Anti-French nationalist fervor sweeps the German Habsburg area in the final years of the decade.
Austria, erroneously believing that similar nationalist fervor throughout Germany will produce a victory, declares war on France in April 1809.
In the Tirol, at this time under Bavarian rule, the peasants, led by Andreas Hofer, rebel and score surprising victories before being subdued by Napoleon's forces.
Elsewhere in Germany, however, nationalist feeling has little effect.
Austria's defeat is swift, and significant territorial losses follow.
In the wake of this defeat, Franz appoints a new foreign minister, Clemens von Metternich, who seeks reconciliation with France.
He accomplishes this by arranging a marriage between Franz's daughter, Marie Louise, and Napoleon, who is eager for the prestige of marriage into one of the principal dynasties of Europe and the creation of an heir.
The marriage takes place in the spring of 1810 but yields little immediate return for Austria.
