Coalition Number/ Constituents

Date /Year

Status Napoleon’s role

Battle’s name/ location

Parties involved/ Result

Description in brief

First Coalition. The first coalition of anti-French states, consisting of Britain, Sardinia, Prussia, Spain, Holland, and Austria, disintegrated by 1796.

20 Sept 1792

Kingdom of France  under King - Louis XVI (till 22^nd Sept. When Monarchy was abolished during  French Revolution. He was executed on 21 January 1793).

Battle of Valmy in France.

During their march on to Paris, Prussian troops commanded by the Duke of Brunswick encountered French  Generals François Kellermann and Charles Dumouriez.  The Battle of Valmy was the first major victory by the army of France during the Revolutionary Wars that followed the French Revolution.

The Prussian army marched on Paris to restore the French monarchy was halted by French army  and the French Revolution saved. The Prussians and their allies withdrew, allowing the French to renew their invasion of the Austrian Netherlands. The victory emboldened the newly assembled National Convention to formally declare the end of monarchy in France and to establish the First French Republic two days later,

First Coalition

21 December 1792 – 25 May 1793

First French Republic / The  first military service of the Napoleon Bonaparte as Lieutenant Colonel.

French expedition to Sardinia, (Mediterranean Island in Italy)

The expedition to Sardinia by the new French Republic was a short military campaign fought in 1793 in the Mediterranean Sea in the first year of the War of the First Coalition, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It ended with Sardinian victory.

Most notably, the Sardanian expedition  saw  the first military service of the Napoleon Bonaparte as Lieutenant Colonel.

France planned to invade Sardinia being strategically important. Sardinia was neutral at the time, but immediately joined the anti-French coalition. The operation was a total failure, with attacks directed at the Sardanian cities Cagliari in the south and La Maddalena in the north both ending in defeat. French troop delayed to assemble which allowed Sardinian army  to get ready for the war. They drove off the  French troops by fighting them when they landed at the city of Quartu Sant'Elena on 11th February . A subsequent attack on the island of La Maddalena off the northern coast of Sardinia also failed, partly due to deliberate sabotage by Corsican troops; On 25 May a Spanish fleet recaptured the small islands of San Pietro and Sant'Antioco, the last of the French garrisons on Sardinia.

First Coalition

18 March 1793

French Republic

Battle of Neerwinden, then Austrian Netherland  (Now Belgium)

Republican French army led by Charles François Dumouriez attacked a Coalition army of the Habsburg Monarchy and Dutch Republic troops commanded by Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld which resulted in Coalition victory.

Coalition army repulsed all French assaults after bitter fighting and Dumouriez conceded defeat, withdrawing from the field. The French position in the Austrian Netherlands collapsed.

First Coalition

29 August  – 18 December 1793

French Republic

Siege of Toulon. Napoleon was the Commander of French Artillery .

French Republican victory.

End of allied occupation in Toulon

Destruction of the French fleet.

Command of the revolutionary army assigned to Toulon was given to General Carteaux. Carteaux began a siege of the port in 1793. when the commander of Carteaux’s artillery was wounded and had to leave in September, a young officer called Napoleon Bonaparte appointed as his replacement. Major Bonaparte now showed great skill in increasing and deploying his resources  Napoleon definitely played a vital role, and he was able to take full credit when the port fell on December 19th, 1793. His name was now known by key figures in the revolutionary government, and he was both promoted to Brigadier General and given command of the artillery in the Army of Italy.

First Coalition

15–16 October 1793

French Republic

Battle of Wattignies

French victory.  Siege of the city of Maubeuge by Austria was raised.

A Republican French army commanded by Jean-Baptiste Jourdan attacked a Coalition army directed by Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. After two days of combat Jourdan's troops compelled the Habsburg covering force led by François Sébastien Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt to withdraw.

First Coalition

24 to 28 April, 1794

French Republic / Napoleon as Chief of Artillary of French Army.

Battle of Saorgio

Was fought between a French First Republic army commanded by Pierre Jadart Dumerbion and the armies of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont and the Habsburg Monarchy.  The French earned victory.

The French sieged Saorigo

First Coalition

26 June 1794

French Republic

Battle of Fleurus (in Austrian Netherland)

The fight was  between the army of the First French Republic, under General Jean-Baptiste Jourdan and the Coalition Army commanded by Prince Josias of Coburg.  The Victory of French Republic led   to destruction of Dutch Republic and  a full withdrawal of allied forces  from Belgium.

It was  most significant battle during the French Revolutionary Wars as it  marked a turning point for the French army in as much as continued its winning trail in  the rest of the Wars of the First Coalition. However, the battle was a costly affair   for the French, with casualties estimated between five and six thousand.

Counter revolution by Royalist armies.

23 June- 21 July, 1795

French Republic

Battle of Quiberon & Vendee

The counter revolution failed at the hand of French Republican Army. A large number of Royalists were captured and executed.

This was  invasion of France  by counter-revolutionary troops in support of royalists aiming to bring an end to the French Revolution and restore the French monarchy. But, the invasion failed and consequently dealt a  disastrous blow to the royalist cause.

5 October 1795

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General.

13 Vendémiaire (1795)-

Battle between the French Revolutionary (Republican) troops commanded by Napoleon  and Royalist forces in the streets of Paris, the result of which was a decisive  Republican victory.

This battle was part of establishing a new form of government, the so-called Directory, and it was a major factor in the rapid advancement of Republican General Napoleon Bonaparte's career.

First Coalition

12 April 1796

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

The Battle of Montenotte (in the then kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont now in  north -western part of Italy)

Fought during the French Revolutionary Wars, between the French army under General Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian corps under Count Eugène-Guillaume Argenteau.

The French won the battle.

Napoieon concentrated large forces against Argenteau. In a forcible  attack from the French force Argenteau's outnumbered force lost heavily while retreating and was badly disorganized.

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13 and 14 April 1796

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

Battle of Millesimo (in present day Italy)

A small battle that was  fought between the armies of France and the allied armies of the Habsburg Monarchy and of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont being  won by the French

After his victory at Montenotte, Bonaparte on 13 April,sent  General of Division Pierre Augereau  to attack FML Giovanni di Provera's weak Austrian Auxiliary Corps at  Millesimo and defeated him.

Provera along with available corps retreated to Cosseria Castle and was further reinforced by the battelion of   Colonel Filippo Del.  Bonaparte ordered the castle to be captured. Initially, the allied garrison resisted the repeated attacks  by the French stoutly. But, early the next morning Augereau was compelled to surrender due to lack of ammunition.  The French lost 700 men in their fruitless attacks. Out of Provera's 988 men,  only 96 were killed and wounded, but the remainder was held prisoners of war.

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14 and 15 April 1796

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

The Second Battle of Dego in northwestern Italy.

