 In early 1805, French Emperor Napoleon prepared to defend his possessions in Italy against the Austrian Empire.To this end, he deployed 68,000 troops under Marshal André Masséna in the north, 18,000 soldiers led by General of Division Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr in central Italy, and 8,000 men from the satellite Kingdom of Italy.For its part, the Austrian army in Italy under Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen numbered 90,000 men.