Allies or enemies.
The great commander of Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France from 1804 to 1815, is a truly outstanding strategist. He laid the foundations of the French state. France still lives under the constitution adopted by Napoleon. Of course, some changes were still made, but overall it was not rewritten.
The invincible French army, led by Bonaparte himself, struck fear into neighboring states. Victory after victory accompanied the Corsican. He loved his soldiers and treated them like children. He had no goal to kill, he just wanted to be the ruler of the world, he strived for world domination. But who helped Napoleon Bonaparte himself in this difficult matter, who were among his allies?
All allied states can be clearly traced using the example of the Patriotic War of 1812. France is against the Russian Empire, but Russia still turned out to be stronger and marked the beginning of the collapse of the great emperor. But first, about the Tilsit Peace Treaty.
World of Tilsit
It so happened that in the Battle of Friedland, Napoleon’s army defeated the army of the Russian Empire. Having learned this, Emperor Alexander the First ordered the Emperor of France to be notified of his desire to negotiate peace.
This happened in 1807. At a place called Tilsit, negotiations were held between the two great emperors. Napoleon wanted to get Russia as his allies. He promised to give Alexander Finland and the Balkan Peninsula.
After the signing of the treaty, the Duchy of Warsaw appears on the map, which was located inside the territories of Prussia and was subordinate to Napoleon. A number of more points appeared in the Tilsit world. A larger number of points concerned Alexander's recognition of Napoleon's conquests, as well as the recognition by the Russian Empire of his brothers Joseph, Louis and Jerome as kings of Naples, Holland and Westphalia, respectively. But the most important point concerned England. It spoke of the Russian Empire joining the continental blockade of England. This decision was beneficial to Napoleon, since he thereby eliminated his main enemy on the continent - England.
However, the signing of the Tilsit Peace Treaty was nothing more than a respite for the two countries before a new battle. Alexander also realized that he would not be able to maintain the blockade of England. England at that time was Russia's main trading partner. Violation of this clause of the agreement became the main cause of the Patriotic War of 1812.
By the beginning of the war, Bonaparte managed to assemble about four hundred and fifty thousand soldiers in his army. About half of their number were French soldiers. The rest of the army was formed from soldiers of the powers allied to Napoleon.
Allied powers
In the War of 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte was helped by the Allied powers. They included Austria and Prussia, as well as the Principality of Lithuania.
In 1804, the self-proclaimed Emperor Bonaparte appears in France. Napoleon's response to this statement was the creation of the Austrian Empire. It was founded by Emperor Franz II. But Napoleon orchestrated the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire. Austria lost to Napoleon in several battles.
As already mentioned, after the signing of the Tilsit Peace Treaty, Prussia lost almost half of its lands. And what she had left was under the occupation of French soldiers. Prussia had no choice but to join the continental blockade, and thus the alliance between France and Prussia appeared. Of course, these were forced measures. And as soon as the Emperor of France receives a defeat that later changes his whole life, Prussia will leave him.
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was forced, like all others, to maintain allied relations with Napoleonic France. So most of the Principality of Lithuania was in the Russian Empire, this was the result of the division of Poland and Lithuania between Austria, Russia and Prussia. But the situation changed somewhat as a result of the signing of the same Peace of Tilsit. So some lands that after the division belonged to Prussia were transferred to Russia, and also became part of the Duchy of Warsaw, which was headed by the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte.
So, as a result of his conquests, Napoleon Bonaparte found some allies for decisive battles with Russia, but, unfortunately, the allies were not so reliable and at the first opportunity they went over to the side of the Russian Empire, which was already more powerful at that time. Thus began Napoleon's path to his imprisonment. Napoleon began to rapidly lose his former power.
In 1814, coalition troops consisting of Russia and Prussia entered Paris, Napoleon was forced to sign an abdication. That was the end. It is noteworthy that Bonaparte’s attempt to commit suicide was not crowned with a “victory.” Napoleon's exile to the island of Elba was also unsuccessful; he simply fled from there. But he made a mistake by asking to board the ship of his old enemy England. Of course, England could not miss such a chance, and Napoleon was sent to the island of St. Helena, where he was imprisoned there for six years. Thus ended the era of the great commander and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. So the genius of military campaigns could not properly cope with politics.