Fought during the French Revolutionary Wars between  Napoleon’s French forces and Austro-Sardinian forces. The battle ended in a French victory.

After successfully defeating the Austrian right wing at the Battle of Montenotte, Napoleon Bonaparte continued with his plan to separate the Austrian army of General Johann Beaulieu from the army of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia led by General Michelangelo Colli. By taking the defences at Dego, the French would control the only road by which the two armies could link with each other.

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16 April 1796

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

Battle of Ceva  (Piedmont in present day Italy)

In the Battle of Ceva, the First French Republic army  of Napoleon Bonaparte under Pierre Augereau fought against the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont led by General Giuseppe Felice, Count Vital. The result was French victory.

Vital withdrew against the assault of French forces and Augereau occupied the abandoned Sardinian positions on 17 April.

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21 April 1796

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

The Battle of Mondovì (Piedmont , Italy)

between the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte and the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont led by Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi.  The French  earned decissive victory.

Sardanian- Piedmontese army  could not cope with speed of the French attack and consequently had to flee. The town was surrendered.  After four years of fighting, the French under Bonaparte had beaten the Piedmontese army in the Battle of Montenotte on 12^th April,1796, and finally on 21 April 1796 in the Battle of Mondovi. This forced King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia to sign an armistice at Cherasco one week later, abandoning the First Coalition against the French Republic.

The Treaty of Paris of 15 May 1796 was a treaty between the French Republic and the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia during the War of the First Coalition.

In the following treaty King Victor Amadeus III recognized the French Republic, ceded the original Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice to France and gave the French Army free passage through his territory towards the rest of Italy. The King died a few months after signing the treaty.

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Between 7 and 9 May 1796

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

Battle of Fombio (in Italy)

Was fought between the French Army of Italy led by Napoleon Bonaparte and the Austrian army under Feldzeugmeister Johann Peter Beaulieu which ended in French victory.

At first the Austrian army  resisted the French assault stoutly but later decided to withdraw to avoid being trapped and  retreated to the east.

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10 May 1796

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

The Battle of Lodi (in Italy)

Was fought between French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian rear guard led by Karl Philipp Sebottendorf at Lodi, Lombardy which resulted in French victory.

The rear guard was defeated, and  the main body of Johann Peter Beaulieu's Austrian Army retreated.

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30 May 1796

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

The Battle of Borghetto (in Italy)

Took place in the Veneto of northern Italy during the War of the First Coalition as a part of the French Revolutionary Wars between a French army led by General Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian army commanded by Feldzeugmeister Johann Peter Beaulieu which ended in French victory.

French army forced a crossing of the Mincio River in the face of opposition from Austrian army. This action compelled the Austrian army to retreat north up the Adige valley to Trento, leaving the fortress of Mantua to be besieged by the French.

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3 and 4 August 1796

French Republic/  Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

The Battle of Lonato (in present day Italy)

Between the French Army of Italy under General Napoleon Bonaparte and a corps-sized Austrian column led by Lieutenant General Peter Quasdanovich, resulted in French victory.

After a  week long  hard-fought actions that began on 29 July and ended on 4 August the Austrian force having badly mauled,  gave in and  retreated.  

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5 August 1796

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

The Battle of Castiglione ( in Italy)

Fought between the French Army of Italy under General Napoleon Bonaparte and  an army of Habsburg (Austrian) Monarchy led by Feldmarschall Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmse which resulted in the French victory.

The outnumbered Austrians could not resisst the French attack and were defeated and driven back.  This battle was one of four famous victories won by Bonaparte during the War of the First Coalition, part of the Wars of the French Revolution.

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4 September 1796

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

The Battle of Rovereto (in Italy)

A French army commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte defeated an Austrian corps led by Paul Davidovich.

The battle was fought during  the French Revolutionary Wars. The advancing three divisions of French force greatly outnumbered Davidovich’s. The French steadily pushed  back the Austrian defenders and  finally routed them. Davidovich retreated to the north.

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8 September 1796,

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

The Battle of Bassano, Republic of Venice ( in present day Italy).

Was fought during the French Revolutionary Wars between a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces led by Count Dagobert von Wurmser. It was a French victory.

It was the last battle in Napoleon's perfect military career as two months later he would be defeated at the Second Battle of Bassano, ending his victorious streak. The Austrians abandoned their artillery and baggage, losing supplies, cannons, and battle standards to the French.  It was the second Austrian attempt to raise the siege of Mantua.

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6 November 1796

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

The Second Battle of Bassano 9in Italy)

Occured during the French Revolutionary Wars which  saw a Habsburg ( Austrian) army commanded by József Alvinczi fight Napoleon Bonaparte's French Army of Italy.  It marked the first tactical defeat of Bonaparte's career.

The engagement  was part of the third relief of the Siege of Mantua during the War of the First Coalition. After severe fighting the French Army  retreated to Verona. Both sides suffered heavy casualties.

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12 November 1796

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

Battle of Caldiero (in Italy)

The Habsburg ( Austrian) army led by József Alvinczi fought a First French Republic army commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte during the War of the First Coalition.  The battle marked tactical defeat of Bonaparte.

The French assaulted the Austrian positions but were  pushed back. French  forces withdrew into Verona 15 Kms west of Caldiero that evening after having suffered greater losses than their adversaries.

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 15–17 November 1796

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

Battle  of Arcole (Republic of Vencice , now Italy)

A battle fought between French and Austrian forces led by József Alvinczi 25 kilometres south-east of Verona. The result was French victory.

The battle was  a part of the French Revolutionary Wars.  Napoleon Bonaparte's French Army of Italy exhibited courageous war skills and tactics to outflank the Austrian army and cut off its line of retreat. The French victory proved to be a highly significant event during the third Austrian failed attempt to lift the Siege of Mantua.

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14–15 January 1797

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

Battle of Rivoli (Republic of Venice, now Italy)

It was a part of French campaign in Italy against Austria. Napoleon Bonaparte's 23,000 Frenchmen defeated an attack of 28,000 Austrians under General of the Artillery Jozsef Alvinczi.

The Battle of Rivoli  was a key victory because this ended  Austria's fourth and final attempt to relieve the Siege of Mantua (a city in the Lombardy region of Italy, lies on the Mincio River). Rivoli further demonstrated Napoleon's brilliance as a military commander and led to the French consolidation of northern Italy.

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16 January 1797

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

The battle of La Favorita (Northern Italy)

The battle between Napoleon Bonaparte's French army and Austrian army under Generals Dagobert Sigismund von Wurmser and Giovanni Provera. was a French victory that ended the fourth and final Austrian attempt to lift the siege of Mantua.

