Napoleon's Invasion of Russia Keith Dalen Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the most powerful leaders in the history of the world. In just four short years he went from a mere soldier to ruler of France. Although he was only five feet three inches tall, he was a cunning man and a military genius. He has often been compared to the likes of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. His genius caused him to be crowned Emperor of France. Just like all men that hold power, Napoleon wanted only one thing, more power. This would eventually lead to his downfall. It all started in 1806 when Napoleon started a policy called the Continental System. It decreed that a blockade be set up to stop all trade between Great Britain and the European countries. It was designed to cripple Britain's economy and make continental Europe more self-sufficient. In 1812 the Russian czar Alexander I decided to continue exporting to Great Britain (Saglamer NP). Napoleon threatened attack and Alexander knew just how to annoy him into doing it. He knew that Napoleon had once lost for being over zealous and hoped that history would repeat itself (Lachouque 271). The czar also knew that if Napoleon were to attack that the French could probably beat them on the battlefield, but he vowed he would not offer peace. He said if the Russian army were not able to defeat the French the Russian winter would do it for them ("Napoleon's" NP). Napoleon made the mistake of choosing to attack. In the days before the invasion Napoleon went about his work just has he had done at the beginning of his great campaigns. He kept to his room, with his maps and Bacler d'Albe. He made his calculations, scribbled down figures and organized his army on a mock battlefield (Lachouque 271). Finally, in June of 1812, Napoleon and his Grand Army marched into France. The invasion had begun. Napoleon was fighting an uphill battle even before he left France, however. Most of the soldiers in his army were not French and had been drafted from other parts of Europe and felt little loyalty to their dictator. (Nicolson 114). The march through Russia was a long and difficult process for the French Soldiers. They had to carry all their heavy equipment on their backs and often became low on food. Many of their horses died so they had to shoulder even more weight (Lachouque 291). Just as Napoleon's forces marched across the border, Alexander pulled his forces back to avoid a large battle and stall for time. They backed up farther and farther towards Moscow, lighting crops on fire and killing livestock along the way. This way they would leave no food for the French to take (Bowle 89). Napoleon finally got a decisive battle at Borodino. On September 7th the two armies faced off. Napoleon's forces pounded at the Russian resistance with cannon fire and brute force. By the time the dust had cleared the French gained the upper hand and forced the Russians to retreat. This left the road to Moscow totally clear (Lachouque 299). Napoleon reached Russia's capital on the 14th but found it in ashes. Alexander burned it to the ground rather than surrender it to the Emperor. Napoleon set up camp and waited for a peace offering from the czar. It never came. In mid October Napoleon finally ordered his forces to retreat. The Russians seized the opportunity to attack Napoleon's weakened army as they retreated. The first snow came on the 3rd of November. The soldiers were exhausted and some even had to walk barefoot through the snow. Some decided to just desert their posts in favor of taking shelter and resting. Food ran low and the all they had to eat was their dead horses or the corpses of fellow soldiers. While Napoleon was trudging his way back through Russia, a man named General Malet tried to seize control of the government in Paris. He was arrested and executed and Napoleon received word of this on the 6th of November. Even though the attempt didn't work it still rattled the Emperor and made him aware that his empire was vulnerable (Lachouque 309). In the middle of December the French army finally crossed the border out of Russia. Napoleon began his quest with 422,000 men; only 10,000 came back. At the beginning of 1812 Napoleon's French Empire was at its largest extent and was at its most powerful. By the end of his campaign through Russia his army was greatly weakened, as was his empire. Napoleon simply got too arrogant and began to feel as if he was invincible. His decision to invade Russia cost him most of his military and eventually, his empire. Works Cited Nicolson, Nigel. Napoleon 1812. New York: Harper and Row, 1985. Lachouque, Henry. Napoleon's Battles. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co Inc, 1967. Bowle, John. Napoleon. Chicago: Follett Publishing Company, 1975. Saglamer, Emin. "1812: Napoleon's March to Russia." 1 Oct. 1996. 2 May 2004. . "Napoleon's Invasion of Russia." 1997. 02 May 2004. .