Peace of Campoformia: Austria is no longer a great power
Italian and Swiss campaigns of Suvorov
Secret expedition of the Cossacks to India
Treaty of Amiens: peace reigned in Europe for 14 months
Battle of Trafalgar. Battle of Austerlitz
1797. Bonaparte made the first move, defeating the Austrian army in Italy. At the beginning of the war, Austria was a great power. It united around itself all the small German states into the Holy Roman Empire, which was led by Austrian kings for many centuries. General Bonaparte practically destroyed the armed forces of Austria and imposed the Campoformian Peace on it, under the terms of which several client states were created in Italy, dependent on France. All of Germany west of the Rhine became a client Ciesrein Republic. The French occupation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which became the Batavian Republic, was also recognized. All this was observed with pleasure by the old enemies of Austria - Prussia and Türkiye.
1799. On the eve of Suvorov's campaign. The French continued to spread their influence in Italy. The Papal States were made a Roman Republic, the Neapolitan king fled to Sicily, and in the mainland of his kingdom the French and the “Neapolitan revolutionaries” proclaimed the Parthenopean Republic. While Bonaparte was in Egypt, a joint Russian-Austrian army under the command of Suvorov expelled the French from Italy. The existence of the Parthenopean Republic was brought to an end by a landing party of several hundred Russian sailors.
1801. Emperor Paul I, dissatisfied with his allies, went over to Napoleon's side. By the mercy of the Austrian allies, Suvorov was forced to fight across the Alps and lost a third of his army. The offended Pavel made peace with Napoleon, who by that time had carried out a coup d'état and began to rule France single-handedly. The Don army moved to conquer British India. In return, Bonaparte promised to remove troops from his newly conquered Italy. After the murder of Pavel, the Cossacks were returned home, and Napoleon told the Russian ambassador that he had no intention of keeping his promise about Italy.
1805. Decline of the First Reich. On October 21, 1805, Nelson destroyed the French and Spanish fleets off Cape Trafalgar. Now Napoleon could not land in England, on the territory of his main enemy. He had to start a war with Britain's allies on land - Austria and Russia. After the disaster at Austerlitz, Austria was forced to recognize Bavaria and Württemberg, Napoleon's allies, as independent kingdoms. The following year, the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation - the First Reich - collapsed completely. Persia, which laid claim to Georgia, declared war on Russia after Georgia was included in the Russian Empire.
The defeat of the Prussian army. Battle of Preussisch Eylau
Battle of Friedland. World of Tilsit
Napoleon's invasion of Spain and the beginning of the guerilla regime
Annexation of Finland to Russia
1807. Prussia attacked France and paid the price. For non-participation in the Third Coalition, Prussia received Hanover from France, the personal possession of the British king. In 1806, Prussian field marshals decided to attack Napoleon without waiting for the allies. They were confident of victory and were only afraid that the French army would avoid the battle. The Prussians were defeated long before Russian troops came to their aid. Having been defeated at Friedland, Alexander I, at a meeting with Napoleon in Tilsit, made peace at the cost of abandoning British subsidies and stopping trade with England.
1809. Emperor Napoleon began to distribute crowns. At the expense of Prussian territory, the Polish state was revived under the name of the Duchy of Warsaw. Until 1812, it was headed by Napoleon's ally, the king of Saxony, which was part of the puppet Rhine League. Napoleon took the crown of Italy for himself, gave the Neapolitan one to Murat, the husband of his sister Caroline, and the Dutch one to his brother Louis. Then he invaded Spain to place another brother, Joseph, on the throne there. Here, for the first time, the French were unable to win: they were faced with guerrilla warfare (guerrilla warfare). The Russian army, which captured Swedish Finland, also fought unsuccessfully against the partisans, but Alexander I reassured the Finns by granting them autonomy and a constitution.
Bucharest Peace. Patriotic War. Battle of Aslanduz
War of Liberation in Germany. Battle of the Nations
1814. Fall of Paris. Napoleon's abdication and exile to Elba
1815. “One Hundred Days,” Battle of Waterloo. Creation of the Holy Alliance
1812. Russia acquired Abkhazia. On May 16, Kutuzov signed a peace that put an end to the Russian-Turkish War, which had been dragging on since 1806. Türkiye ceded vassal regions to Russia - Bessarabia and Abkhazia. The Russian army was freed up to fight Napoleon's invasion, which began on June 12. The Anglo-Russian War, which formally continued from the Peace of Tilsit, ended on July 6, when Napoleon was still in Belarus. To help the residents of burned Moscow, the British Parliament allocated an amount comparable to the budget of the Russian Empire. The tsarist government spent this money to supply the army. At the same time, Great Britain supported Persia, which was at war with Russia. On October 20, in the battle of Aslanduz, Kotlyarevsky’s detachment of 2,200 people defeated a 30,000-strong Persian army with 350 British military advisers. As a result of this defeat, Persia lost the war, abandoned Azerbaijan and Georgia, and ceded Lankaran to Russia.
