Convention of Alessandria
Context | after the defeat of the Archduchy of Austria by the French First Republic in the War of the Second Coalition |
---|---|
Signed | 15 June 1800 |
Location | Alessandria |
Parties | French First Republic Austria |
Full text | |
Convention of Alessandria at Wikisource |
The Convention of Alessandria (also known as the Armistice of Marengo) was an armistice signed on 15 June 1800 between the French First Republic led by Napoleon and Austria during the War of the Second Coalition. Following the Austrian defeat at the Battle of Marengo, they agreed to evacuate Italy as far as the Mincio and abandon strongholds in Piedmont and Milan. Great Britain and Austria were allies and hoped to negotiate a peace treaty with France, but Napoleon insisted on separate treaties with each nation. The negotiations failed, and fighting resumed on 22 November 1800.
Background
The War of the Second Coalition was the second war against revolutionary France by various European monarchies. The Second Coalition was led by Britain, Austria and Russia, and included the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Naples, various German monarchies and several other minor European states. Its aim was to contain the expansion of the French Republic and to restore the monarchy in France.[1][2][3][4]
On 9 June French General
Convention
At 4:00 am on 15 June 1800, von Melas sent General Johann Ferdinand von Skal and two captains to the French encampment with a
On 15 June, the convention was signed. It caused the fighting to end,[15] and the Austrians agreed to evacuate Italy as far as the Mincio and abandon all of their strongholds in the Piedmont and Milan,[16] losing all that they had gained in 1798 and 1799.[17] The Austrians agreed to give the French Tortona, Alessandria, Milan, Turin, Pizzighetone, Arona, and Piacenza by 20 June. They agreed to surrender by 24 June the fortress of Coni, the castles of Seva and Savona, and the city of Genoa; and the city of Urbino by 26 June. The land between the Chiesa, the Oglio, and the Po rivers was ceded to the French, and that between the Chiesa and the Mincio was designated a neutral zone, not to "be occupied by either of the two armies."[15] The Austrians retained control of Tuscany,[18] and the bulk of their army, with the French letting their soldiers retreat.[19]
Aftermath
General Officer Count Joseph Saint-Julien was sent to deliver the convention to Francis II,[a][26] and it was soon ratified by the Court of Vienna.[27][13] It proved to be only a temporary cease-fire, as Johann Amadeus von Thugut (and the Austrian government) refused to accept the terms and give up any of Austria's Italian holdings.[28][27] Francis II, several hours before receiving the convention on 20 June 1800, had signed a treaty with Britain, in which Britain agreed to give Austria two million pounds sterling in exchange for Austria continuing the war with France. The treaty also prohibited negotiations between Austria and France without the involvement of Britain before 1 February 1801.[29][30]
Austria soon dispatched Saint-Julien to travel to Paris, carrying news of the treaty's ratification, and to further consider the terms of it.
Historical opinion
British general and military historian
Notes
- ^ With a note from Napoleon, expressing his desire for a more permanent peace treaty.[25]
- ^ Saint-Julien was sent to placate Napoleon and buy time for the Austrians, and had been instructed not to negotiate so as to avoid angering Britain.[13] He had a letter from the Austrians, addressed to Napoleon that contained "a ratification of the armistice both in Italy and Germany, and invited explanations in reference to the bases of future negotiation."[31]
References
- ^ "Second Coalition." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2018.
- S2CID 144734206.
- ISBN 9781438110257.
- ISBN 9781590775264.
- ISBN 9780192854445. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ "Coup of 18–19 Brumaire | French history [1799]". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
- ^ "'Napoleon Crossing the Alps', Paul Delaroche (1797–1856)". Archived from the original on 22 November 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2007.
- ISBN 9781857533279.
- ^ a b Hollins 2006, p. 606.
- ^ a b Hollins 2006, pp. 605–606.
- ^ Arnold 1999, p. 188.
- ^ a b Dwyer 2013, p. 43.
- ^ a b c Massey 1865, p. 258.
- ^ a b Mitchell 1846, p. 558.
- ^ a b Berthier, Alexander (1800). Wikisource. – via
- ^ Birchall 1876, p. 540.
- ^ Knight 1814, p. 395.
- ^ Thiers & Marie 1846, p. 137.
- ^ Bell 2014, pp. 222–226.
- ^ Chandler 1973, p. 298.
- ^ a b Hollins 2005, p. 96.
- ISBN 9781107179547.
- ^ a b Deans 1882, pp. 697–698.
- ^ Bell 2014, p. 227.
- ^ Deans 1882, p. 697.
- ^ Sainsbury 1936, p. 258.
- ^ a b Ritchie 1802, p. 258.
- ^ a b Ryan 2003, pp. 109–110.
- ^ a b c Dyer 1877, p. 134.
- ^ a b c Massey 1865, p. 259.
- ^ Deans 1882, p. 707.
- ^ Deans 1882, pp. 707–708.
- ^ Clarke 1816, pp. 475–476.
- ^ Bright 1837, p. 1226.
- ^ Dyer 1877, p. 132.
- ^ Bell 2014, pp. 224–226.
Bibliography
- Arnold, James R. (1999). Marengo & Hohenlinden: Napoleon's Rise to Power. J.R. Arnold. ISBN 9780967098500.
- Bell, David A. (2014). The First Total War: Napoleon's Europe and the Birth of Warfare as We Know It. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780547525297.
- Birchall, James (1876). England Under the Revolution and the House of Hanover 1688 to 1820. Simpkin, Marshall and Co. OCLC 862126804.
- Bright, James Franck (1837). A History of England. E.P. Dutton.
- OCLC 740560411.
- Clarke, Hewson (1816). The History of the War: From the Commencement of the French ..., Volume 1. T. Kinnersley. OCLC 656982611.
- Deans, William (1882). A History of France From the Earliest Times to the Present Day. A. Fullarton. OCLC 824689081.
- Dwyer, Philip (2013). Citizen Emperor: Napoleon in Power. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300212532.
- Dyer, Thomas Henry (1877). Modern Europe. George Bell and Sons. OCLC 765956573.
- Hollins, David (2006). "Battle of Marengo" in The Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic War. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-85109-646-9
- Hollins, David (2005). Marengo 1800: Napoleon's Day of Fate. Praeger. ISBN 9780275986254.
- Knight, Charles (1814). A History of England Volume 7: 1760–1814. Bradbury, Evans.
- Sainsbury, Geoffrey (1936). The Profits of War Through the Ages. Translated by Richard Lewinsohn. George Routledge & Sons Ltd.
- Massey, William Nathaniel (1865). A History of England During the Reign of George the Third. 4, 1795–1801. Longmans, Green. OCLC 315804528.
- Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country. Vol. 33.
- Ritchie, Thomas Edward (1802). Political and Military Memoirs of Europe: From the Renewal of War on the Continent in 1798, to the Peace of Amiens in 1802: With an Introductory View of the Treaty of Camp-Formio, and Proceedngs of the Congress at Rastadt ... T. Maccliesh. OCLC 6609990.
- Ryan, Edward (2003). Napoleon's Shield & Guardian: The Unconquerable General Daumesnil. Frontline Books. ISBN 9781853675539.
- Thiers, Adolphe; Marie, Joseph L. (1846). Thiers' History of the Consulate, and Empire of Napoleon. Translated by W. Stapleton. Houlston & Stoneman.
External links
- Media related to Convention of Alessandria at Wikimedia Commons
Preceded by Battle of Marengo |
French Revolution: Revolutionary campaigns Convention of Alessandria |
Succeeded by Battle of Hohenlinden |