Holy Roman Empire Dissolved: Francis II Abdicates
The Holy Roman Empire formally ceased to exist on August 6, 1806, when Emperor Francis II abdicated under pressure from Napoleon Bonaparte, who had crushed Austrian and Russian armies at Austerlitz eight months earlier. The empire had been founded by Charlemagne's coronation in 800 AD and at its height encompassed much of Central Europe. By 1806, it was famously, as Voltaire quipped, "neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire." Napoleon reorganized the German states into the Confederation of the Rhine, a French satellite. Francis retained the title of Emperor of Austria, a position he had created in 1804 in anticipation of this moment. The dissolution cleared the way for the eventual unification of Germany under Prussian leadership six decades later.
August 6, 1806
220 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
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dissolved
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Austrian Empire
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Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
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Austrian Empire
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Holy Roman Empire
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Napoleon
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Russia
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Turkey
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Unification of Italy
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Kingdom of Sardinia
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Reino lombardo-véneto
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Emperor
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Liste des souverains du Saint-Empire
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Holy Roman Emperor
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