1813. Germany is liberated. After the death of the Grand Army in Russia, Austria and Prussia, forced allies of Napoleon, went over to the side of the coalition. On October 19, 1813, in the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig, Russian, Austrian and Prussian troops inflicted the first defeat in his life on Napoleon. After Leipzig, France was left without allies.
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Europe map in 1812-1814 based on borders from historical maps. State borders are drawn in accordance with more detailed historical maps reflecting the situation in Europe in 1812. |
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As I already said, Napoleon's Grand Army was multinational. In 1812, it had a significant number of foreign contingents (historians still argue about the number of foreign soldiers who took part in the campaign to Russia in 1812: some put the figure at 30-40% of foreign soldiers from the total army, others bring their numbers even up to 50%). Some foreign soldiers joined the French army voluntarily, others were subjects of states allied to France or its satellites, forcibly obliged to supply Napoleon with their military contingents.
The fighting qualities of the foreign contingents of the French army were different: Poles and Italians were considered good soldiers. The Germans, divided at that time into many small states, fought unequally: the inhabitants of some lands were considered excellent soldiers, while others, on the contrary, were very bad.
FRANCE'S ALLIES IN 1812-13
Below is information only about the armies of those countries allied to Napoleon that participated in the campaign to Russia. Countries that did not supply soldiers to the Grand Army, or whose soldiers did not participate in the invasion of Russia, but fought in other areas, are not included in this list.
AUSTRIA
Throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries. Austria and Russia were allies, but France, with the beginning of the revolution in this country, became a common enemy for Austria and Russia. However, a series of severe defeats left Austria dependent on Napoleon, as a result of which the Austrians were forced to take part in the invasion of Russia in 1812. For this purpose, the infantry corps of Field Marshal Schwarzenberg was allocated, which included 12 line infantry regiments (+2 grenadier battalions) and 1 light infantry regiment (+2 jäger battalions). The cavalry of the corps consisted of 2 dragoon, 2 light horse and 3 hussar regiments. Moreover, all parts of the Austrian Empire were divided into two types: “German” regiments, recruited specifically from Austrians, and “Hungarian” regiments, recruited in Hungary, which was part of the empire, and other regions of the “patchwork” state.
Schwarzenberg's corps operated in the southern direction against the corps of Tormasov and Chichagov. Having pushed the Russians back to Brest-Litovsk, Schwarzenberg occupied Bialystok and stopped, effectively ceasing hostilities against Russia. When the French retreated from Moscow in December 1812, after negotiations with the Russians, Schwarzenter left Bialystok without a fight, and in January 1812, he also surrendered Warsaw to the Russians without a fight. After Napoleon's defeat in Russia, in the summer of 1813, Austria joined the anti-French coalition, and Field Marshal Prince Schwarzenberg was appointed generalissimo of all allied forces.
Austrian infantry: grenadiers of the "Hungarian" infantry regiment 
Austrian infantry: fusiliers of the "German" infantry regiment 
Austrian Dragoons of the Duke of Tuscany's Regiment (a trumpeter in the foreground)
BAVARIA
The Kingdom of Bavaria joined the alliance with Napoleon in 1806 after Austria's defeat at Austerlitz. In 1806, when Bavaria entered into an alliance with France, it placed 10 line regiments under Napoleon's banner; by 1811 their number had increased to 13. In addition, 6 battalions of light Bavarian infantry entered Russia as part of the French army. As for cavalry, in 1806 2 Bavarian dragoon and 4 Bavarian light cavalry regiments joined the French. In 1811, the dragoon regiments were reorganized into light-horse regiments, and in 1812, 6 Bavarian light-horse regiments entered Russia.
In 1812, Bavarian troops actively participated in Napoleon's campaign in Russia; they made up the 6th Corps of General Saint-Cyr (central direction). At the end of 1813, after the defeat of the French at Leipzig, Bavaria went over to the side of the anti-Napoleonic coalition, thanks to which it retained most of its territorial acquisitions. 
Bavarian infantrymen: grenadier of the 4th regiment, private of the 2nd regiment, non-commissioned officer of the 11th infantry regiment 
Bavarian cavalry: cuirassier, lancer, light cavalry, hussar
BADEN
The Duchy of Baden found itself in Napoleon's path in his fight against Austria; in order not to be crushed and destroyed by a formidable enemy, Duke Karl-Friedrich of Baden, after the defeat of Austria at Marengo (1801), went over to the side of France, and already as an ally of Napoleon took part in the Battle of Austerlitz (1805).
