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.

Nomenclature

Until 1941 it was known in Russia as the Patriotic War (Russian ????????????? ?????, Otechestvennaya Voyna); the Russian term Patriotic War of 1812 distinguishes it from the Great Patriotic War, the term the Soviets applied to their front in World War II.

Related Topics:
1941 - Russian - Great Patriotic War - Soviets - World War II

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Also in Russian, it is occasionally referred to as the "War of 1812", offering some opportunity for confusion since in English that invariably refers to the concurrent war, between the United Kingdom and the United States.

Related Topics:
English - Concurrent war - United Kingdom - United States

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