War of the Sixth Coalition facts for kids
The War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814) was a big conflict. It is sometimes called the Wars of Liberation in Germany. In this war, many countries joined forces against France. These countries included Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Sardinia, and several German States.
They fought against France and its leader, Napoleon. After a long struggle, they defeated Napoleon. He was sent away to an island called Elba. This war was part of the larger Napoleonic Wars.
Napoleon had a very difficult time in 1812. His army had a terrible invasion of Russia. Prussia and Austria had been forced to help France in that war. But after the disaster, they joined Russia, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Portugal. Rebels in Spain were already fighting France.
The War of the Sixth Coalition had huge battles. These included the Battle of Lützen, Battle of Bautzen, and Battle of Dresden. The Battle of Leipzig was even bigger. It was also known as the Battle of Nations. This was the largest battle in European history before World War I.
Napoleon's earlier problems in Spain, Portugal, and Russia led to his downfall. The allied armies got stronger. They pushed Napoleon out of Germany in 1813. Then, they invaded France in 1814. The Allies defeated the remaining French armies. They took over Paris. Napoleon was forced to give up his power and go into exile. The old French royal family, the House of Bourbon, was put back in charge of France. This was called the Bourbon Restoration.
Later, in 1815, Napoleon escaped from Elba. He returned to power in France for a short time. This period was called the "Hundred Days". But he was defeated again at the Battle of Waterloo. This finally ended the Napoleonic Wars.
Quick facts for kids War of the Sixth Coalition |
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| Part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars | |||||||
 Click an image to load the battle. Left to right, top to bottom: Battles of Lutzen, Katzbach, Dresden, Kulm, Leipzig, Hanau, Rothière, Laubressel, Laon, Arcis, Champenoise, Paris |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Original coalition
After the Armistice of Pläswitz
After the Battle of Leipzig After 20 November 1813
After January 1814 |
Until January 1814
Co-belligerent:
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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| Strength | |||||||
| 1813: 1,070,000 | 1813: 850,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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526,000
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668,900
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Contents
Why the War Started: Napoleon's Invasion of Russia
In June 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia. He wanted to force Emperor Alexander I to follow his trade rules against Britain. Napoleon's huge army, called the Grande Armée, had about 650,000 soldiers. About half were French, and the rest were from allied countries.
The army crossed the Neman river on June 23, 1812. Russia called this a Patriotic War. Napoleon called it a "Second Polish War". Russian forces kept falling back. They destroyed anything that could help the French army.
The two armies finally fought a huge battle at Borodino on September 7. France won a tactical victory, but it was not a clear win. The Russians then pulled back, opening the way to Moscow. By September 14, the French were in Moscow. But the city was almost empty.
Emperor Alexander I refused to give up. The French were stuck in an empty city. They had little food or shelter. Large parts of Moscow had burned down. Winter was coming. Napoleon had no clear way to win. He had to leave Moscow.
This began the terrible Great Retreat. Napoleon's army faced many problems. They ran out of food. Soldiers left the army. The winter weather became very harsh. The Russian army, led by Mikhail Kutuzov, kept attacking them.
The Grand Army lost at least 370,000 soldiers. They died from fighting, hunger, and freezing weather. Another 200,000 were captured. By November, only 27,000 healthy soldiers crossed the Berezina river. Napoleon left his army to go back to Paris. He needed to get ready to defend against the Russians.
The Russians had also lost many soldiers, about 400,000. But they had shorter supply lines. They could get new soldiers faster than the French. Napoleon's army had lost many horses and wagons, which were hard to replace.
How the Sixth Coalition Was Formed
Russia, Britain, and Sweden Join Forces
By early 1812, Britain had been fighting France for eight years. They had also been fighting with Portugal and Spain in the Peninsular War for over three years.
Russia and Sweden had been forced to join Napoleon's trade system against Britain. But they secretly kept trading with Britain. On January 9, 1812, French troops suddenly took over Swedish Pomerania. This was supposedly to stop illegal trade with Britain. Swedish property was taken, and Swedish soldiers were captured.
In response, Charles John of Sweden declared neutrality. He was a former French Marshal named Jean Baptiste Bernadotte. He sent diplomats to London and St. Petersburg. He wanted to create a new group against France.
Sweden then signed a secret agreement with Russia on April 5, 1812. It was called the Treaty of Saint Petersburg. This agreement was against France and Denmark–Norway. On July 18, 1812, the Treaty of Örebro officially ended the wars. It ended the war between Britain and Sweden. It also ended the war between Britain and Russia. This formed the start of the alliance between Russia, Britain, and Sweden.
