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TheTreaty of Schönbrunn (French:Traité de Schönbrunn;German:Friede von Schönbrunn), sometimes known as thePeace of Schönbrunn or theTreaty of Vienna, was signed betweenFrance andAustria atSchönbrunn Palace nearVienna on 14 October 1809. Thetreaty ended theFifth Coalition during theNapoleonic Wars, after Austria had been defeated at the decisiveBattle of Wagram on 5–6 July.
During thePeninsular War and theSpanish resistance againstNapoleon, Austria had tried to reverse the 1805Peace of Pressburg by sparking national uprisings in the French-occupied territories of Central Europe (most notably theTyrolean Rebellion against Napoleon'sBavarian allies).
These attempts ultimately failed, after French forces occupied Vienna in May 1809. The Austrians underArchduke Charles were able to repulse them at theBattle of Aspern on 21-22 May; however, Napoleon withdrew his forces and crushed Charles' army at Wagram a few weeks later. The archduke had to sign theArmistice of Znaim on 12 July. In October, Austrian Foreign MinisterJohann Philipp Stadion was superseded byKlemens von Metternich.
France imposed harsh peace terms: Austria had to cede theDuchy of Salzburg to Bavaria and lost its access to theAdriatic Sea by waiving theLittoral territories ofGorizia and Gradisca and theImperial Free City of Trieste, together withCarniola, theMarch of Istria, western ("Upper")Carinthia withEast Tyrol, and theCroatian lands southwest of the riverSava to the French Empire (seeIllyrian Provinces).West Galicia was ceded to theDuchy of Warsaw, andTarnopol district to theRussian Empire.
Austria recognized Napoleon's previous conquests from other nations as well as the rule of his brotherJoseph Bonaparte as King ofSpain. Austria also paid to France a large indemnity and the Austrian army was reduced to 150,000 men - a promise not fulfilled. The GrazSchlossberg fortress, whose garrison had firmly resisted the French occupation forces, was largely demolished.
Austria also had to apply Napoleon'sContinental System, as Britain remained at war with France. One contemporary British view on the treaty was:
This Treaty is certainly one of the most singular documents in the annals of diplomacy. We see a Christian King, calling himself the father of his people,disposing of 400,000 of his subjects,[1] like swine in a market. We see a great and powerful Prince condescending to treat with his adversary forthe brushwood of his own forests.[2] We see the hereditary claimant of the Imperial Sceptre of Germany not only condescending to the past innovations on his own dominions, butassenting to any future alterations which the caprice or tyranny of his enemy may dictate with respect to his allies in Spain and Portugal, or to his neighbours in Italy.[3]—We see through the whole of this instrument the humiliation of the weak and unfortunate Francis, who has preferred the resignation of his fairest territories to restoring to his vassals their liberties, and giving them that interest in the public cause which their valour would have known how to protect.—O, thebrave and loyal, but, we fear, lostTyrolese!
— The Gentleman's Magazine (1809).[4]
Though considerably weakened, Austria remained a Europeangreat power. EmperorFrancis I approached to the French by marrying his daughterMarie Louise off to Napoleon (whom she at first detested) in 1810. As a result of Metternich's change of policies, the Austrian forces joined theFrench invasion of Russia in 1812.
During the negotiations at Schönbrunn, Napoleon narrowly escaped an attempt on his life. On 12 October, shortly before signing the treaty, the emperor exited the palace with a large entourage to observe a military parade. Seventeen year oldFriedrich Staps, son of aLutheran pastor fromNaumburg, had arrived in Vienna and demanded an audience to present a petition. He was refused by the emperor's aide GeneralJean Rapp, who shortly thereafter observed Staps in the courtyard pushing through the crowd towards Napoleon from a different direction, and had him arrested.
Taken to the palace, Staps was found to be carrying a large kitchen knife inside his coat, concealed in the petition papers. Interrogated, Staps frankly revealed his plans to kill the emperor, calling him the misfortune of his country. Brought forward to Napoleon, he asked whether Staps would thank him if he was pardoned, to which Staps replied: "I would kill you none the less."
Napoleon left Vienna on 16 October and the next day Staps was shot byWürttemberg fusiliers outside the palace. At this execution, he is said to have shouted "Long live freedom! Long live Germany!"[5][6] Napoleon, impressed and fearing a greater conspiracy, instructed his police ministerJoseph Fouché to keep the incident secret.
Soon after theGerman campaign of 1813, Staps came to be seen as a martyr of the burgeoningGerman nationalism. He was the subject of a poem byChristian Friedrich Hebbel and a play byWalter von Molo.