After winning  the battle at Rivoli on 15^th January, Napoleon  dashed towards Mantua. Provera, with his remaining 7,000 men, arrived at La Favorita outside Mantua on 15 January, and prepared to attack Sérurier's Division of French forces outside the city. On 16 January Provera thus found himself pinned between two French forces.  Würmser charged  from Mantua, but was unable to break through French  lines, and eventually Provera was forced to surrender with his entire force. The French took at least 5,000 prisoners on the day which  completed the virtual destruction of the Austrian armies involved in the fourth attempt to break the siege of Mantua. Two weeks later Würmser was finally forced to surrender. Napoleon was then  free to cross the Alps into Austria.

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June 4, 1796–Feb. 2, 1797

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

Siege of Mantua.

The crucial episode in Napoleon Bonaparte’s first Italian campaign. Following the victory in the battle of Borghetto, the French attempted to lay siege on the strategically important fortress of Mantua on the river of Mincio, Italy and ultimately invested on 3rd  June, 1976. Mantua was under siege by the French till February 2, 1797 (except for a temporary period from 2nd August to 26th August) when the  Austrians’  fourth and final attempt  to relieve Mantua of the siege failed with  the surrender of Mantua by Austrian Commander Wurmser. With this victory, the French conquest of northern Italy was virtually completed.    

In late July, a new Austrian Commander, Dagobert Sigmund  von Wurmser led an army to the relief  of the siege when the  French were forced to abandon the siege ( 2nd August – 26th August) . Austrians were subsequently beaten in the battles of Lonato and Castigilone and were forced to retreat.

The French crushed the Austrian Main army at Rivoli in their fourth attempt to  relieve Mantua and was forced to retreat with remaining force. The French victory in the battle of La Favorita  on 16th January, 1797 ended the fourth and final attempt of Austria to lift the seige of Mantua.   With no hope, Wurmser surrendered Mantua on Feb. 2, 1797. However, the successful siege of Mantua excluded the Austrians from northern Italy.  After a series of battles, with the Austrian  surrender of Mantua on Feb. 2, 1797, the French conquest of northern Italy was virtually completed. Napoleon was then free to cross the Alps into Austria.

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16 March 1797

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

The Battle of Tagliamento at Valvasone ( in present day Italy)

Between First French Republic army led by Napoleon Bonaparte and Habsburg Austrian army led by Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen. The result was French victory.

First French Republic army led by Napoleon Bonaparte attacked a Habsburg Austrian army led by Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen. The Austrian army fought a rear guard action at the crossing of the Tagliamento River but was defeated and withdrew to the northeast Travis Pass.

The actions occurred during the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars.

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21–23 March 1797

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General in command of Army of Italy.

The Battle of Tarvis (present-day Tarvisio in far northeast Italy)

Was fought between  the First French Republic army commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte and Habsburg Austrian army led by Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen which ended in French victory.

In the battle, three divisions of a First French Republic army attacked several columns of the retreating Habsburg Austrian army. In three days of confused fighting, French divisions succeeded in blocking the Tarvis Pass and capturing 3,500 Austrians. The engagement occurred during the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars.

‎10–12 June 1798.

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General

French invasion of Malta

Between French First Republic Army led by Napoleon and army of Islands of Malta and Gozo under the Order of St. John. Resulted in French victory.

The French invasion of Malta was the successful invasion of the islands of Malta and Gozo, then ruled by the Order of St. John, by the French First Republic led by Napoleon in June 1798 as part of the Mediterranean campaign of the French Revolutionary Wars. The French occupation of Malta lasted from 1798 to 1800 being  ended with the French surrendering to the British in 1800.

17^th  August to  2^nd  September, 1801

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General

Capture of Alexandria

Was fought during the French Revolutionary Wars between Napoleon’s French army and British forces commanded by John Hely-Hutchinson.  The French occupied the fortified city  since 2 July 1798, however, had to surrender the  garrison there on 2 September, 1801.

After capturing Malta, Napoleon departed for Egypt. The fleet of Napoleon landed at  Alexandria on 1 July successfully escaping detection by the Royal Navy. By  surprise assault  the French soldiers broke into the city. The French had occupied Alexandria, a major fortified harbour city on the Nile Delta in northern Egypt since 2 July 1798 till  the garrison there surrendered on 2 September 1801. Hutchinson, with his battalions landed on 16 August and charged on the French garrison of Fort Marabout . Both sides mounted combined assaults but the French soldiers being  unable to break out and food shortages and disease taking their toll, became disheartened.  Seeing no hope, the garrison Commander,  Menou proposed for terms for surrender on 26 August.  Accordingly,  by 2 September total of 10,000 French surrendered under British terms known as the Capitulation of Alexandria which allowed them to keep their personal weapons and baggage, and to return to France on British ships. However, all French ships and cannons at Alexandria were surrendered to the British.

13 July, 1798.

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General .

The Battle of Shubra Khit, or Chobrakit,

Occured between the French army and  an Ottoman army. It  was the first major engagement during Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt which ended in French victory.

On their march to Cairo, the French army encountered an Ottoman army consisting of Mamluk cavalry and drafted Fellahins under Murad Bey. Napoleon applied his tactical brilliance to repel the Mamluk cavalry. A naval battle also occurred, with an Ottoman flotilla being repelled by a French flotilla. It was a Part of the French Campaign in Egypt and Syria during  the French Revolutionary Wars. With the Ottoman forces routed, Napoleon and his forces continued onwards.

21 July 1798

French Republic/ French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General

Battle of the Pyramids. Or Embabeh, Egypt (Ottoman Empire)

A major engagement during the French invasion of Egypt. The French army under Napoleon Bonaparte scored a decisive victory against the forces of the local Mamulk rulers.

Anglo-Ottoman victory

French conquest of Egypt and end of Mamluk rule

Failure of French expedition to Syria

Capitulation of French administration in Egypt

It was the battle where Napoleon employed one of his significant contributions to military tactics, the divisional square. The French forces wiped out almost the entire Ottoman army located in Egypt. Mamluk commander Murad Bey  fled to Upper Egypt with his paltry remaing forces. The victory effectively sealed the French conquest of Egypt. Napoleon entered Cairo and established his administration. Napoleon named the battle after the Egyptian Pyramids because they were faintly visible on the horizon when the battle took place.

1–3 August 1798

French Republic/ Napoleon as Brigadier General

Battle of the Nile.

Naval battle fought between the British Royal Navy under Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson and the Navy of the French Republic under General Napoleon Bonaparte at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast off the Nile Delta of Egypt. French Revolutionary Navy was defeated by Royal Navy forces

Nelson had found them there in the bay  in the evening after weeks of anxiously searching the Mediterranean and immediately ordered to begin attack which the French could not anticipate.. The fighting continued into the night, with just two French ships of the line and two of their frigates able to avoid destruction by the British. The casualties were high, with the British suffering close to one thousand wounded or killed. The French death toll was five times that number, with over 3,000 men captured or wounded.

