On October 16, 1813, a decisive battle in the war of Austria, Prussia, Russia, and Sweden against France began near Leipzig, as a result of which all German states were liberated from Napoleon's troops, and the troops of the Sixth Coalition were able to enter the territory of France the following year and force Bonaparte to abdicate.
The greatest battle
Napoleon's unsuccessful campaign in the Russian Empire led to the fact that the French army was completely defeated. Sensing the weakness of the French, Prussia rose up, which, together with Russian troops, liberated Germany from Bonaparte's forces up to the Elbe River.
In August 1813, France was opposed by Austria and Sweden, which together with Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, Prussia, Saxony, Württemberg and Russia formed the Sixth Anti-Napoleonic Coalition. At the beginning of October, their army under the general command of the Austrian field marshal Karl Schwarzenberg with three armies tried to surround Napoleon's army, which was stationed near Dresden.
Having left a powerful garrison in Dresden, Napoleon sent about 110 of his troops to Leipzig, hoping to defeat the armies of the Sixth Coalition in turn. Acting in advance, on October 000, 16, the 1813-strong Bohemian army of Field Marshal Schwarzenberg was the first to attack the French. Despite the quick capture of a number of settlements, it was unable to gain a foothold in new positions, and in the afternoon the French launched a counterattack, which, however, was repulsed and they failed to break through the front. But the 133 Silesian army of the Prussian field marshal Gebhard Blücher managed to push back the French from their positions in the north at the cost of heavy losses.
Thus began the largest battle in the history of mankind before the First World War, which was called the Battle of Leipzig or the Battle of the Nations.
The fighting continued until October 18: on that day, the coalition army went on the offensive and broke through the defense of the French on the northern flank at about two o'clock in the afternoon, after which all the German units that fought in the ranks of Napoleon's troops moved to the enemy's side, exposing the middle of the front. Realizing that the battle was lost, on the night of October 19, the French army began to retreat.
The meat grinder horrified Europe
In total, 120 soldiers died on German soil. Every fifth combatant died. Johann Christian Reil was a professor of medicine, one of the most famous doctors of that time. On the order of the Prussian statesman and politician Heinrich Friedrich Karl von und zum Stein, he wrote a report on the situation in infirmaries and military hospitals.
— I conclude my report by mentioning one terrible sight, because of which I lost my temper for a while. In the yard of one of the schools, I found a mountain of remains of my compatriots. They were gnawed by dogs and rats. This is how they got rid of the remains of heroes who fell for their families, the professor said.
The huge number of victims made politicians think about how important it is to resolve emerging conflicts at the negotiating table.
- This was the first time when the statesmen, shocked by the results of the battle, talked about finding other ways to solve problems. The result was the Congress of Vienna — a pan-European conference, during which a system of treaties aimed at the restoration of the feudal-absolutist monarchies destroyed by the Napoleonic wars was worked out, and new borders of the largest and most influential states in Europe were determined, wrote historian Steffen Poser
Consequences for Europe
In 1814, the Allies entered the territory of France. This led to the first abdication of Napoleon and the end of his rule in the Old World. The battle played a huge role for Germany as well: German historians believe that it united the country.
And, of course, the above-mentioned Congress of Vienna took place, the participants of which were all European leaders, with the exception of representatives of the Ottoman Empire. For the first time, world powers sat down at the negotiating table to settle disputed issues, which became a prerequisite for the creation of modern diplomacy.
The Congress determined the new balance of power in Europe, which took shape at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and for a long time marked the leading role of the victorious countries — Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Great Britain — in international relations. As a result of the congress, the Vienna system of international relations was formed, which established the balance of power between European states, and the Holy Union of European states was created, which aimed to ensure the stability of European monarchies.
"That battle became an important stage on the path of Europe's development, the beginning of the rocky path to the peaceful European commonwealth in which we live today," wrote historian Steffen Poser.
