 A sketch of the signing, for a painting drawn in 1806 byGuillaume Guillon-Lethière. Now in thePalace of Versailles. | |
| Type | Armistice |
|---|---|
| Signed | 18 April 1797 |
| Location | Leoben |
ThePeace of Leoben[a][1] was a generalarmistice and preliminary peace agreement between theHoly Roman Empire and theFirst French Republic that ended theWar of the First Coalition. It was signed at Eggenwaldsches Gartenhaus, nearLeoben, on 18 April 1797 (29 germinal V in theFrench revolutionary calendar) by GeneralMaximilian von Merveldt and theMarquis of Gallo on behalf of theEmperor Francis II and by GeneralNapoléon Bonaparte on behalf of theFrench Directory. Ratifications were exchanged inMontebello on 24 May, and the treaty came into effect immediately.
On 30 March, Bonaparte had made his headquarters atKlagenfurt and from there, on 31 March, he sent a letter to the Austrian commander-in-chief,Archduke Charles, requesting an armistice to prevent the further loss of life. Receiving no response, the French advanced as far asJudenburg by the evening of 7 April. That night, Charles offered a truce for five days, which was accepted. On 13 April, Merveldt went to the French headquarters at Leoben. He requested the armistice be extended so that a preliminary peace could be signed, which was granted, and three proposals were drawn up. The final one was accepted by both sides, and on 18 April at Leoben, the preliminary peace was signed.[2]
The treaty contained nine public articles and eleven secret ones. In the public articles, the Emperor ceded his "Belgian Provinces" (theAustrian Netherlands), and in the secret articles, he ceded his Italian states (Lombardy) in exchange for theItalian mainland possessions of theRepublic of Venice, which had not yet been conquered. Except for these personal losses to the rulingHabsburgs, the treaty preserved the integrity of the Holy Roman Empire, unlike in the amplifiedTreaty of Campo Formio of 17 October 1797.
No final peace between the Holy Roman Empire and France was reached before the outbreak of theWar of the Second Coalition in 1799.
Media related toTreaty of Leoben at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by Action of 25 January 1797 | French Revolution: Revolutionary campaigns Peace of Leoben | Succeeded by Battle of Neuwied (1797) |
