be a catastrophe for the Austrians, effectively ending the War of the Second Coalition. Nevertheless, Weyrother was appointed military adviser to the new Foreign Minister, Graf Ludwig von Cobenzl in the negotiations following the Armistice of Steyr, which led to the Peace of Lunéville in 1801. Napoleonic Wars When the War of the Third Coalition broke out, Weyrother was promoted to Generalmajor (major general). After the death of the Allied army chief of staff, Johann Heinrich von Schmitt at the Battle of Dürenstein on 11 November 1805, the Allied commander-in-chief, the Russian General Mikhail Kutuzov requested that Weyrother be made chief of staff of the Austro-Russian army. Although the two men soon fell out, as Kutuzov wanted a defensive strategy, Weyrother gained the favour of Tsar Alexander I of Russia with his aggressive strategy. With the Tsar's support, he created the plan for the Battle of Austerlitz in which the Allies were crushed by Napoleon on 2 December 1805. The defeat was so bad, the Russians accused Weyrother of being in the pay of the French. Weyrother withdrew from military life and retired to Vienna, where he died aged 51. His inappropriate dispositions for the battle at Austerlitz are satirised by Leo Tolstoy in War and Peace. References Arnold, James R. Marengo & Hohenlinden. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen & Sword, 2005. Boycott-Brown, Martin. The Road to Rivoli. London: Cassell & Co., 2001. Chandler, David. The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York: Macmillan, 1966. Criste, Oscar. "Weyrother, Franz von" in: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 42 (1897), : S. 287–289. Ebert, Jens-Floria, Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815, Franz von Weyrother, Napoleon Online (de) Portal zu Epoche. October 2003. Footnotes External links Weyrother by Digby Smith, compiled by Leopold Kudrna 1755 births 1806 deaths Military personnel from Vienna Austrian Empire military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars Austrian Empire commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Generals of the Holy Roman Empire