Napoleon suffers a decisive defeat in the Wars of Liberation
The catastrophic failure of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 enabled Prussia and Austria to withdraw from their alliances with France. In early 1813, Prussia even joined Russia to launch the Wars of Liberation against Napoleonic France. Popular uprisings in north-western Germany – which had been annexed by France – were soon followed by the clash of armies and the entry of Austria into the war. The stage was set for a decisive showdown, which took place at Leipzig between 16 and 19 October 1813. Pitting France and its allies from the Confederation of the Rhine against the armies of Austria, Prussia and Russia, the Battle of the Nations involved 600,000 soldiers, making it the largest battle in world history to date.
The first day brought no decision. The guns fell silent on the second day, but the anti-Napoleon coalition was able to bring up significant reinforcements, which enabled them to push back their opponents on 18 October and gave Napoleon’s German allies the opportunity to change sides. Whilst several French units made for France, the rest of Napoleon’s army retreated to the city of Leipzig. When the city fell to the coalition troops on 19 October 1813, the outcome of the battle was sealed. At least 90,000 soldiers were killed or wounded in the four-day battle. The French retreated behind the Rhine, the Confederation of the Rhine collapsed and all German lands on the right bank of the Rhine were liberated from French control.
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