Battle of Leipzig

The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations was a battle between Napoleon I and his army and an allied force of several nations. It happened on October 16-19 in 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
The Battle of Leipzig by Vladimir Moshkov (1815)
Date 16–19 October 1813 Location Leipzig, Saxony Result Decisive coalition victory
Belligerents
French Empire Duchy of Warsaw Italy Naples Saxony[1]	Russia Austrian Empire Prussia Sweden Saxony[1]
Commanders and leaders
Napoleon I Józef Antoni Poniatowski † Frederick Augustus	Barclay De Tolly Count Benningsen Prince of Schwarzenberg Crown Prince Charles John 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. It was the one of the largest battles before World War I. It involved about 600,000 soldiers, and the largest cavalry charge ever. It was part of the War of the Sixth Coalition. After this battle, and the later defence of Paris (1814), Napoleon was taken to the island of Elba.