1803 CE: Britain declares war on France, beginning the Napoleonic Wars.

1803 CE - 1805 CE: Napoleon gathers a massive army at Boulogne for a planned invasion of England; this is the origin of Napoleon's famous Grande Armée.

1804 CE: The Duke of Enghien is executed after a sham trial; the controversial killing stains the reputation of Napoleon Bonaparte.

1805 CE: Napoleon's Ulm Campaign results in the elimination of an Austrian army under General Mack.

1805 CE: The Battle of Trafalgar results in a decisive British victory over a Franco-Spanish fleet. It is one of the most famous naval victories in British history.

1805 CE: French Marshal André Masséna prevents Austrian Archduke Charles from leaving Italy to rush to Vienna's aid in the Second Battle of Caldiero.

1805 CE: Napoleon captures Vienna.

1805 CE: Napoleon's Grande Armée smashes an Austro-Russian army at the Battle of Austerlitz.

1805 CE: Austria signs the Treaty of Pressburg and exits the Third Coalition.

1806 CE: Joseph Bonaparte is installed as King of Naples.

1806 CE: In Italy, a British expeditionary force under Sir John Stuart defeats a French army under General Jean Reynier in the Battle of Maida.

1806 CE: The Confederation of the Rhine is established under the protection of France; the Holy Roman Empire is dissolved.