Treaty of Potsdam (1805)

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Treaty of Potsdam
Signed3 November 1805
LocationPotsdam
Signatories
Parties

The Treaty of Potsdam (also known as the Potsdam Agreement) was a

Third Coalition
.

Background

Main articles: War of the Third Coalition and French Revolutionary Wars

Europe was embroiled in the

Second Coalition was formed in 1798, but it too was defeated by 1802,[3] when Britain and France signed the Treaty of Amiens on 25 March 1802.[4] The peace was to be short lived, with Britain declaring war on France on 18 May 1803 and starting the War of the Third Coalition.[5] After two years of war, other European nations decided to join the war on the side of the British.[6]

Kingdom of Sweden entered into an offensive and defensive alliance with Britain on 31 August and the Kingdom of Naples joined the coalition through a treaty agreed with Russia in September.[10][11][12]

During this time Prussia remained neutral through the work of Frenchman Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, who transferred control of Hanover to Prussia.[9] The country had also signed the Peace of Basel in 1795, agreeing to remain neutral.[13] Napoleon soon became confident Prussia would remain neutral.[14] Throughout the war, the country aimed to appease both Napoleon and Alexander I, but favored Russia. In an agreement signed in Saint Petersburg in May 1804, Prussia entered into a secret alliance with Russia.[15]

Treaty and aftermath

The Treaty of Potsdam was signed on 3 November 1805 between Alexander I of the Russian Empire and

Frederick II and Frederick William I at the Garrison Church in Potsdam.[18][16] In the treaty, Prussia agreed to mediate negotiations between the French Empire and Russia in exchange for British subsidies. If the attempt at mediation failed, Prussia agreed to raise an 80,000-man army and join the war on the side of the Third Coalition. The treaty was ratified on 15 November.[16][19]

Historian Michael Broers argues that Fredrick William was reluctant to join the coalition, as was relatively pro-French

Christian von Haugwitz, the foreign minister of Prussia. Alexander I was supported by statesman Karl August von Hardenberg.[14] In the weeks after the signing of the treaty, the Prussian capital saw rising anti-French sentiment, let by Hardenberg.[20] To begin negotiations, Prussia sent Haugwitz to Napoleon's headquarters in Austria.[15] After his departure, anti-French feelings rose further.[20] While Haugwitz was travelling, Napoleon decisively won the Battle of Austerlitz against Austria and Russia on 2 December 1805, effectively ending the war,[15] and 'destroying' the treaty.[20] The treaty was superseded by the Treaty of Schönbrunn signed between Prussia and France on 15 December.[21] After Napoleon created the Confederation of the Rhine, Prussia declared war on the French Empire in October 1806, starting the War of the Fourth Coalition.[22]

Historian

Andrew Roberts wrote that "rarely has a treaty ... been more swiftly overtaken by events."[17]

References

  1. ISBN 9780191737817. Retrieved 2019-08-18. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help
    )
  2. ^ Fremont-Barnes 2013, p. 25.
  3. ^ "Archduke Charles Austrian field marshal". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  4. ^ Philp 2016, p. 194.
  5. ^ "Napoleonic Wars, 1803 -1815". Australian War Museum. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  6. ^ a b McLynn 1997, p. 335.
  7. ^ Esdaile 2014, p. 25.
  8. ^ Esdaile 2009, pp. 192–193.
  9. ^ a b McLynn 1997, p. 336.
  10. ^ McLynn 1997, p. 337.
  11. ^ Knight 1814, p. 578.
  12. ^ Scott 2014, p. 315.
  13. ^ Dawson 2011, p. 56.
  14. ^ a b Broers 2018, p. 725.
  15. ^ a b c Dwyer 2014, p. 249.
  16. ^ a b c Osmańczyk 2003, p. 1829.
  17. ^ a b Roberts 2014, p. 394.
  18. ^ Koch 2014, p. 231.
  19. ^ Pares 1965, p. 301.
  20. ^ a b c Simms 2002, p. 222.
  21. ^ Roberts 2014, p. 409.
  22. ^ Dawson 2011, p. 57.

Bibliography

Further reading
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