Napoleon's Invasion of Russia

The invasion of the Russian Empire led by Napoleon I of France in 1812 was a critical turning point in the Napoleonic wars. The campaign reduced the French and allied invasion forces to less than two percent of their initial strength. Its sustained role in Russian culture may be seen in Tolstoy's War and Peace and the Soviet identification between it and the German invasion of 1941-1945.

Historical Assessment

The Russian victory over the French army in 1812 marked a major blow to Napoleon's ambitions of European dominance. Like the comprehensive defeat of French naval power at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, the Russian campaign was a decisive turning-point of the Napoleonic Wars that ultimately led to Napoleon's defeat and exile on the island of Elba. For Russia the term Patriotic War (an English rendition of the Russian "????????????? ?????") formed a symbol for a strengthened national identity that would have a great impact on Russian patriotism in the 19th century. The indirect result of the patriotic movement of Russians was a strong desire for the modernisation of the country that would result in a series of revolutions, starting from the Decembrist revolt and ending with the February Revolution of 1917.

Related Topics:
Battle of Trafalgar - 1805 - Napoleonic Wars - Elba - 19th century - Decembrist revolt - February Revolution - 1917

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Napoleon was not completely defeated in Russia. The following year he would raise an army of around 400,000 French troops supported by a quarter of a million French allied troops to contest control of Germany in an even larger campaign. It was not until the decisive Battle of Nations (October 16-19, 1813) that he was finally defeated, and even then he continued on to campaign in France in 1814. However the Russian campaign's importance was that it revealed that Napoleon was not invincible. Smelling blood and urged on by Prussian nationalists and Russian commanders German nationalists revolted across the Confederation of the Rhine and Prussia. The decisive German campaign could not have occurred without the message the defeat in Russia sent to the world.

Related Topics:
Battle of Nations - October 16 - 19 - 1813 - 1814

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