In 1812, the Duchy of Baden sent 4 linear infantry regiments, a chasseur battalion and 2 light dragoon regiments to Napoleon's troops. These units entered the 9th Corps of Marshal Victor. At first, this corps provided security for the communications of the Napoleonic army, but when the French retreated from Russia, it was brought into the first line and repelled the attacks of Russian troops at the Berezina. At the same time, the Baden units suffered huge losses - only 1,500 people were able to return to their homeland... 
Baden infantry: privates of the 3rd and 1st line regiments, voltigeur of the light battalion
BERG AND KLEVE
The Grand Duchy of Berg was an artificial formation established in 1806 by Napoleon as a “buffer zone” between France and Prussia. Initially, this duchy was headed by Joachim Murat, who sent 4 infantry and 1 cavalry regiment (the guards regiment of the Berg Light Horse, consisting of only 2 squadrons) under the banner of Napoleon. This cavalry regiment escorted Joseph Bonaparte in Spain, and in 1808 was included in imperial guard. Subsequently, Murat became the King of Naples, and Napoleon's young nephew, Napoleon-Louis, was appointed Duke of Berg.
Berg's army was too small to represent an independent force, so Berg's units were part of larger formations operating in Spain and Russia. 
Infantry of the Duchy of Berg and Kleve
GRAND DUKY OF WARSAW
At the beginning of the 18th century, the Kingdom of Poland was one of the largest in Europe, but by the end of the century, the weakened state, torn by internal contradictions, collapsed and was divided between its neighbors: Austria, Prussia and Russia. Polish patriots who wanted to restore their statehood sought support from revolutionary France, and then from Napoleon Bonaparte, who destroyed precisely those countries between which Poland was divided. Therefore, since revolutionary times, the French army included many Poles who united into national units and fought bravely on the side of the French. After the defeat of Prussia in the fall of 1806, Napoleon created the Grand Duchy of Warsaw on the Polish lands taken from Prussia, which became a buffer state between France and Russia. This encouraged Polish patriots that after the defeat of Russia it would be possible to restore Poland to its previous extent, and therefore the armed forces of the new state happily joined the Great Army. Most of the Polish units were included in Poniatowski's 5th Infantry Corps, but other corps of the French army also included Polish units, which were often the most combat-ready groups of these corps. Moreover, in the Russian campaign, the Poles especially proved themselves in two directions at once: the most courageous and assertive in battle, they were at the same time the most cruel robbers and marauders, about which there is a lot of evidence from contemporaries.
In 1812, the French army included 1 Uhlan Guards Regiment (in the Old Guard), 17 Polish and 7 Lithuanian infantry regiments, as well as 20 cavalry regiments, which were not only sabers and pikes, but also the “eyes and ears” of Napoleonic troops
Unlike most of France's allies, the Poles remained loyal to Napoleon until the very end - they continued to fight in the ranks of the French army and die for the emperor even in his last battle at Waterloo... 
Infantrymen of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw: sapper and fusilier of the Vistula Legion 
Ulan Cavalry of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw
WESTPHALIA
The Kingdom of Westphalia was created by Napoleon for his brother Jerome Bonaparte in 1807 from territories seized from Hanover, Prussia and Hesse.
Jerome Bonaparte was able to place under the banner of his brother 8 regiments of linear infantry, 4 regiments of light infantry and an incomplete regiment of the Royal Guard, consisting of grenadier, jäger and carabinieri battalions. Most of these units were part of Jerome Bonaparte's 8th Infantry Corps.
The Westphalian cavalry consisted of guards and army units. The army cavalry included 2 cuirassier regiments (created in 1808 and 1810), 2 hussar regiments, and 1 light horse regiment (in October 1812, the 2nd light horse regiment was formed on paper). The guard included a horse guards squadron and 3 light horse squadrons (from 1811 - pikemen or lancers), as well as a French hussar regiment, called "Jerome Napoleon's Hussars". After the collapse of the Kingdom of Westphalia, this regiment joined the ranks of the French army as the 13th Hussars. On March 25, 1814, under Ferchampenoise, this regiment was completely destroyed. 
Officer and soldier of the Westphalian infantry regiment 
Private in the Hussars of Jerome Napoleon (later the 13th Hussars of France)
WURTEMBERG
The troops of the Electorate of Württemberg joined Napoleon in 1806. They participated under French banners in the Battle of Austerlitz, and for this Napoleon declared Württemberg a kingdom, increasing the territory of this state.
Württemberg placed 8 line regiments under the banner of Napoleon (in the French army they received numbers from No. 1 to No. 8, although in their homeland they had a different numbering). The Württemberg light infantry consisted of 2 jäger regiments and 2 light infantry battalions, which were combined into one regiment in 1813. In the French army they received the traditional numbering from No. 1, although in their homeland they had different numbers.
