N & E
Napoleon & Empire

Battle of Hohenlinden

Date and place

  • December 3rd, 1800 around Hohenlinden, 34 kilometers east of Munich, Bavaria (Germany).

Involved forces

  • French army (53,795 men) under the command of General Jean Victor Marie Moreau. 
  • Austrian an Bavarian army (60,261 men) under the command of Archduke John of Austria (Johann Baptist Josef Fabian Sebastian von Österreich). 

Casualties and losses

  • French army: 2,500 soldiers killed or injured. 
  • Austrian an Bavarian army: 1,000 killed, 3,700 wounded, 9,000 prisoners, 76 cannons. 

Aerial panoramic view of the Hohenlinden battlefield

Views of the Hohenlinden battlefield.

The Battle of Hohenlinden is General Moreau's greatest claim to fame. This decisive battle led to the signing of the Treaty of Lunéville with Austria, which recognized French domination over the left bank of the Rhine, Belgium, Switzerland and northern Italy.

Position of the troops

French General Jean Victor Marie Moreau installed his troops on a wooded plateau along the west-east road  [48.14090, 12.05149] leading from Hohenlinden  [48.15739, 11.99657] to Maitenbeth  [48.14956, 12.09313] and Haag in Oberbayern, as well as to the north of it, between the Isen valley   to the east and the road leading to Erding   to the west.

The Archduke John of Austria blocked him in the direction of Vienna [Wien], which was located 370 kilometers further east.

Hohenlinden, general view
Hohenlinden, general view

The fight

The frontal attack of the Austrians, in terrible conditions (broken roads, muddy paths, snowstorms), failed. Caught between two fires, the Austrians ended up being pushed back into the forest   , then disbanded.

Neustockach
Neustockach, one kilometer south of Hohenlinden

Aftermath

This defeat, followed by the advance of Moreau's troops of some 300 kilometers over the following three weeks, led Austria to conclude an armistice at Steyr on December 25, 1800, then to sign the peace treaty of Lunéville on February 9, 1801.

Picture - "Battle of Hohenlinden, December 3, 1800". Painted 1836 by Henri Frédéric Schopin.

Napoleonic Battles - Picture  -

Photos Credits

  Photos by Lionel A. Bouchon.
  Photos by Marie-Albe Grau.
  Photos by Floriane Grau.
  Photos by Michèle Grau-Ghelardi.
  Photos by Didier Grau.
  Photos made by people outside the Napoleon & Empire association.

Video credits

The shots are by Didier Grau, the editing by Lionel A. Bouchon.