The British victory helped to ensure their naval supremacy throughout the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815).

21-22 October 1798.

French Republic/  Napoleon as Brigadier General

Revolt of Cairo

A revolt by the citizens of Cairo against the French occupation of Egypt by Napoleon Bonaparte.  French soldiers  supressed the revolt  by cannon firing and other brutal actions on the rebel forces and their supporters .

  The French fired  cannons indiscriminately  at areas sheltering  rebel forces. French soldiers destroyed the rebels’ barricades and fortifications during night operations.  Bonaparte personally pursued  rebels from street to street and forced them to seek refuge in the Al-Azhar Mosque. He then ordered to open fire on the Mosque. The French soldiers stormed into the Mosque by breaking down the gates and killed  the inhabitants. At the end of the revolt 5,000 to 6,000 citizens were dead or wounded. Several sheikhs, along with various people of influence, were convicted of participation in the plot and executed. To complete his punishment, a heavy tax was placed upon the city and its divan was replaced by a military commission.

8-20 February 1799.

French Republic/  Napoleon as Brigadier General

The Siege of El Arish

The Siege of Ottoman Fortress  of El Arish in Egypt was a successful siege by French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte against Ottoman forces under Mustafa Pasha during the French campaign in  Egypt.

As a continuation of offensive against  the Ottoman Empire the French Army under the command of Jean Reynier marched towards the Ottoman Fortress at El Arish.  After  foiling the split Ottoman defences in its way, the French forces reached El Arish on 12 Feb 1799 and began operations to siege the fort. Meanwhile,  the main body of French forces under Napoleon arrived in El Arish. The French began their final assault on 20^th February  and successfully captured the fortress.  

3 – 7 March, 1799

French Republic/  Napoleon as Brigadier General

The Siege of Jaffa

The Siege of Jaffa was a military engagement between the French army under Napoleon Bonaparte and Ottoman forces under Ahmed al-Jazzar. The French laid siege to the city of Jaffa, which was under Ottoman control.

Napoleon had to win Jaffa before he could advance any further, and the whole expedition's success depended on its capture as the city was one of Greater Syria's main mercantile centres, and had a harbour which would provide vital shelter for his fleet. Bonaparte sent an officer and a trumpeter to Ahmed al-Jazzar, the Governor to ask for his order for surrender of the city. But, in retaliation, he decapitated the messengers and ordered an attack.  The attack  was pushed back by the Napoleon’s army in no time.  The French caused damage to the city fortifications  and captured  Jaffa on 4^th March, 1799 despite resistance by its defenders .  The French siege of  Jaffa lasted for two days.    The infamous Jaffa Massacre  happened on  March 10, 1799 in which approximately 4500 prisoners of war (mainly Albanians) were killed,  commanded and supervised by Napoleon Bonaparte.

(It is said that the survivors took refuge in old khans and they asked for mercy should they lower their weapons. This was granted and they were taken outside with their hands tied. They were given bread and water as food. After two days, Napoleon ordered them massacred. The prisoners were marched down to sand-hills of the coast and they were arranged in small squares. They were given a few minutes to prepare for death. The execution lasted for hours with some fleeing out in the ocean and asking for mercy. When they returned they were massacred).

20 March – 21 May 1799

French Republic/  Napoleon as Brigadier General.

The Siege of Acre

It was an unsuccessful French siege of the Ottoman city of Acre (now Akko in modern Israel). It was Napoleon's first decisive defeat in his career as three years previously he had been tactically defeated at the Second Battle of Bassano. 

It was the turning point of Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and Syria, along with the Battle of the Nile. Acre was a site of significant strategic importance due to its commanding position on the route between Egypt and Syria. The French attempted to lay siege on 20 March using only their infantry. Napoleon believed the city would give in  quickly to him. However, the troops of the capable Jezzar Pasha, Ottoman Governor,  refusing to surrender, withstood the siege for one and a half months. Finally, the siege was raised. Napoleon Bonaparte retreated to Egypt two months later on 21 May after a failed final assault on 10 May.

16 April 1799

French Republic/  Napoleon as Brigadier General.

The Battle of Mount Tabor

The Battle of Mount Tabor, also known as the Skirmish of Mount Tabor, was an engagement between French forces under Jean Baptiste Kléber of Napoleon’s  Army  and Ottoman force led by Abdullah Pasha al-Azm of Damascus which ended in French victory.

When Napoleon Bonaparte was besieging Acre, the Ottoman governor of Damascus sent an army to relieve the siege. On interception  by  Kléber,  the Ottoman army  retreated  to the south and crossed the River Jordan. Kléber, reinforced by the rest of the soldiers under Napoleon  charged afresh and routed the Ottoman force.

July 25, 1799

French Republic/  Napoleon as Brigadier General

The Battle of Abukir

It was  a battle in which Napoleon Bonaparte defeated Seid Mustafa Pasha's Ottoman army during the French campaign in Egypt.

The French, by a sudden and rapid action,  attacked the Ottoman beachhead positions  by the Mediterranean sea.  The Turkish army fled in panic. Some Ottomans drowned trying to swim to the British ships two miles away from shore, while others fled to Abukir castle, but they surrendered shortly thereafter. The Turks suffered about 8,000 casualties and the French only 1,000. This battle temporarily secured France's control over Egypt.

November 9–10, 1799

French Republic /

Coup of 18–19 Brumaire. Brumaire was the second month of the French Republican calendar (1793–1805), originally running from 22 October to 20 November.   

Napoleon was part of a group that successfully overthrew the French Directory. Abbé Sieyès and Talleyrand, members of the then Directory  planned the coup with the aid of General Napoleon Bonaparte, who had arrived in France from the ill-fated Egyptian campaign.  Napoleon's younger brother, Lucien Bonaparte,  President of the then Council of Five Hundred (Lower House) was also instrumental in the  coup.

The Coup d'état  overthrew the system of government under the Directory in France and substituted with the Consulate, making way for the dictatorship  of Napoleon Bonaparte. The event is often viewed as the effective end of the French Revolution. A new  constitution was adopted, under which the First Consul, a position Bonaparte was to hold, had the most power in the French government . It ultimately led to the rise of the First French Empire.

The second coalition(November 29, 1798 – March 25, 1802). It comprised of Turkey (Ottoman Empire), England, Austria, Russia, Portugal, Naples, Sweden and various German monarchies.

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May 14 - June 1, 1800               

Fench Republic / Napoleon as First Consul.

The Siege of Fort Bard

It involved  a military action that took place during the second Napoleonic Italian campaign. The  French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte and his reserve force were stopped by  an Austrian company commanded by Stockard Von Bernkopf for two weeks from capturing the fort. However,  the French  ultimately succeeded to siege the fort on 1st June, 1800.