When Napoleon marched on Moscow in June 1812, Britain and Sweden could not directly help Russia. But in the same month, British and Spanish armies moved into central Spain. They defeated the French at Salamanca and captured Madrid. This kept a French army of 230,000 busy. Britain also helped pay for Russia's war effort.
Charles John became friends with Alexander. He gave him advice on how to defeat the French. He also shared insights about Napoleon. But Russia faced the main French attack on its own land.
After Napoleon's army left Moscow in October 1812, they lost many soldiers. This was due to extreme cold, lack of food, and Russian attacks. Napoleon no longer seemed unbeatable. By December 14, the last French troops had left Russia. France's allies started thinking about joining the Tsar.
Prussia Changes Sides
The Convention of Tauroggen was a truce signed on December 30, 1812. It was signed at Tauroggen. It was between General Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg of Prussia and General Hans Karl von Diebitsch of Russia. Prussian troops had been forced to help Napoleon invade Russia.
Under an earlier treaty, Prussia had to support Napoleon. Because of this, some Prussians left their army. They did not want to serve the French. One such person was Carl von Clausewitz, who joined the Russian army.
When Yorck's French commander retreated, Yorck found himself alone. As a soldier, he should have fought his way out. But as a Prussian patriot, his choice was harder. He had to decide if it was the right time to start a war of freedom. Yorck had no illusions about the danger to himself. He talked with Clausewitz.
The Convention of Tauroggen truce made the Prussian army "neutral." This happened without their king's permission. Prussians were very excited about this news. But the Prussian Court was not ready to openly oppose France yet. An order was sent to remove Yorck from his command. He was to face a court-martial.
Diebitsch did not let the messenger pass through his lines. Yorck was finally cleared of wrongdoing. This happened when the Treaty of Kalisch was signed on February 28, 1813. This treaty officially put Prussia on the side of the Allies.
Meanwhile, Austria's alliance with France ended in February 1813. Austria then became neutral but kept its army ready. It would not declare war on France until August 1813.
War Is Declared
On March 3, 1813, the United Kingdom agreed to Sweden's claims to Norway. Sweden then joined a military alliance with the United Kingdom. It declared war against France. Soon after, Sweden freed Swedish Pomerania.
On March 17, King Frederick William III of Prussia called his people to arms. This was called An Mein Volk. Prussia had declared war on France on March 13. The French received this news on March 16. The first fight happened on April 5. This was the Battle of Möckern. Prussian and Russian forces defeated French troops there.
At the same time, Napoleon moved about 20,000 soldiers from the Peninsular War. He needed them to strengthen his position in Central Europe. This left his forces in Spain weaker. They were open to attacks from British, Spanish, and Portuguese forces.
On March 17, 1813, Napoleon's brother, King Joseph Bonaparte of Spain, left Madrid. This was a clear sign that France was losing control. Wellington led a large army of 123,000 soldiers across northern Spain. They took Burgos in late May. They decisively defeated Jourdan at the Battle of Vitoria on June 21. Marshal Soult tried to change the outcome. But his large-scale Battle of the Pyrenees (July 25 to August 2) failed.
In June, the United Kingdom officially joined the group. At first, Austria stayed loyal to France. Its foreign minister, Metternich, wanted to help make peace. He wanted peace between France and its enemies. But it became clear that the price was high. France would have to give up the Confederation of the Rhine. This was a group of German states controlled by Napoleon. France would also have to return to its borders from before the French Revolution.
Napoleon was not interested in such a deal. It would mean the end of his empire. So, Austria joined the Allies. It declared war on France in August 1813.
Fighting in Germany
Spring Battles of 1813
Napoleon promised to build a new army as big as the one he sent into Russia. He quickly increased his forces in the east. They grew from 30,000 to 130,000, and then to 400,000.
Napoleon caused 40,000 casualties to the Allies. This happened at Lützen (near Leipzig, May 2) and Bautzen (May 20–21, 1813). But his army lost about the same number of men. Both battles involved over 250,000 soldiers. This made them some of the biggest battles of the Napoleonic Wars so far. Napoleon's cavalry lacked horses. This meant he could not fully chase his defeated enemies. So, he could not win a decisive victory.
Napoleon's wins still made the Prussians and Russians very discouraged. Their losses were heavy. Their armies were in bad shape. Both Allied armies badly needed more soldiers. These were coming from the east and from Prussian training centers. Many Russian officers wanted to go home. They had achieved their goal of getting the French out of Russia.
