's naval supremacy to abandon the
notion of invasion, he suddenly changed front in August, 1805, and led
his armies through Hanover and the smaller German states, disregarding
the neutrality even of Prussia herself, and reached the Danube in rear
of the Austrian army under Mack, which was at Ulm. The surprise was
complete; Mack surrendered October 19th, and Napoleon then marched on
Vienna, which he entered November 13th. But his position was critical.
The Archduke Charles was approaching from Hungary, a Russian army was
entering Moravia, and Prussia, incensed at the violation of her
territory, joined the coalition. A short delay would have surrounded
Napoleon with his enemies, but the czar was impatient, and the Russian
army, with a small contingent of Austrians, encountered Napoleon at
Austerlitz, December 2, 1805, and was signally defeated. This caused
the break-up of the coalition; the Holy Roman Empire came to an end,
the Confederation of the Rhine was formed under French protection, and
the Napoleonic empire was firmly established. Napoleon then entered
into negotiations for peace with Russia and England, endeavoring to
conciliate those powers at the expense of Prussia. The negotiations
failed, but Prussia was mortally offended, and mobilized her army in
August, 1806, about which time Russia finally rejected the treaty with
France. Napoleon acted with his usual promptitude, and advanced
against Prussia before she could get help either from England or
Russia. Although the rank and file of the Prussian armies was good,
their generals were antiquated, and Napoleon crushed them at Jena and
Auerstadt, October 14th, and entered Berlin on the 27th. He had then
to carry on a stubbornly contested campaign with Russia. An indecisive
battle at Eylau was followed by a hardly earned French victory at
Friedland, June 14, 1807, and the peace of Tilsit ensued, by which
Prussia lost half her territory, and had to submit to various
humiliating conditions, while Russia escaped easily, and indeed got a
share of the spoils.

Napoleon was now at the zenith of his power; he was the arbiter of
Europe and the paramount head of a confederation of princes, among
whom the members of his own family occupied several thrones. To reward
his partisans he at this time created a new noblesse, and lavished
upon them the public money. He sent an army under Junot to Portugal,
and another to Spain, which, under Murat, took Madrid. Napoleon then
procure