It was a part of French Revolutionary wars. On the evening of May 20, after Napoleon's force led by generals Dupont and Dufour reached the village of Bard, they  demanded the surrender of Stockard Von Bernkopf, commander of the Austrian company in the fort. But he  refused. On the night of May 21 the French army conquered the  village of Bard and  proceeded to the fort. They started  firing  on the fort from cannons. In the morning of May 26, a force of 300 grenadiers attacked the fort.  By outshowing firm resistance, the  defenders killed or wounded more than 200 of the grenadiers. General Dufour died while trying to cross the river on a raft. Then on  May 27, the French started a fresh  attack on the fort and fired from cannons causing damage to the fort.  At last,   on June 1, after a fierce battle, Bernkopf surrendered, having lost half of his forces.

The Italians were allowed to leave the fort with the honours of war before being made prisoner, as was custom at that time.

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14 June 1800

French Republic/ First Consul

The Battle of Marengo (Piedmont, Italy)

 The Battle of Marengo was fought between French forces under the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces which ended in the French victory.  

After becomimg the First Consul of France in December, 1799  in the wake of his coup d’état the previous November he decided to lead an army over the Swiss Alps to attack the Austrians in northern Italy, while French forces under General Jean Victor Moreau marched into southern Germany. One of the French aims of the campaign had been to relieve the French garrison besieged by the Austrians in Genoa, but the city fell to the Austrians on 4 June. Despite this set back, Napoleon dared to  move through the Alps. The Austrian commander, General Michael von Melas, withdrew his forces from the Franco-Italian border to give battle to the French near the fortified town of Alessandria.  The French mistook it to be  a retreat.  But the  Austrians launched a surprise attack on 14 June.   French counterattacks were repulsed repeatedly. Ultimately, Austrian numerical superiority forced the exhausted French to retreat to a new position at St. Guiliano Vecchio. By this time, French reinforcements were beginning to arrive on the battlefield which  the Austrians were not aware of. Supported by reinforced artillery and the heavy cavalry the French spearheaded the counterattack. Sustained French offensive  and the chance explosion of an Austrian ammunition wagon forced the Austrians back into Alessandria with heavy losses. Being humiliated, Melas was obliged the next day to enter into a truce, which led to the loss of Lombardy to France.

Third Coalition  (made up of the  United Kingdom, the Austrian Empire, Sweden, and the Russian Empire was formed in 1805 to overthrow the French Empire).

25 September – 20 October 1805

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor

The Ulm Campaign (in Germany)

The Ulm campaign lasted for nearly a month and saw the French army under Napoleon deliver blow after blow to the confused Austrians. It ended on 20 October with the surrender  of an entire Austrian army under the command of Karl Freiherr Mack von Leiberich.

Bavaria ( now a German State) sided with Napoleon. The Ulm campaign was a series of French and Bavarian military maneuvers and battles to outflank and capture an Austrian army during the War of the Third Coalition. The Ulm Campaign is considered to be one of the finest examples of a strategic victory. The campaign was won with no major battle. The Battle of Ulm on 16–19 October 1805 was a series of skirmishes, at the end of the Ulm Campaign, which allowed Napoleon I to trap an entire Austrian army under the command of Karl Freiherr Mack von Leiberich with minimal losses and to force its surrender.  

Third Coalition.

December 2, 1805

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor

Battle of Austerlitz (now Slavkov u Brna, Czech Republic).

The battle was between the French army  led by Emperor Napoleon I and  larger Russian and Austrian army led by Emperor Alexander I and Holy Roman Emperor Francis II which ended in the French victory.  It   was one of Napoleon’s greatest victories. It is also called the  Battle of the Three Emperors.

Napoleon’s  68,000 troops defeated almost 90,000 Russians and Austrians.  The French had entered Vienna on November 13 and then pursued the Russian and Austrian allied armies into Moravia. The arrival of the Russian emperor Alexander I virtually deprived Kutuzov of supreme control of his troops. The allies decided to fight Napoleon west of Austerlitz and occupied the Pratzen Plateau, which Napoleon had deliberately evacuated to create a trap. Allies’ attack was stubbornly resisted by the French.  Napoleon launched Marshal Nicolas Soult, with 20,000 infantry, to capture the Pratzen Plateau. He held it against the allied attempts to retake it with 25,000 reinforcements . The allies fought vigorously and suffered heavy casualties. The remnants of the allied army were scattered. Two days later Francis I of Austria agreed to a suspension of hostilities and arranged for Alexander I to take his army back to Russia. The Allied disaster significantly shook the faith of Emperor Francis in the British-led war effort. France and Austria agreed to an armistice immediately and the Treaty of Pressburg followed shortly after, on 26 December. The treaty  took Austria out of both the war and the Coalition while reinforcing the earlier treaties of Campo Formio and of Lunéville between the two powers, thus  resulting effective end of the Third Coalition. The treaty confirmed the Austrian loss of lands in Italy and Bavaria to France, and in Germany to Napoleon's German allies. French victory at Austerlitz permitted the creation of the Confederation of the Rhine, a collection of German states intended as a buffer zone between France and Central Europe. The Confederation rendered the Holy Roman Empire virtually useless, so the latter collapsed in 1806 after Francis abdicated the imperial throne, keeping Francis I of Austria as his only official title.

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21 October 1805

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor

The Battle of Trafalgar

It was a naval warfare enforced  by the British Royal Navy against the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies.  The British won the battle. The victory confirmed the naval supremacy of Britain.

As a part of French plan to take control of the English Channel and thus enable Napoleon's Imperial Army  to invade England, a combined French and ally Spanish fleets under French Admiral Villeneuve sailed from the port of Cádiz in the south of Spain on 18 October 1805. They encountered the British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson on 21^st October off Cape Trafalgar, in the Atlantic Ocean.  In a fierce battle, 27 British ships of the line fought 33 French and Spanish ships of the line. But, the greater experience and training of the Royal Navy overcame the greater numbers of the French and Spanish navies. The Franco-Spanish fleet lost 22 ships; the British lost none. During the battle, Nelson died being shot by a French soldier. It is said that Nelson deviated from the conventional battle practice prevailing at the time which partly facilitated the victory.  The convention was to engage the fleet in a single line parallel to the line of opposing fleet to ensure fair war facilities.  Nelson instead arranged his ships into columns sailing perpendicularly into the enemy fleet's line.

Fourth Coalition

(Russia, Prussia, Britain) Saxony( a part of Germany), Sweden also contributed.  October 1806 – July 1807

14 October 1806

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor

Battles of Jena and Auerstedt ( in present day Germany)

The twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt were fought on the plateau west of the river Saale in today's Germany, between the forces of Napoleon I of France and Frederick William III of Prussia. Decisive French victory brought  the Kingdom of Prussia under  the French Empire until the Sixth Coalition was formed in 1812.