Frederick William of Prussia had always doubted a new war with France. The two defeats at Lützen and Bautzen made him rethink peace. Also, the Prussians and Russians hoped to bring the Austrians into the war. A break in fighting would give them time to talk with Austria. Another win by Napoleon might have led to a good peace deal. The Russians and Prussians were at their lowest point. The Austrians, with 150,000 soldiers, would have seen a French victory as proof that another war with France was a bad idea.
Despite his two wins, French losses were high. Napoleon's cavalry still lacked horses. This meant he could not fully use his victories. He could not deliver a decisive defeat like at Austerlitz or Friedland. Napoleon's new army had many new recruits. It lacked many supplies. The soldiers were tired from their long march from France. They were also tired from Napoleon's fast movements. The French needed time to rebuild and rest. Napoleon also needed time to get horses for his cavalry. He needed more soldiers to arrive.
So, Napoleon agreed to a truce offered by the Allies. This was even though the Allies were in a bad state. During the truce, Napoleon had a terrible meeting with Austrian Chancellor Metternich. Napoleon blamed the Austrians and got very angry. This made sure Austria would join the group against France. Napoleon did not know it then, but the truce was a big mistake. The Allies gained much more from the break in fighting than he did.
Meanwhile, on May 19, 1813, a Swedish army took over Hamburg. This happened without orders from Bernadotte. Denmark had said they would hold the city for Napoleon. This tied Denmark to France. This action would ensure Sweden's full help in North Germany. The Swedish capture of Hamburg was good news for the Allies. Taking a rich financial center was a blow against Napoleon.
However, Bernadotte's worries about sending his troops so far from Allied lines proved true. Marshal Davout came near Hamburg with a large French force. He planned to retake the city. The Swedes quietly left on May 26. Davout would hold the city until Napoleon gave up in 1814. This was the last major action of the Spring before the Armistice of Pläswitz.
The Armistice and Austria Joins
The fighting stopped from June 4, 1813, until August 13. This was called an armistice. Both sides tried to recover from about 250,000 losses since April. During this time, Allied talks finally brought Austria to openly oppose France. Like Prussia, Austria had gone from being a French ally in 1812 to being neutral in 1813.
Two main Austrian armies were sent to Bohemia and Northern Italy. This added 300,000 soldiers to the Allied armies. In total, the Allies now had about 800,000 frontline soldiers in Germany. They also had 350,000 soldiers in reserve. Because of the armistice, the French lost their early advantage in numbers. Austria and Russia's large number of soldiers were brought to the front.
Napoleon managed to get his total forces in the area to about 650,000. But only 250,000 were under his direct command. Another 120,000 were under Nicolas Charles Oudinot. And 30,000 were under Davout. The Confederation of the Rhine provided most of the rest of Napoleon's forces. Saxony and Bavaria were the main helpers.
In the south, Joachim Murat's Kingdom of Naples and Eugène de Beauharnais's Kingdom of Italy had 100,000 soldiers combined. In Spain, another 150,000 to 200,000 French soldiers were being pushed back. They were fighting Spanish and British forces of about 150,000. So, in total, about 900,000 French soldiers were fighting against about a million Allied soldiers. This does not include the reserve army in Germany.
During the armistice, three Allied leaders met. These were Alexander of Russia, Frederick William of Prussia, and Carl Johan of Sweden. They met at Trachenberg Castle in Silesia. They wanted to plan the war. Allied staff began creating a plan. Bernadotte used his fifteen years of experience as a French general. He also used his knowledge of Napoleon.
The result was the Trachenberg Plan. It was mainly written by Carl Johan of Sweden and the Austrian Chief of Staff, Joseph Radetzky. This plan aimed to wear down the French. They would use a Fabian Strategy. This meant avoiding direct fights with Napoleon. Instead, they would fight and defeat his marshals whenever possible. They would slowly surround the French with three separate armies. This would trap Napoleon and force him to fight against much larger numbers.
After the meeting, the Allies formed three armies:
- The Army of Silesia: 95,000 Prussians and Russians, led by Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher.
- The Army of the North: 120,000 Swedes, Russians, Prussians, and German troops. These were from Mecklenburg, Hanseatic cities, and North Germany. It was led by Sweden's Crown Prince Carl Johan.
