Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major conflicts pitting the French Empire, led by Napoleon I, against an array of European powers formed into various coalitions. They revolutionized European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly owing to the application of modern mass conscription. The wars are traditionally seen as a continuation of the Revolutionary Wars, which broke out in 1792 during the French Revolution. Initially, French power rose quickly as the armies of Napoleon conquered much of Europe. In his military career, Napoleon fought about 60 battles and lost seven, mostly at the end of his reign. The great French dominion collapsed rapidly after the disastrous Invasion of Russia in 1812. Napoleon was defeated in 1814, and then again in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo after a brief return to power. The Allies then reversed all French gains since the Revolutionary Wars at the Congress of Vienna.

France under Napoleon defeated five of seven coalitions before final defeat. The first and second coalitions were defeated during the French Revolutionary Wars, the third (at Austerlitz), the fourth (at Jena, Eylau, and Friedland) and the fifth coalition (at Wagram) under the leadership of Napoleon. These victories gave the French Army a sense of invulnerability, especially when it approached Moscow. After the retreat from Russia, France was defeated by the sixth coalition at the Battles of Leipzig and Vitoria, and by the seventh coalition at Waterloo.