At Jena  Napoleon himself was in supreme command while Marshal Michel Ney was to lead the attack on Prussian Army. Ney's initial assault was a success, but later he fell into disadvantagious position under heavy fire during counter attack by Prussian artillery. But Napoleon’s timely intervention saved the situation. He ordered Marshal Jean Lannes to shift from the centre of attack  and deployed the Imperial Guard to rescue Ney.  This endeavour worked. Then  Napoleon took a decisive move to strike the Prussian flanks hard and the attacks proved to be a success. The Prussian army was forced to withdraw and Napoleon had won another battle. In total the Prussian army lost 150 guns and 10,000 men, killed or wounded, another 15,000 held as prisoners.  

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November 1806

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor

Greater Poland uprising in Wielkopolska.

Greater Poland uprising of 1806 was a military insurrection by Poles in Wielkopolska (Greater Poland) with the support of French army against the occupying Prussian forces after the Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1772–1795). It was a part of the wars of fourth coalition.

the Kingdom of Prussia possessed large Polish population. Prussian ruler Frederick the Great who hated and despised Poles  and wanted  to replace them with Germans. Polish people were discriminated and subjected to opression. They   were portrayed as 'backward Slavs'. So, the War of the Fourth Coalition between Napoleonic France and the Kingdom of Prussia gave hope to the Polish inhabitants of Greater Poland of recovering their independence and ending oppressive Prussian rule. The uprising was organized by General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski  by creating Polish units under instruction of Napoleon to help advancing French forces under Napoleon in liberating Poland from Prussian occupation.  The uprising first statrted in Poznań where Dąbrowski  entered  in November, 1806 and then spread to other regions.The Wielkopolska Uprising was a decisive factor that allowed the formation of the Duchy of Warsaw, a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit  and the inclusion of Wielkopolska  (Greater Poland Province) in the Duchy of Warsaw.

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23–24 December 1806

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor

Battle of Czarnowo (in Poland)

Occurred between the French Imperial Army  and Russian Army commanded by Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Ostermann-Tolstoy's which resulted in French victory..

Troops of the First French Empire under Emperor Napoleon I crossed  the Wkra River and launched an evening assault against defending Russian Empire forces. After an all-night struggle, the Russian commander withdrew his troops to the east,thus  ending this War of the Fourth Coalition action.

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7-8, February, 1807

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor

Battle of Eylau (modern Bagrationovsk, Russia).

It was an strtegically inconclusive battle of Napoleon against the Russians under the command of Levin August von Bennigsen.

After a succession of victories in 1806, it was  the first major deadlock Napoleon  had suffered.  It was a bloody and inconclusive battle. After 14 hours of continuous battle, the only result was enormous loss of life on both sides. The unrelenting cold of winter aggravated  the horror of the battle, leaving the battlefield spread with  only bloodstained snow and frozen corpses. The Frecnh  had suffered enormous losses and yet failed to destroy the Russian army.  The French had gained nothing but the  possession of the battlefield.

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14 June 1807

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Friedland,  Prussia in present Russia.

It  was a major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars between the armies of the French Empire commanded by Napoleon I and the armies of the Russian Empire led by Count von Bennigsen.  Russian forces were defeated .

The sustained French attack pushed back the Russian army which retreated over the Alle River by the end of the fighting. The Russian army suffered horrific casualties, forcing them to enter into  peace negotiations with Napoleon which  eventually culminated in two separate  Treaties of Tilsit, one with Russia and the other with Prussia. In the process Prussia ceded about half of   its pre-war territories and Napoleon cemented France’s control in Central Europe.

A part of Peninsular Campaign of Napoleon (1808-1809)

November 30, 1808

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Somosierra in Spain.

Took place during the Peninsular War.  Between a combined Franco(French Imperial army commanded by Napoleon I )-Spanish (of the part of Spain loyal to Napoleonic Empire as a client state)-Polish (The Duchy of Warsaw, a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit) forces under the direct command of Napoleon Bonaparte and Spanish force commanded by Benito de San Juan.

The combined force while advancing towards Madrid forced  pass  Spanish guerrillas stationed at the Sierra de Guadarrama as an indirect defence of the Spanish capital by defending the road leading to the Somosierra Pass.  At the resulting battle of Somosierra San Juan  lost most of his artillery and his force was dispersed. The combined force clinched victory which  removed the last obstacle barring the road to Madrid.  Benito de San Juan raced his army back to Madrid.  He was later killed by his own men. French patrols reached the outskirts of Madrid on the 1 December. The remaining Spanish force  made a futile attempt to defend the capital, and finally on 4^th  December , the Spanish defence failed against devastating French artillary attack. Spaniards surrendered  and the French entered Madrid for the second time that year.

Fifth Coalition.  

                10 April  – 14 October, 1809.      ( A coalition of the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain)

19 April 1809

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

The Battle of Teugen-Hausen or the Battle of Thann (in Lower Bavaria, part of modern-day Germany).

Between the French Army led by Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout and Austrian Army  commanded by Prince Friedrich Franz Xaver of Hohenzollern-Hechingen. The French won a hard-fought victory.

After a day long intense attacks and counter attacks the Austrians withdrew that evening and retreated. Generals of both armies led their troops with courage and skill.

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20 April 1809

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Abensberg (in Bavaria, Germany)

Occured between a Franco-German force under the command of Emperor Napoleon I of France and a reinforced Austrian corps led by Feldmarschall-Leutnant Archduke Louis of Austria which ended in a complete Franco-German victory.

 Napoleon's French troops, reinforced by troops from the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Kingdom of Württemberg outfought their opponents, inflicted heavy losses, and forced the Austrians to retreat to the southeast.

The only good result for the Austrians on 20 April was the surrender of the French garrison in Regensburg due to a strategic mistake.  Austrian army while retreating,  had split in two  taking two  separate directions.

Napoleon still didn't know how strong the Austrian right wing actually was, and so on 21 April he focused all of his attention on the retreating Austrian left, in the belief that this was the main body of their army. As a result Davout was left to face the Archduke's main force around Eggmuhl, while the main French and Allies army advanced towards Landshut, where a battle developed on 21 April.

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21 April 1809

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Landshut In Bavaria, Germany.

Held between the French, Württembergers-  a historical German territory (VIII Corps) and Bavarians-  a landlocked state of Germany, occupying its southeastern corner (VII Corps) under Napoleon and Austrians under the General Johann von Hiller. The result was a French victory.

