In 1812, Napoleon, and a Grand Armee of 500,000 men, invaded Russia.
Their goal was to confront Tsar Alexander's Army around Vilnius or Minsk, engage in a decisive battle, and force Alexander to observe the Embargo against British goods (the 'Continental System').
Instead, the Russian general, Barclay de Tolly, retreated, retreated, retreated..... deeper and deeper in Russia ... as the weather got colder and colder. And French supply lines got more and more extended.
Barclay was relieved by General Kutuzov. Kutuzov engaged in battle at Borodino, the largest land battle in human history until 1905 (Mukden).
Kutuzov was defeated by Napoleon. And retreated. All the way to Moscow.
Napoleon's troops occupied Russia.
The Russians set Moscow on fire. It was 1812--the buildings were made of wood.
It was winter in Moscow. The Grand Armee had no shelter and no food. Neither did their horses.
The horses became the food.
Napoleon's Grand Armee retreated back to Poland.
90% of them never made it. They died.
Napoleon, in 1813, was defeated at Leipzig. He retreated to Paris.
He was surrounded there on March 31, 2014.
He was exiled to Elba, a rocky island off the coast of Livorno, Italy.
His wife, the Empress Maria-Louisa, was exiled to Parma, Italy.
Napoleon has his mistress, Maria Walewski, shipped (literally) to Elba.
They slept in an outdoor tent at night out of fear of Maria-Louisa finding out.
Maria-Louisa founding out.
Napoleon escaped from Elba in March 1815, and re-took power in Paris.
Maria-Louisa refused to go to Napoleon in Paris.
She never saw or spoke to him again.
Napoleon died on Saint Helena in 1821.
Maria-Louisa died, as Duchess of Parma, in 1847.
