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Devastation at Wagram
After the seemingly peaceful 1808 in Europe, Austria struck Bavaria on 10 April 1809 with an invasion and encircled the Bavarian Army, which was forced to surrender after a devastating breakout. The corps of Davout were trapped in the city of Regensburg and were nearly lost, but were relieved by a manoeuvre of the Grand Army from the French North Sea coast to Bavaria, which reached Ulm on 28 April and engaged the Austrians a second time there, until being defeated and forced to withdraw with many soldiers captured. The Grand Army then continued to recapture Bavaria and its army over May.
By 1 June, the Grand Army crossed the Inn River into Austria and entered Vienna by 20 June. The battle of Aspern Essling occurred a week later and inflicted heavy casualties on the Grand Army before being stopped by Napoleon's intervention and counterattack. After heavy losses on both sides, the battle was over. But on 5 August, Napoleon was sufficiently reinforced to continue the offensive towards Wagram, with the 1st day's attacks costing him heavily in soldiers. The next day, an un-coordinated Austrian counteroffensive destroyed the Austrian Army and after its surrender, the Austrian Empire was stripped of its Balkan territories as they were divided between a new Hungarian nation, Dalmatia and Poland.