Napoleon’s force was  of  about 77,000 strong as against  36,000 Austrians. The Austrians, though outnumbered, initially fought hard. But after arrival of  Napoleon in the field the position altered and  the battle became in favour of the  French victory. Many of the defenders were captured, but Hiller was able to retreat with the bulk of his force and  Landshut finally fell to the French. There were in fact two engagements at Landshut. The first occurred on 16 April when Hiller pushed a defending Bavarian division out of the town.

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21-22 April 1809

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Eckmühl (in Bavaria, Germany)

Was fought between the Frech under Napoleon I and the Austrians under the Archduke Charles of Austria. The French won the battle.

The Austrians fought heroically but were heavily outnumbered and had to retreat. It is said to be  the turning point of the 1809 Campaign as Napoleon was able to defeat the principal Austrian army.  

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23 April 1809

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Regensburg or Ratisbon  (in Bavaria, Germany).

Occured between the army of the First French Empire, led by Napoleon I, and that of the Austrian Empire, led by Archduke Charles which resulted in the French victory.

TheFrench victory and  fall of Regensburg ended the Bavarian phase of the war. A pontoon bridge to the east on the Danube enabled the retreating Austrian army to escape into Bohemia (now in Czec Republic). The road into Austria was now open. Bonaparte himself was wounded in the ankle.

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21–22 May 1809

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Aspern-Essling (Lobau, Vienna)

The French and allies commanded by Napoleon fought against and  the Austrians under Archduke Charles. Napoleon faced defeat.

Napoleon attempted a forced crossing of the Danube near Vienna, but his forces were driven back by the Austrians. The battle saw Napoleon personally defeated for  the first time in over a decade. However, Archduke Charles failed to secure a decisive victory as Napoleon was able to successfully withdraw most of his forces.

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5– 6 Jul 1809

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Wagram, Vienna.

It was fought betwen the Emperor Napoleon I's French and allied army and  the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Charles of Austria-Teschen. French won. Treaty of Schönbrunn was signed between France & Austria  imposing harsh terms on Austria.

This  military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars saw a costly but decisive victory for Emperor Napoleon against the Austrians.  With 80,000 casualties, the two-day battle of Wagram was particularly bloody.  Archduke Charles retreated north into Bohemia( now in Czech Republic) hoping to regroup his battered forces. The defeat forced Austria to sign an armistice and led eventually to the Treaty of Schönbrunn in October, ending Austria’s 1809 war against the French. The battle also paved  the ground for breakup of the Fifth Coalition  against France.

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10-11 July 1809

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Znaim

It was fought betwen the Emperor Napoleon I's French and allied army and  the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Charles of Austria-Teschen which did not produce any decessive result for any of the warring sides and led to  signing of an armistice.  

It  was the last battle on the main front of the Franco-Austrian War of 1809, and was cut short after Napoleon agreed to Austrian offers of an armistice. In the immediate aftermath of the battle of Wagram (5-6 July 1809) Napoleon’s force eventually caught up wth the retreating Austrian army   at Znaim (now Znojmo, Czech Republic) on 10 July 1809. After two days of futile fighting, with both sides suffering similar casualties and neither side gaining any advantage, Napoleon finally agreed  to offer of  an armistice and end the battle. Although the Battle of Znaim was the last action between Austria and France in the war, a formal peace was not agreed until the Treaty of Schönbrunn was signed on 14 October 1809, which finally ended the War of the Fifth Coalition.

French invasion of Russia

26 and 27 July 1812

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Vitebsk (Belarus, then Russian Empire)

Was a military engagement that took place during the French invasion of Russia between French force under the command of Emperor Napoleon I and  Russian forces under General  Petr Konovnitsyn and Peter von der Pahlen.  The French won the battle, the Russians retreated.

The Battle of Vitebsk was in fact no more than a rearguard combat.  Realising that their chances to win against Napoleon were gloom, the Russians adopted the strategy  to delay the action and keep the French at bay for long enough so that they could retreat to Smolensk, where they  planned to reinforce.  They succeeded in their plan. The Russian army made a hasty retreat and safely reached Smolensk, thus  failing the Emperor's plans for a major battle. The French lost Colonel Liédot, a distinguished officer.  Russian losses amounted to some 3,000 men, killed and wounded.  French casualties were  some 400 dead, 900 wounded and 70 captured.

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16–18 August 1812

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Smolensk (in Russia)

It took place between Grande Armée under Emperor Napoleon I and  Russian troops under General Barclay de Tolly. The French won the battle.

The Battle of Smolensk was the first major battle of the French invasion of Russia. Napoleon attacked the fortress city of Smolensk and captured two of the suburbs. The French artillery bombardment burned the city to the ground. During the night the Russians evacuated the burning city. Of the city's 15,000 inhabitants, about 1,000 were left at the end of the battle inside the smoking ruins. With over 20,000 casualties, it was one of the bloodiest battles of the invasion.

The Battle of Smolensk is commemorated on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw, with the inscription "SMOLENSK 17 VIII 1812.

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7 September 1812

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Borodino ( in Russia)

Was fought in the Napoleonic Wars during the French invasion of Russia. It was fought between Napoleon’s troops  and Russians commanded by General M.I. Kutuzov which the French won.  Napoleon’s success facilitated  him to occupy Moscow.

It was the deadliest and bloodiest among the Napoleonic Wars with at least 70,000 casualties. Both armies were exhausted after the battle and the Russians withdrew from the field the following day. Napoleon entered Moscow a week later , only to find it abandoned. The city was soon ablaze, which the French blamed on  Russian arsonists. The capture of Moscow proved a victory that inflicted a devastating toll on French army. Since the Russians had no intention of negotiating with Napoleon for peace, the French evacuated Moscow  in October and conducted a difficult retreat that lasted until December, by which point the remainder of the Imperial Army had largely disillusioned . Some historians believe that Napoleon  forfeited the chance of gaining a decisive victory by not committing the 20,000-man Imperial Guard and 10,000 other practically fresh troops as a last resort. The Russians suffered about 45,000 casualties. The French lost about 30,000 men.

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November 15 to 18, 1812

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Krasnoi (in Russia)

Occured during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia between the Russian Army  under General Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov  and Napoleon’s Imperial Army in which Napoleon was defeated.

The Battle of Krasnoi was a series of skirmishes fought in the final stage of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. The Russians inflicted heavy losses on the remainders  of the French Army. Lacking sufficient artillery, cavalry and supplies to wage battle, Napoleon's objective at Krasnoi was to collect his scattered troops and to resume his retreat. Despite the vast superiority of his forces, Kutuzov refrained from launching a full-scale offensive during the four days of fighting and their delayed action made it possible for  Napoleon to withdraw a part of his army before the Russians seized Krasnoi. A large numbers of French troops  were captured by the Russians. The French Army  was also compelled to abandon much of its remaining artillery and baggage train.

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November 26 to 29, 1812

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Berezina (or Beresina) near Borisov, Belarus.