- The Army of Bohemia: The main Allied force. It had 225,000 Austrians, Russians, and Prussians. The Allied leaders Alexander, Francis, and Frederick William oversaw this army. It was commanded by Prince Karl von Schwarzenberg.
Fighting Resumes: French Losses and Allies Leaving
After the armistice ended, Napoleon seemed to be winning again. This was at Dresden (August 26–27, 1813). He caused one of the biggest losses of the time to the Prussian-Russian-Austrian forces. On August 26, the Allies attacked the French in Dresden. Napoleon arrived on August 27 with his Guard and other soldiers. He was greatly outnumbered, with only 135,000 men against the Coalition's 215,000. But Napoleon chose to attack.
Napoleon attacked the Allied left side. He used the land skillfully. He pushed them against the flooded Weißeritz river. This cut them off from the rest of the Coalition Army. He then told his famous cavalry commander, Joachim Murat, to destroy the surrounded Austrians. Heavy rain had made gunpowder wet. This made the Austrians' guns useless. Murat's cavalry attacked them with swords and spears. They captured 15 flags. They forced 13,000 men from three divisions to surrender.
The Allies had to retreat in a messy way. They lost almost 40,000 men. The French lost only 10,000. However, Napoleon's forces were also slowed by the weather. They could not complete the encirclement he had planned. The Allies barely escaped. So, Napoleon had struck a heavy blow. But several mistakes let the Allies get away. This ruined Napoleon's best chance to end the war in one battle. Still, Napoleon had again caused heavy losses to the main Allied Army. This was despite being outnumbered. For some weeks after Dresden, Schwarzenberg did not attack.
However, at about the same time, the French suffered several serious defeats. First, Bernadotte's Army of the North defeated them on August 23. This was at Großbeeren. Oudinot's push towards Berlin was stopped by the Prussians.
At the Katzbach, the Prussians, led by Blücher, attacked Marshal MacDonald's army. This happened while Napoleon marched towards Dresden. During a heavy rainstorm on August 26, MacDonald's different army groups became separated. This was due to confusing orders and bad communication. Many bridges over the Katzback and Neisse rivers were destroyed by rising water.
200,000 Prussians and French soldiers fought in a confused battle. It turned into hand-to-hand combat. Blücher and the Prussians gathered their scattered units. They attacked a separated French army group. They trapped it against the Katzbach river. They destroyed it. Many French soldiers were forced into the raging water and drowned. The French lost 13,000 killed and wounded. Another 20,000 were captured. The Prussians lost only 4,000 men.
Napoleon himself did not have enough good cavalry. He could not stop a whole army group from being destroyed. This group had separated to chase the enemy after the Battle of Dresden. This happened at the Battle of Kulm (August 29–30, 1813). He lost another 13,000 men, further weakening his army. Napoleon realized that the Allies would keep defeating his commanders. So, he began to gather his troops. He wanted to force one big, decisive battle.
The French then suffered another big loss. This was at the hands of Bernadotte's army on September 6. It happened at Dennewitz. Ney was now in command, with Oudinot as his second. The French were again trying to capture Berlin. Napoleon believed losing Berlin would make Prussia leave the war. However, Ney walked into a trap set by Bernadotte. He was stopped by the Prussians. Then, he was completely defeated when the Crown Prince arrived. His Swedes and a Russian group attacked the French from the side.
This second defeat by Napoleon's former Marshal was a disaster for the French. They lost 50 cannons, four Eagles (flags), and 10,000 men on the battlefield. More losses happened during the chase that evening and the next day. Swedish and Prussian cavalry took another 13,000–14,000 French prisoners. Ney retreated to Wittenberg with what was left of his command. He made no more attempts to capture Berlin. Napoleon's plan to make Prussia leave the war had failed. His plan to fight a central battle had also failed. He had lost the advantage. He was now forced to gather his army and seek a decisive battle at Leipzig.
Besides the heavy military losses at Dennewitz, the French were also losing the support of their German allied states. News of Bernadotte's victory at Dennewitz shocked Germany. French rule had become unpopular there. Tyrol rebelled. The King of Bavaria declared neutrality. He began talking with the Austrians. He wanted to join the Allied side. He wanted guarantees for his land and to keep his crown.
Some Saxon troops had joined Bernadotte's army during the battle. Westphalian troops were leaving King Jérôme's army in large numbers. The Swedish Crown Prince urged the Saxon Army to join the Allies. Bernadotte had commanded the Saxon Army before and they liked him. Saxon generals could no longer trust their troops. The French now thought their remaining German allies were unreliable. Later, on October 8, 1813, Bavaria officially joined the Coalition against Napoleon.
