ABSTRACT
On February 7th an offensive and defensive alliance was concluded between Austria and Prussia, pledging both parties to assist each other if attacked, to guarantee the integrity of Poland and a " free constitution "for that country, and finally to promote a European Concert for the settlement of French affairs. All was thus in train for the formation of a coalition against France, when, on the last day of February, Leopold was suddenly seized with a severe chill, and on March 1st he died. The army seemed to have lost all cohesion; there was no real executive; the Royalists had risen at Toulon, at Lyons, and in La Vendee. Anarchy, administrative chaos and civil strife seemed to leave France helpless at the feet of the Coalition. The foundation of the Batavian Republic and a treaty with France which placed the Dutch navy at the service of its new ally marked the beginning of the end of the Coalition.