The Württemberg cavalry consisted of guards and army units. The Guard included 1 Guards Light Horse and 2 Guards Horse-Jager Regiments (one of which was called the Guide Regiment). The immediate protection of King Frederick of Württemberg was carried out by a Life Guards regiment and 2 squadrons of mounted grenadiers. The army cavalry included 2 light horse regiments, 2 horse-chasseurs and 2 dragoon regiments.
After the Battle of Leipzig at the end of 1813, Württemberg went over to the side of the anti-Napoleonic coalition. 
Württemberg infantry: soldiers of the 1st and 8th line regiments, a light regiment chasseur and a soldier of the 1st line regiment in 1813 uniform 
Württemberg Cavalry: guide, horse guard, horse grenadier
HESSEN-DARMSTADT
Just like other German rulers, Landgrave Ludwig of Hesse joined Napoleon in 1806 after Austerlitz. Basically, Hessian troops as part of Napoleonic army took part in the fighting in Spain and Russia. After Napoleon's defeat in Russia, the Landgrave of Hesse left his ally at the end of 1813 and went over to the side of the anti-Napoleonic coalition.
The Hessian infantry consisted of 2 guards and 1 army regiment, formed according to the French model from the previously existing three infantry brigades. The Hessian cavalry consisted of the 1st Guards and 1st Light Horse Regiment. 
Hesse-Darmstadt infantry: corporal of the Grenadier Regiment and officer of the Life Guards Regiment
HOLLAND
The Kingdom of Holland existed from 1806 to 1810 (before that the state was called the Austrian Netherlands, and since 1794 - the Batavian Republic). For several centuries, the Dutch economically and militarily opposed England, which in the mid-18th century was able to push Holland into the background. This was precisely the reason for the alliance between Holland and France, which also sought to undermine the power of the British Empire. The result of the union was the transformation of Holland into a kingdom, whose ruler was Napoleon's younger brother Louis. However, Louis became proud of his position and tried to rule on his own, regardless of his brother’s interests. As a result, in 1810, Napoleon deposed Louis, annexed Holland to France, and merged its troops with the French. All this displeased the Dutch, who even rebelled against Napoleon in 1813, and in 1815, during the Battle of Waterloo, they made up a significant part of the Duke of Wellington's British troops.
At the time of the annexation of Holland to France, the Dutch troops consisted of 1 Guards Grenadier Regiment (incorporated into Napoleon's Old Guard), 2 Guards Cavalry Regiments (united by Napoleon into 1 Pike Regiment), 8 line infantry and 2 light infantry regiments, as well as 3 cavalry regiments . 
Dutch infantry: fusiliers and grenadiers (in bearskin hats)
SPAIN
In 1812, intense fighting took place in Spain between the French, British and Spanish armies, in which Spanish partisans also took an active part. Therefore, all the military contingents of the Spanish army were occupied in their homeland. As part of the Grand Army, only 2 Spanish military units entered Russia: the King Joseph Infantry Regiment and the Pioneer Battalion. These units fought in the battles of Borodino and Krasnoye. 
Spanish infantry: grenadier of King Joseph's regiment and officer of the physioles
ITALIAN KINGDOM
The Kingdom of Italy was formed by Napoleon in 1805 by merging the territories of Lombardy, the Caesalpine, Cispadan and Venetian Republics, as well as areas of South Tyrol. Bonaparte's stepson Eugene (Eugene) Beauharnais became the king of the new state, and he set about creating the Italian army. By 1812, this army included 2 guards infantry regiments, 2 guards cavalry regiments, 20 line infantry regiments, 10 light infantry regiments and 10 cavalry regiments. Most of these units took part in the campaign to Russia in 1812 as part of the 4th Infantry Corps of Beauharnais; The Italians have proven themselves well in numerous battles. 
Italian infantry: army grenadier, chasseur (chasseur), army grenadier officer and guard grenadier (bearskin hat)
KINGDOM OF NAPLES
In 1806, Napoleon overthrew King Ferdinand from the Neapolitan throne and appointed his elder brother Joseph king of Naples, but in 1808 he “transferred” Joseph to the Spanish throne, and made his brother-in-law Joachim Murat king of Naples.
When creating the army, Joseph was faced with the problem of a small number of volunteers willing to take arms. Joseph found an original way out of this situation: his army included a significant number of criminals who were willing to do anything just to get out from behind bars. Therefore, Murat, who subsequently became the head of Naples, was never able to completely eradicate the predatory traditions of his army until the very end of the Napoleonic wars. The general conscription introduced in 1809 only aggravated the situation: in fact, the robber units of Naples were replenished with people who evaded service and only dreamed of desertion. All this, naturally, did not increase the combat effectiveness of the Neapolitan army.