The Battle of Nations and Peace Offers
Napoleon pulled back with about 175,000 soldiers to Leipzig in Saxony. He thought he could fight a defensive battle there against the Allied armies coming towards him. There, at the Battle of Nations (October 16–19, 1813), a French army grew to 191,000 soldiers. But it faced three Allied armies coming together. These armies totaled more than 430,000 soldiers.
Over the next few days, Napoleon lost the battle. However, he was still able to retreat west in a fairly organized way. But as the French forces were crossing the White Elster river, the bridge was blown up too early. This left 30,000 soldiers trapped. They were taken prisoner by the Allied forces.
Napoleon defeated an army of his former ally Bavaria at the Battle of Hanau (October 30–31, 1813). Then, he pulled what was left of his forces back into France. Meanwhile, Davout's army group continued to hold out in its Siege of Hamburg. It became the last French force east of the Rhine river.
The Allies offered peace terms in the Frankfurt proposals in November 1813. Napoleon would remain Emperor of France. But France would be reduced to its "natural frontiers." This meant France could keep control of Belgium, Savoy, and the Rhineland (the west bank of the Rhine river). But it would have to give up control of everything else. This included all of Poland, Spain, and the Netherlands. It also included most of Italy and Germany.
Metternich told Napoleon these were the best terms the Allies would likely offer. After more Allied victories, the terms would be harsher. Metternich wanted France to remain strong enough to balance against Russian threats. He also wanted to end the many wars that were causing problems.
Napoleon expected to win the war. He waited too long and lost this chance. By December, the Allies had taken back their offer. When he was in a desperate situation in 1814, he tried to restart peace talks. He offered to accept the Frankfurt proposals. But the Allies now had new, harsher terms. These included France returning to its 1791 borders. This meant losing Belgium and the Rhineland. Napoleon strongly refused.
War in Denmark and Norway
After the Battle of Leipzig, Bernadotte and his Army of the North left the other Coalition armies. They invaded Denmark. This was to secure the Coalition's northern side before invading France. It was also to make sure Denmark gave Norway to Sweden.
In December 1813, Bernadotte's army had about 65,000 soldiers. It was made up only of Swedish and Russian troops. The Prussian troops had been sent to Blücher's army. Bernadotte's army attacked the Royal Danish Army in Holstein. In a quick campaign of just two weeks, the Swedes defeated the Danes. General Anders Skjöldebrand defeated the Danes at Bornhöved on December 7, 1813. Three days later, the Danish Auxiliary Corps won a small victory at Sehested.
However, the Danish victory could not change the war's outcome. It only allowed the main Danish army to retreat without being destroyed. It also led to a three-week truce. After talks broke down, the truce ended. On January 14, 1814, Bernadotte invaded Schleswig. He quickly took its forts and occupied the whole area. The Danes were greatly outnumbered. They could not stop the Allies from moving towards Jutland or Copenhagen. So, they asked for peace. This was the final part of the long and bloody history of conflicts between Sweden and Denmark. Sweden was clearly victorious.
On January 14, 1814, the Treaty of Kiel was signed. It was between Sweden and Denmark–Norway. The treaty said that the Kingdom of Norway would be given to the King of Sweden. However, the Norwegians rejected this. They declared independence. They adopted their own constitution on May 17.
On July 27, Bernadotte and his Swedish forces invaded Norway. The Russians had left after the Danish Campaign. The Swedish army had 70,000 well-trained and well-equipped soldiers. Many were veterans from the Leipzig Campaign. They faced 30,000 Norwegian militia. The Norwegians lacked equipment and training. But they were very patriotic. They fought well despite being greatly outnumbered.
After a short war, the Norwegians fought bravely. They won battles at Lier and Matrand. But they could not stop the Swedes from advancing. An armistice was signed on August 14. This was called the Convention of Moss. The terms for Norway joining Sweden were generous. Bernadotte and the Swedes did not want more bloodshed. Norway agreed to join Sweden in a personal union. It would be a separate state with its own constitution and institutions. Only the king and foreign service would be shared. The Union between Sweden and Norway was officially formed on November 4, 1814. This happened when the Storting (Norwegian parliament) made the necessary changes to the constitution. They elected Charles XIII of Sweden as King of Norway.
