The Political History of England - Vol XI: From Addington's Administration to the close of William IV.'s Reign (1801-1837)Brodrick, George C. (George Charles)
History
The Political History of England - Vol XI: From Addington's Administration to the close of William IV.'s Reign (1801-1837)
Brodrick, George C. (George Charles)
Great Britain -- History -- 1800-1837; Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1800-1837
Meanwhile the main forces of the allies were concentrated for a campaign
against Napoleon in Champagne. Of the three armies which had combined at
Leipzig the Austro-Russian army under Schwarzenberg made its way through
Switzerland, Alsace, and Franche-Comté, while Blücher's army of
Prussians and Russians passed through the region which afterwards became
the Rhine province and Lorraine. The two armies united in the
neighbourhood of Brienne in Champagne. Bernadotte's army did not as a
whole take part in the campaign; but a portion of it, consisting of
Russians under Wittgenstein and Prussians under Bülow, was engaged in
the conquest of Belgium and was able to invade France itself later in
the year. Schwarzenberg's army was accompanied by the Emperors of
Russia and Austria, the King of Prussia, and the leading European
diplomatists, including Castlereagh. From the outset there was a marked
difference between the Austrian and Russian policies. Metternich was
content with reducing France to the natural frontiers already offered to
her, and aimed merely at compelling Napoleon to recognise the _fait
accompli_ in Germany, and to evacuate Italy and Spain. He was therefore
in favour of slow advances and of giving Napoleon every opportunity for
coming to terms. The tsar, on the other hand, wished to reduce France to
her ancient limits, and was anxious to enter Paris as a conqueror. He
also excited Austrian jealousy by his scheme of annexing what had been
Prussian Poland, and compensating Prussia with Saxony. Castlereagh and
the Prussian minister, Hardenberg, supported the tsar's policy towards
France, but without sharing his ardour.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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