In general, by 1812, the Neapolitan army consisted of 2 guards infantry regiments and 1 guards cavalry regiment, 8 line regiments and 4 light infantry regiments, as well as 3 light cavalry regiments. Some of these regiments were part of the 33rd Division in the 11th Corps of Marshal Augereau and were mainly engaged in guarding communication lines.
After the defeat of the French in Russia and the creation of a new anti-Napoleonic coalition, Murat began negotiations with the Austrians, seeking to retain the throne in the event of Napoleon's defeat. As a result of these negotiations, in 1814, Murat went over to the side of Bonaparte’s enemies, and only the abdication of the emperor was the reason that the Neapolitans did not have to engage in battle with their former comrades in arms. 
Neapolitan Infantry: Voltigeur of the 5th Line, Officer of the 6th Line and Medical Officer of the 9th Line Regiment
PRUSSIA
Prussia entered the Napoleonic Wars with outdated tactics and older generals, which played a significant role in its defeat in 1806. However, many Prussians did not want to admit defeat and fled the country to Russia or began a partisan movement in Prussia against the French. In 1812, Prussia, enslaved by the French, was forced by Napoleon to field 5 infantry and 6 cavalry regiments for the campaign in Russia, which were mainly included in the auxiliary corps of Marshal MacDonald. As a result of this coercion, the Prussians, who were generally known as brave and stubborn warriors, fought reluctantly and unpersistently in the Russian campaign, among them there was a very high percentage of desertion and transfer to the Russian army. There were so many Prussians fleeing from Napoleon that a Prussian volunteer legion was even organized as part of the Russian army, which in 1813 took part in the liberation of their homeland from the French. At the same time, the Prussian king also spoke out against Napoleon, ordering his army to begin military operations together with the Russian army. 
Prussian heavy infantry: fusiliers of the 6th line regiment (privates in dress and marching uniform, non-commissioned officer in marching uniform) 
Prussian light infantry: private of the Jaeger battalion and officer of the Guards Jaeger battalion
SAXONY
In 1805, the Saxon army fought alongside the Prussian army against the French at Saalfeld and Jena, but in 1806 Saxony was forced to join the Confederation of the Rhine, which was subordinate to Napoleon. For this concession, Bonaparte made the Saxon elector Frederick Augustus king. Under the command of Marshal Bernadotte, the Saxons fought bravely at Wagram, but after Bernadotte's break with Bonaparte they fell out of favor with the emperor. In 1812, Saxony, at the request of Napoleon, formed the entire 7th Infantry Corps, which invaded Russia along with the Grand Army and fought alongside the Austrians in the southern direction. The Saxons behaved very honorably in battles; their cavalry especially distinguished itself in the attacks at Borodino.
The Saxon army had 1 guards infantry and 8 line regiments, 2 light infantry regiments, 1 guards cavalry, 2 cuirassier and 5 light cavalry regiments.
The Saxons suffered very heavy losses in Russia; in some regiments only 1 battalion remained in service. After the defeat in Russia, Frederick Augustus began negotiations with the opponents of the French, but Napoleon, having arrested the king, forced the Saxons to fight on his side again. However, this ended sadly for the emperor: at the beginning of the Battle of Leipzig, an entire Saxon division (5,000 people) left the ranks of the French troops and turned their weapons against the French. 
Saxony infantry: line infantry soldiers and officers (in white uniforms), light infantry soldiers (in green uniforms)
PREFABRICATED SHELVES OF SMALL GERMAN PRINCIPALITIES
The small German principalities of the Confederation of the Rhine, such as Lippe-Detmold, Anhalt-Dessau, Mecklenburg-Schwerin and others, supplying Napoleon with several hundred, at best up to 1 thousand, people, together they were able to form only 3 infantry and 1 cavalry regiment. These units were part of various French or German divisions.
Napoleon leads the battle
The Napoleonic Wars (1796-1815) are an era in the history of Europe when France, having taken the capitalist path of development, tried to impose the principles of freedom, equality, and fraternity, with which its people made their Great Revolution, on surrounding states.The soul of this grand enterprise, its driving force, was the French commander, political figure, who eventually became Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. That is why numerous European wars of the early 19th century are called Napoleonic.
