Battle of Leipzig

The Battle of Leipzig, or Battle of the Nations, was a battle of Napoleon I and his army against an allied force of several nations on October 16 to 19, 1813. Napoleon’s army had been defeated and depleted in the French invasion of Russia. The French were also losing the Peninsular War and retreating everywhere.

Battle of Leipzig
Part of the War of the Sixth Coalition
MoshkovVI SrazhLeypcigomGRM.jpg
The Battle of Leipzig by Vladimir Moshkov (1815)
Date16–19 October 1813
Location
Result Decisive coalition victory
Belligerents

France French Empire

Russia Russia
Austria Austrian Empire
Kingdom of Prussia Prussia
Sweden Sweden
Saxony Saxony[1]
Commanders and leaders
France Napoleon I
Józef Antoni Poniatowski 
Saxony Frederick Augustus

Russia Barclay De Tolly
Russia Count Benningsen

Austria Prince of Schwarzenberg
Sweden Crown Prince Charles John
Kingdom of Prussia Gebhard von Blücher
Strength
195,000[2]
700 guns [3]
430,000[2]
1,500 guns [3]
Casualties and losses
38,000 dead or wounded
20,000 captured
54,000 dead or wounded[2]

Being outnumbered, he attacked. His allies in the Confederation of the Rhine changed sides, and Napoleon was defeated. The batle was the one of the largest battles before World War I and involved about 600,000 soldiers and the largest cavalry charge ever. It was part of the War of the Sixth Coalition.

After the battle and the later defence of Paris (1814), Napoleon was taken to the Mediterranean island of Elba.

Battle Of Leipzig Media

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Defected to the allies 18 October 1813
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chandler 1966, p. 1020
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Leipzig : Battle of Leipzig : Napoleonic Wars : Bonaparte : Bernadotte : Charles : Blucher". Napoleonguide.com. Retrieved 2010-10-16.

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