrian army at [[Battle of Ulm|Ulm]]. Painting by [[Charles Thévenin]]]]

In August 1805, Napoleon, [[Emperor of the French]] since December of the previous year,{{sfn|Lyons|1994|p=113}} turned his sights from the [[English Channel]] to the [[Rhine River|Rhine]] to deal with the new Austrian and Russian threats.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|pp=325–326}} On 25 September after a feverish march in great secrecy,{{sfn|Kobtzeff|2016|p=378}} 200,000 French troops began to cross the Rhine{{sfn|Cook|Paxton|1981|p=85}} on a front of {{cvt|260|km|mi}}.{{sfn|Brooks|2000|page=108}}{{sfn|Uffindell|p=15}} Mack had gathered the greater part of the Austrian army at the fortress of [[Ulm]] in [[Swabia]].{{sfn|Schneid|2005|pp=113–114}}

Napoleon swung his forces southward in a wheeling movement that put the French at the Austrian rear while launching cavalry attacks through the [[Black Forest]], which kept the Austrians at bay.{{sfn|Gerges|2016|p=158}} The [[Ulm Campaign|Ulm Maneuver]] was well-executed, and on 20 October, 23,000 Austrian troops surrendered at Ulm, bringing the number of Austrian prisoners of the campaign to 60,000.{{sfn|Uffindell|p=15}} Although this spectacular victory was soured by the defeat of a Franco-Spanish fleet [[Battle of Trafalgar|at Trafalgar]]{{sfn|Tibbetts|2016|p=420}} the following day, French success on land continued as [[Vienna]] fell in November. The French gained 100,000 muskets, 500 cannons, and intact bridges across the [[Danube River|Danube]].{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=407}}

Russian delays prevented them from saving the Austrian armies; the Russians withdrew to the northeast to await reinforcements and link up with surviving Austrian units.{{sfn|Bassett|2015|pp=233–234}} Tsar [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander I]] appointed general [[Mikhail Kutuzov|Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov]] commander-in-chief of the combined Russo-Austrian force.{{sfn|Kagan|2006|p=368}} On 9 September 1805, Kutuzov arrived at the battlefield, quickly contacting [[Francis I of Austria]] and his courtiers to discuss strategy and logistics. Under pressure from Kutuzov, the Austrians agreed to supply munitions and weapons promptly. Kutuzov also spotted shortcomings in the Austrian defense plan, which he called "very dogmatic". He objected to the Austrian annexation of the land recently under Napoleon's control because this would make the local people distrust the allied force.<ref name="lvq10"/>

The French followed after Kutuzov but soon found themselves in a difficult position. Prussian intentions were unknown and could be hostile; the Russian and Austrian armies had converged, and French lines of communication were extremely long, requiring strong garrisons to keep them open. Napoleon realized that to capitalize on the success at Ulm, he had to force the Allies to battle and then defeat them.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=409}}

On the Russian side, Kutuzov also realized Napoleon needed to do battle, so instead of clinging to the "suicidal" Austrian defense plan, Kutuzov decided to retreat. He ordered [[Pyotr Bagration]] to contain the French at Vienna with 600 soldiers. He instructed Bagration to accept [[Joachim Murat|Murat's]] ceasefire proposal so the Allied Army could have more time to retreat. It was later discovered that the proposal was false and had been used to launch a surprise attack on Vienna. Nonetheless, Bagration held off the French assault for a time by negotiating an armistice with Murat, thereby providing Kutuzov time to position himself with the Russian rearguard near [[Battle of Schöngrabern|Hollabrunn]].

Murat initially refrained from an attack, believing the entire Russian army stood before him. Napoleon soon realized Murat's mistakes and ordered him to pursue quickly, but the allied army had already retreated to [[Olomouc|Olmütz]].<ref name="lvq10"/> According to Kutuzov's plan, the Allies would retreat further to the [[Carpathian]] region{{sfn|Brose|2013|p=46}} and "at [[Galicia (Eastern Europe)|Galicia]], I will bury the French."<ref name="lvq10"/>

Napoleon did not stay still. The French Emperor decided to set a psychological trap to lure the Allies out. Days before any fighting, Napoleon had been giving the impression that his army was weak and desired a negotiated peace.{{sfn |McLynn |page=342}} About 53,000 French troops—including Soult, Lannes, and Murat's forces—were assigned to take [[Slavkov u Brna|Austerlitz]] and the Olmütz road, occupying the enemy's attention. The Allied forces, numbering about 89,000, seemed far superior and would be tempted to attack the outnumbered French army. However, the Allies did not know that [[Charles XIV John|Bernadotte]], [[Édouard Mortier, Duke of Trévise|Mortier]] and [[Louis-Nicolas Davout|Davout]] were already within supporting distance and could be called in by forced marches -- Bernadotte from [[Jihlava|Iglau]], and Mortier and Davout from Vienna -- which would raise the French number to 75,000 troops.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=410}}

Napoleon's lure did not stop at that. On 25 November, General [[Anne Jean Marie René Savary|Savary]] was sent to the Allied headquarters at Olmütz to deliver Napoleon's message, expressing his desire to avoid a battle while secretly examining the Allied forces' situation. As expected, the overture was seen as a sign of weakness. When Francis I offered an armistice on the 27th, Napoleon accepted enthusiastically. On the same day, Napoleon ordered Soult to abandon both Austerlitz and the Pratzen Heights and, while doing so, to create an impression of chaos during the retreat that would induce the enemy to occupy the Heights.

The next day (28 November), the French Emperor requested a personal interview with Alexander I. He received a visit from the Tsar's most impetuous aide, Prince [[Peter Petrovich Dolgorukov (general, born 1777)|Peter Dolgorukov]]. The meeting was another part of the trap, as Napoleon intentionally expressed anxiety and hesitation to his opponents. Dolgorukov reported an additional indication of French weakness to the Tsar.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|pp=410–411}}

The plan was successful. Many Allied officers, including the Tsar's aides and the Austrian Chief of Staff [[Franz von Weyrother]], strongly supported an immediate attack and appeared to sway Tsar Alexander.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=411}} Kutuzov's plan to retreat further to the [[Carpathian]] region was rejected, and the Allied forces soon fell into Napoleon's trap.