Which battle takes place before the Battle of Austerlitz in War and Peace?

The Battle of Schöngrabern takes place before the Battle of Austerlitz in War and Peace. The historical engagement occurred on 16 November 1805 near Hollabrunn in Lower Austria, about two weeks before the decisive Battle of Austerlitz on 2 December.

Schöngrabern was a rearguard action during the War of the Third Coalition. Russian forces under Prince Pyotr Bagration tried to delay the advancing French army while the main Russian army, commanded by Mikhail Kutuzov, withdrew and sought to unite with reinforcements. The delay helped the Russians regroup near Brünn before the larger confrontation at Austerlitz.

Tolstoy dramatizes the engagement through Prince Andrei Bolkonsky and Captain Tushin’s artillery battery. In the novel, Tushin’s guns become crucial to the Russian withdrawal, while Prince Andrei defends him against officers who accuse the battery of abandoning its pieces. Tolstoy’s version combines historical events with fictional characters and scenes.

The Battle of Eylau and the Battle of Friedland belong to the later War of the Fourth Coalition in 1807. Borodino occurred in 1812 during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. A minor chronological wrinkle is that the Battle of Wischau also occurred between Schöngrabern and Austerlitz, but it is not one of the listed alternatives.