War of the Sixth Coalition

This catastrophe broke the spell of Napoleonic invincibility.

A new and massive Sixth Coalition, including Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Sweden, all bankrolled by Britain, rose against him.

At the epic Battle of the Nations at Leipzig in October 1813, he was decisively overwhelmed by sheer numbers and forced back across the Rhine.

Despite a brilliant defensive campaign in 1814, the Allies entered Paris and Napoleon was forced to abdicate.

And let's start with that piece that Napoleon could and should have had, but didn't take.

After the Battle of Leipzig, the Sixth Coalition, Russia, Prussia, Austria, Sweden and Great Britain, plus a whole host of smaller entities, should, by rights, have been ready to finish him off.

Instead, in November 1813, Metternich did something that was both balanced and rather generous.

He had offered Napoleon peace on the basis of France's natural frontiers, the Rhine, the Alps, the Pyrenees.

And remember, Sweden and Russia already had their own agreement in place.

The Sixth Coalition was forming.

However, one major player was sort of missing: Austria.

The Austrians, rather more cautiously, ended their alliance with France in February 1813, but held back from actually declaring war.

I'll add that to my bucket list.

Buy hat, lose temper in public, throw hat on ground.

When the ceasefire finally expired in August, Austria declared war on France and the Sixth Coalition was complete.

Russia, Prussia, Austria, Sweden with Great Britain, which had also now officially joined, still providing the major part of the funding.

So an entire year was cut out.

What happened in that year? The start of the War of the Sixth Coalition.

And so after Napoleon got back from Russia, all of his enemies knew he was weak.

They were ready to attack.

With the adhesion of Austria and Bernadette's Swedes, the Allies entered the Ottoman campaign with over half a million men in ample reserves.

So he was outnumbered by these guys as well.

The Sixth Coalition had been Napoleon's biggest and most united enemy yet.

And on their side, they had major players who had worked under Napoleon in the past, particularly Marshal Bernadotte and General Moreau, who we mentioned earlier.

Next time we'll pick up in the new year.

Napoleon's efforts to raise a fresh army from almost nothing, Prussia's slow and reluctant turn against him, and the opening moves of what would become the War of the Sixth Coalition, the campaign that would decide whether 1812 had actually broken Napoleon or only temporarily damaged him.

Oh, and of course, we've still got the other side campaigns to take care of as well.

Until then, dear comrades, take care.

[laughs]

... uh, meanwhile, in the east, uh, in March 1813, uh, a sixth coalition has risen.

Yeah.

Okay? Russia, Prussia, Britain, Sweden, Austria, and many of the German states.

Uh, and this sixth coalition have decide- not Nick C- not- Nick Clegg is not in this coalition.

That's the seventh co- coalition.

That's the seventh coalition, which we're coming to.

Um, and yet he's just running out of, uh, manpower.