Austerlitz was the battle that many historians have considered Napoleon's masterpiece. Napoleon himself considered this his masterpiece. There is no doubt that Austerlitz was a great victory for Napoleon, both strategically and tactically. So, was it all the genius of Napoleon, or was it merely that luck was on the side of Napoleon's army that day? While researching this question, what came directly to my mind was a saying I once heard someone unknown say, "you make our own luck." This described Napoleon at Austerlitz very well. Napoleon clearly made his own luck.
The Battle of Austerlitz was fought on December 2, 1805 in the present day Czech Republic. Austerlitz is also known as the battle of three emperors as it pitted the emperors of France, Austria and Russia against one another. Russia and Austria joined with Great Britain to form the third Coalition against Napoleon in 1805. The Austrian Emperor was Francis I (not present on the battlefield). The commander of the Austrian and Russian Forces was Czar Alexander I, as the allied force was 70% Russian.[1]
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