The French Emperor’s territorial ambition was finally to drive Russia, Prussia and Austria into the coalition that would destroy him. The cause of this was Napoleon’s arrogant invasion of Russia. In June 1812 he marched 600,000 males into the tsar’s territories. Confident of speedy victory, the French army was not equipped for the exhausting campaign that followed.

Retreating before them, the Russians lured them deeper and deeper into Russia, burning their lands and homes as they went. The two sides met at last at Borodino on 7 September 1912. There were terrible losses on both sides. When Napoleon reached Moscow on 14 September, he found it deserted.

Two days later it was burnt towards the ground. As Napoleon lingered, the bitter Russian winter arrived and took a hideous toll from the starving French army – only 10,000 men limped back to France. The failure of the Moscow campaign proved Napoleon could be beaten. A great coalition was formed by Russia, Prussia, Sweden, Austria and Bavaria, with Britain helping using the costs. Half a million males met in battle at Leipzig in Germany in October 1813. The French, badly beaten, had been forced to retreat. In March 1814 Russian soldiers entered Paris. Napoleon abdicated and was exiled to the island of Elba, off Italy. Louis XVIII took the throne.

The 100 days

Even though the endless wars and also the financial hardship caused by the Continental System had lessened Napoleon’s popularity with the individuals, his old soldiers continued to admire him. So, when he escaped from Elba and returned to France determined to re-conquer the world, they joined him. The king fled, and for 100 days the Emperor relived his glory.

But the coalition, which had broken up, recovered, and an army of nearly a million men faced Napoleon’s brave army of old men and young boys at Waterloo on 18 June 1815. After a hard battle, Napoleon surrendered. This time the great man’s exile was permanent. He was sent to the remote British island of St Helena in the Atlantic, where, lonely and miserable, he died in 1821. Without him, Europe’s excellent powers went into reaction; the liberal ideals from the Republic and its Emperor had been forgotten – or suppressed – for a generation.