Bernadotte had achieved his main goal. He had separated Norway from Denmark and joined it with Sweden. So, his Army of the North did not play a major role in the war against the French after this. They invaded and occupied the Low Countries. They also kept Marshal Davout's 35,000-man army busy in Hamburg. They also kept watch on the 100,000 French soldiers still in forts across northern Germany. Marshal Davout held Hamburg for France until Napoleon gave up in April 1814.
The Peninsular War Continues
While events happened in the East, the Peninsular War in Iberia continued. This war was Napoleon's "Spanish ulcer." It kept hundreds of thousands of French soldiers busy. In 1813, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, finally broke French power in Spain. He forced the French to retreat.
Wellington made a smart move. He planned to move his supply base from Lisbon to Santander. The Anglo-Portuguese forces moved north in late May. They took Burgos. Then, they outflanked the French army. This forced Joseph Bonaparte into the valley of the River Zadorra. At the Battle of Vitoria, on June 21, the 65,000 French soldiers under Joseph were completely defeated. They were routed by 53,000 British, 27,000 Portuguese, and 19,000 Spanish soldiers. Wellington chased them and pushed the French out of San Sebastián. The city was looted and burned after a siege.
The allies chased the retreating French. They reached the Pyrenees in early July. Marshal Soult was given command of the French forces. He started a counter-attack. He gave the allied generals two sharp defeats. These were at the Battle of Maya and the Battle of Roncesvalles. Yet, he was again forced to defend by the British army and its Portuguese allies. He lost his momentum. He finally fled after the allied victory at the Battle of Sorauren (July 28 and 30).
In the Battle of the Pyrenees, Wellington fought far from his supply line. But he won by using clever movements, strong attacks, and constantly bothering the French forces.
On October 7, Wellington heard that fighting had started again in Germany. The Coalition allies finally crossed into France. They crossed the Bidasoa river. On December 11, a troubled and desperate Napoleon agreed to a separate peace with Spain. This was under the Treaty of Valençay. He would release and recognize Ferdinand VII as King of Spain. In return, all fighting would stop. But the Spanish did not trust Napoleon. The fighting continued into France.
Fighting in France
In late 1813 and into 1814, Wellington led the Peninsular army into southwest France. He fought several battles against Marshals Soult and Suchet. The Peninsular army won victories at Vera pass, the Battle of Nivelle, the Battle of Nive near Bayonne (December 10–14, 1813), the Battle of Orthez (February 27, 1814), and the Battle of Toulouse (April 10).
After retreating from Germany, Napoleon fought a series of battles in France. These included the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube. But he was steadily pushed back by overwhelming numbers. During the campaign, he had ordered 900,000 new soldiers to be drafted. But only a small part of these were ever raised.
In early February, Napoleon fought his Six Days' Campaign. In this campaign, he won many battles against larger enemy forces marching on Paris. However, he had less than 80,000 soldiers during this whole campaign. The Coalition forces had between 370,000 and 405,000 soldiers in the campaign. At the Treaty of Chaumont (March 9), the Allies agreed to stay together until Napoleon was completely defeated.
After defeating the French on the edge of Paris, the Coalition armies entered the city on March 31. Tsar Alexander I led the army, followed by the King of Prussia and Prince Schwarzenberg. On April 2, the French Senate declared Napoleon removed from power.
What Happened Next
Napoleon wanted to keep fighting. He suggested marching on Paris. His soldiers and officers wanted to fight on. But Napoleon's marshals and senior officers refused. On April 4, at Fontainebleau, Napoleon faced his marshals. They were led by Ney. They told the Emperor they would not march. Napoleon said the army would follow him. Ney replied, "the army will obey its chiefs."
Napoleon gave up his power on April 11, 1814. The war officially ended soon after. But some fighting continued until May. The Treaty of Fontainebleau was signed on April 11, 1814. It was between the European powers and Napoleon. Then came the Treaty of Paris on May 30, 1814. This was between France and the major powers, including Britain.
The winners sent Napoleon to the island of Elba. They brought back the Bourbon monarchy in France. Louis XVIII became king. The Allied leaders went to Peace Celebrations in England in June. Then, they went to the Congress of Vienna (September 1814 to June 1815). This meeting was held to redraw the map of Europe.
Images for kids
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The Battle of Paris, by Horace Vernet
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Russian Cossacks in Paris in 1814
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1814, Allied troops march through Paris, by Nicolaas Pieneman
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See Also
- Napoleonic Wars
- Peninsular War
- War of the Fifth Coalition
- The Hundred Days or the War of the Seventh Coalition
- List of battles of the War of the Sixth Coalition
