Leipzig 1813 -The Battle of the Nations

The fate of Europe hung in the balance at Leipzig in October, 1813.  His invasion of Russia had ended in failure in December 1812, and Napoleon Bonaparte was now beset by defections of allied nations who had marched with him and pursued by a Russian army entering Germany intent on revenge.  Determined to maintain his dominance of continental Europe, Napoleon quickly assembled a new army - a quarter million strong - to defend his Empire and his crown.  Encouraged by the destruction of much of the French army in the Russian campaign, first Sweden, then Prussia and finally Austria declared war and marshalled their armies to confront Napoleon in the small kingdom of Saxony.  The mystique of the man the Duke of Wellington once said was worth 40,000 men on a battlefield was still alive as he routed Coalition armies at Lutzen, Bautzen and again at Dresden. Numerical superiority seemed irrelevant when Napoleon was on the field, but his genius would be put to the test at Leipzig.  In four days that shook the world, the unthinkable would finally happen.