Which Austrian archduke commanded against Napoleon at Wagram?

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Archduke Charles commanded the Austrian army against Napoleon at the Battle of Wagram in 1809. He was Charles, Duke of Teschen, one of Austria’s most capable military commanders during the Napoleonic Wars.

Wagram followed the French crossing of the Danube near Vienna. Napoleon’s army and Charles’s forces fought on 5–6 July 1809 across the Marchfeld plain. Charles directed the Austrian defense, while Archduke John commanded a separate Austrian army that arrived too late to play a decisive role in the main battle.

Napoleon won the battle, but Wagram was costly and did not resemble an effortless French triumph. The fighting involved more than 300,000 combatants and produced enormous casualties. The result forced Austria toward the Armistice of Znaim and ultimately the Treaty of Schönbrunn. Archduke John is a common mix-up because he was also an Austrian commander in the 1809 campaign, but Charles led the main army at Wagram.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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