“Bonaparte is short and not very slender: his body is too long. Hair is dark brown, eyes are blue-gray; complexion, at first, with youthful thinness, yellow, and then, with age, white, matte, without any blush. His features are beautiful, reminiscent of antique medals. The mouth, a little flat, becomes pleasant when he smiles; The chin is a little short. The lower jaw is heavy and square. His legs and arms are graceful, he is proud of them. The eyes, usually dull, give the face, when it is calm, a melancholy, thoughtful expression; when he gets angry, his gaze suddenly becomes stern and threatening. A smile suits him very well, suddenly makes him look very kind and young; It’s hard to resist him then, as he becomes all prettier and transformed” (from the memoirs of Madame Remusat, a lady-in-waiting at Josephine’s court)
Biography of Napoleon. Briefly
- 1769, August 15 - born in Corsica
- 1779, May-1785, October - training at military schools in Brienne and Paris.
- 1789-1795 - participation in one capacity or another in the events of the Great French Revolution
- 1795, June 13 - appointment as general of the Western Army
- 1795, October 5 - by order of the Convention, the royalist putsch was dispersed.
- 1795, October 26 - appointment as general of the Internal Army.
- 1796, March 9 - marriage to Josephine Beauharnais.
- 1796-1797 - Italian company
- 1798-1799 - Egyptian Company
- 1799, November 9-10 - coup d'etat. Napoleon becomes consul along with Sieyes and Roger-Ducos
- 1802, August 2 - Napoleon was presented with a lifelong consulate
- 1804, May 16 - proclaimed Emperor of the French
- 1807, January 1 - proclamation of the continental blockade of Great Britain
- 1809, December 15 - divorce from Josephine
- 1810, April 2 - marriage to Maria Louise
- 1812, June 24 - the beginning of the war with Russia
- 1814, March 30–31 - the army of the anti-French coalition entered Paris
- 1814, April 4–6 - Napoleon's abdication of power
- 1814, May 4 - Napoleon on the island of Elba.
- 1815, February 26 - Napoleon left Elba
- 1815, March 1 - Napoleon's landing in France
- 1815, March 20 - Napoleon's army entered Paris in triumph
- 1815, June 18 - Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.
- 1815, June 22 - second abdication
- 1815, October 16 - Napoleon imprisoned on the island of St. Helena
- 1821, May 5 - death of Napoleon
Napoleon is considered by experts to be the greatest military genius in world history.(Academician Tarle)
Napoleonic Wars
Napoleon waged wars not so much with individual states, but with alliances of states. There were seven of these alliances or coalitions in total.
First Coalition (1791-1797): Austria and Prussia. The war of this coalition with France is not included in the list of Napoleonic wars
Second Coalition (1798-1802): Russia, England, Austria, Turkey, the Kingdom of Naples, several German principalities, Sweden. The main battles took place in the regions of Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Holland.
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- 1799, April 27 - at the Adda River, the victory of Russian-Austrian troops under the command of Suvorov over the French army under the command of J. V. Moreau
- 1799, June 17 - near the Trebbia River in Italy, the victory of the Russian-Austrian troops of Suvorov over the French army of MacDonald
- 1799, August 15 - at Novi (Italy) victory of the Russian-Austrian troops of Suvorov over the French army of Joubert
- 1799, September 25-26 - at Zurich, the defeat of the coalition troops from the French under the command of Massena
- 1800, June 14 - at Marengo, Napoleon's French army defeated the Austrians
- 1800, December 3 - Moreau's French army defeated the Austrians at Hohenlinden
- 1801, February 9 - Peace of Luneville between France and Austria
- 1801, October 8 - peace treaty in Paris between France and Russia
- 1802, March 25 - Peace of Amiens between France, Spain and the Batavian Republic on the one hand and England on the other
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France established control over the left bank of the Rhine. The Cisalpine (in Northern Italy), Batavian (Holland) and Helvetic (Switzerland) republics are recognized as independent
Third Coalition (1805-1806): England, Russia, Austria, Sweden. The main fighting took place on land in Austria, Bavaria and at sea
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- 1805, October 19 - Napoleon's victory over the Austrians at Ulm
- 1805, October 21 - Defeat of the Franco-Spanish fleet from the British at Trafalgar
- 1805, December 2 - Napoleon's victory over Austerlitz over the Russian-Austrian army (“Battle of the Three Emperors”)
- 1805, December 26 - Peace of Presburg (Presburg - present-day Bratislava) between France and Austria
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Austria ceded to Napoleon the Venetian region, Istria (a peninsula in the Adriatic Sea) and Dalmatia (today mainly belongs to Croatia) and recognized all French conquests in Italy, and also lost its possessions west of Carinthia (today a federal state within Austria)
Fourth Coalition (1806-1807): Russia, Prussia, England. The main events took place in Poland and East Prussia
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- 1806, October 14 - Napoleon's victory at Jena over the Prussian army
- 1806, October 12 Napoleon occupied Berlin
- 1806, December - entry into the war of the Russian army
- 1806, December 24-26 - battles at Charnovo, Golymin, Pultusk, ending in a draw
- 1807, February 7-8 (New Style) - Napoleon’s victory in the Battle of Preussisch-Eylau
- 1807, June 14 - Napoleon's victory in the Battle of Friedland
- 1807, June 25 - Peace of Tilsit between Russia and France
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Russia recognized all the conquests of France and promised to join the continental blockade of England
Napoleon's Peninsular Wars: Napoleon's attempt to conquer the countries of the Iberian Peninsula.
From October 17, 1807 to April 14, 1814, the fighting between Napoleonic marshals and the Spanish-Portuguese-English forces continued, then fading, then resuming with new ferocity. France never managed to completely subjugate Spain and Portugal, on the one hand because the theater of war was on the periphery of Europe, on the other hand, because of opposition to the occupation of the peoples of these countries
Fifth Coalition (April 9–October 14, 1809): Austria, England. France acted in alliance with Poland, Bavaria, and Russia. main events took place in Central Europe
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- 1809, April 19-22 - the battles of Teugen-Hausen, Abensberg, Landshut, and Eckmühl in Bavaria were victorious for the French.
- The Austrian army suffered one setback after another, things did not work out for the allies in Italy, Dalmatia, Tyrol, Northern Germany, Poland and Holland
- 1809, July 12 - a truce was concluded between Austria and France
- 1809, October 14 - Treaty of Schönbrunn between France and Austria
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Austria lost access to the Adriatic Sea. France - Istria and Trieste. Western Galicia passed to the Duchy of Warsaw, Bavaria received the Tyrol and the Salzburg region, Russia - the Tarnopol district (as compensation for its participation in the war on the side of France)
Sixth Coalition (1813-1814): Russia, Prussia, England, Austria and Sweden, and after the defeat of Napoleon in the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig in October 1813, the German states of Württemberg and Bavaria joined the coalition. Spain, Portugal and England fought independently with Napoleon on the Iberian Peninsula
The main events of the war of the sixth coalition with Napoleon took place in Central Europe
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- 1813 - Battle of Lutzen. The allies retreated, but in the rear the battle was considered victorious
- 1813, October 16-19 - Napoleon’s defeat from the allied forces in the Battle of Leipzig (Battle of the Nations)
- 1813, October 30-31 - the battle of Hanau, in which the Austro-Bavarian corps unsuccessfully tried to block the retreat of the French army, defeated in the Battle of the Nations
- 1814, January 29 - Napoleon’s victorious battle near Brienne with Russian-Prussian-Austrian forces
- 1814, February 10-14 - victorious battles for Napoleon at Champaubert, Montmiral, Chateau-Thierry, Vauchamps, in which the Russians and Austrians lost 16,000 people
- 1814, March 9 - the battle of the city of Laon (northern France) was successful for the coalition army, in which Napoleon was still able to preserve the army
- 1814, March 20-21 - the battle of Napoleon and the Main Allied Army on the Au River (center of France), in which the coalition army threw back Napoleon’s small army and marched on Paris, which they entered on March 31
- 1814, May 30 - Treaty of Paris, ending Napoleon's war with the countries of the sixth coalition
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France returned to the borders that existed on January 1, 1792, and most of the colonial possessions it had lost during the Napoleonic Wars were returned to it. The monarchy was restored in the country
Seventh Coalition (1815): Russia, Sweden, England, Austria, Prussia, Spain, Portugal. The main events of Napoleon's war with the countries of the seventh coalition took place in France and Belgium.
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- 1815, March 1, Napoleon, who fled from the island, landed in France
- 1815, March 20 Napoleon occupied Paris without resistance
How the headlines of French newspapers changed as Napoleon approached the French capital:
“The Corsican monster landed in the Bay of Juan”, “The cannibal goes to the Route”, “The usurper entered Grenoble”, “Bonaparte occupied Lyon”, “Napoleon is approaching Fontainebleau”, “His Imperial Majesty enters his faithful Paris” - 1815, March 13, England, Austria, Prussia and Russia outlawed Napoleon, and on March 25 formed the Seventh Coalition against him.
- 1815, mid-June - Napoleon's army entered Belgium
- 1815, June 16, the French defeated the British at Quatre Bras and the Prussians at Ligny
- 1815, June 18 - defeat of Napoleon
Outcome of the Napoleonic Wars
“The defeat of feudal-absolutist Europe by Napoleon had a positive, progressive historical significance... Napoleon inflicted such irreparable blows on feudalism from which it could never recover, and this is the progressive significance of the historical epic of the Napoleonic wars”(Academician E.V. Tarle)