Held between the French army of Napoleon and the Russian armies under Mikhail Kutuzov, Peter Wittgenstein and Admiral Pavel Chichagov. The battle ended with a mixed outcome. Russians had  a tactical victory while the

French won a strategic victory;

The French had suffered a defeat just two weeks earlier during the Battle of Krasnoi. The surviving troops  of the Imperial  army, being pursued by the Russian armies,  were struggling hard  for retreating to safety.  Napoleon's plan was to cross the frozen Berezina River and head for Poland, while his enemies wanted to trap him there and destroy him. But the French managed to cross the river and avoid being trapped although they suffered heavy losses.  Swiss regiment of the French Empire under Marshal Oudinot gave a brave fight to save most of the retreating French troops even though they themselves suffered a terrible loss.  Since then "Bérézina" has been used in French as a synonym for "disaster".

Sixth coalition. (Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States) formed after the disastrous and failed French invasion of Russia (24 Jun 1812 – 14 Dec 1812)

2 May 1813

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Lützen (in Germany)

Was fought between the army of Napoleon I of France and Coalition army under the Russian commander, Prince Peter Wittgenstein which ended with  the French victory.

After the French invasion of Russia which involved  massive French losses Napoleon I of France was engaged in halting  the advances of the Sixth Coalition.  In a bid to strike on the coalition’s lines hastily before they could integrate,         Napoleon crossed the river Saale on the 30th April and  advanced on Leipzig.  But,  the French troops of  Marshal Ney's corps was caught by surprise attack from  allied troops on the road from Lützen to Leipzig. After a day of heavy fighting, the combined Prussian and Russian force retreated in the darkness of twilight. Due to French losses and a shortage of French cavalry, Napoleon did not  conduct a pursuit. 

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20–21 May 1813

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Bautzen (in Germany

Between French forces under Napoleon I and a combined Russian-Prussian Army (the Prussians under Count Gebhard von Blücher and Russians under Prince Peter Wittgenstein). The French  won the battle.

The combined Russian–Prussian army retreating after their defeat at Lützen,  were attacked by French forces under Napoleon. After hours of  intense bombardment by the Napoleon's artillery and heated fighting, the French overpowered the coalition first defense and seized the town of Bautzen.  However, the French victory at Bautzen  was associated with heavy toll on them.  Napoleon's trusted  General Geraud Duroc, was severely wounded and later  died. Following the battle at Bautzen, Napoleon agreed to a nine-week truce with the Coalition. It is reported that Napoleon later (on Saint Helena) said that his agreement to this truce was a bad mistake, because the break benefitted  much more to the allies than to him. The campaign would resume in August.

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22 May 1813

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

The combat of Reichenbach (in Germany)

The combat of Reichenbach  was a rearguard action during the Allied retreat after their defeat at Bautzen which resulted in the French victory. But Napoleon lost  his General Kirgener and Grand Marshal Duroc who died being hit by an allied round shot.

The French pursued retreating columns of Allied army. Napoleon and his General  Rayner encountered the Allied army  in Reichenbach ( in Poland). The allied force Retreated  east to Markersdorf, four miles to the east. After the brief action at Markersdorf, Napoleon ordered VII Corps to resume its advance.  In the course, an allied round shot just missed Napoleon but hit his General Kirgener and Grand Marshal Duroc, and both died. This blow clearly deeply affected Napoleon, and he ordered the combat to stop.

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26–27 August 1813

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Dresden ( in Saxony, Germany)

The battle took place the French forces under Napoleon and  the Allied army led by Field Marshal Schwarzenberg  in which the French scored a victory.

The Battle of Dresden was a major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars and Napoleon's last major victory in Germany . With the recent addition of Austria, the Sixth Coalition felt emboldened in their quest to expel  the French from Central Europe. On August 26 Schwarzenberg attacked around the city which was Napoleon’s major base of operations and supply depot. Despite being heavily outnumbered, French forces drove the allies back to their original positions . Napoleon's failure to follow up on his success due to  the lack of effective French cavalry units allowed Schwarzenberg to withdraw and narrowly escape encirclement. Napoleon's victory did not lead to the collapse of the coalition. Three days after the battle, the Allies surrounded and captured a French corps at the Battle of Kulm.

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16 to 19 October 1813

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Leipzig (in Germany) also called Battle of the Nations.

The Coalition (sixth)  armies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, led by Emperor Alexander I and Karl von Schwarzenberg, fought with imperial army  of French Emperor Napoleon I. The coalition force decisively defeated the French imperial army.

 Napoleon's army was also supported by allied  Polish and Italian troops, as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine (mainly Saxony and Württemberg), a confederation of 16 German states formed by Napoleon after he defeated Austria and Russia at the Battle of Austerlitz on 12 July 1806 by the Treaty of Pressburg which lasted from 1806 to 1813. The battle was the end  of the German Campaign of 1813 which  involved 500,000 soldiers, 2,200 artillery pieces, the use  of 200,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, and saw 127,000 casualties, making it the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I. Decisively defeated again, Napoleon was compelled to return to France while the Sixth Coalition kept up its momentum, dissolving the Confederation of the Rhine and invading France early the next year.

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30 to 31 October 1813

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Hanau (Duchy of Frankfurt, Germany)

The Battle of Hanau was fought between Karl Philipp von Wrede's Austro-Bavarian corps and Napoleon's retreating French army.

Following Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Leipzig earlier in October, Napoleon began to retreat from Germany into France for relative safety. Wrede attempted to block Napoleon’s line of retreat at Hanau (in Germany) on 30th October.  Napoleon arrived at Hanau with reinforcements and defeated Wrede’s forces. On 31 October Hanau was in French control, opening Napoleon’s line of retreat. The Battle of Hanau was a minor battle, but an important tactical victory allowing Napoleon’s army to retreat onto French soil to recover and face the coalition’s  invasion of France.

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29 January 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Brienne ( in France)

 Occured between the Imperial French army led by Emperor Napoleon and Prussian / Russian forces commanded by Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. The French won victory.

French army attacked Prussian and Russian combined  forces. After heavy fighting that went on into the night, the French seized the château (castle), nearly capturing Blücher. However, the French were unable to dislodge the Russians from the town of Brienne-le-Château. Napoleon himself, making his first appearance in a battlefield in 1814, was also nearly captured. Very early the next morning, Blücher's troops quietly abandoned the town and retreated to the south, conceding the field to the French.

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1st of February 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of La Rothière ( in France)

It was a battle between the French Empire and coalition  army of Austria, Prussia, Russia. German States (under confederation of Rhine) which were allied  with France prior to Napoleon's failed campaign against the Russian Empire took side of the coalition army. Coalition earned tactical victory while the

French had strategic victory.

The battle took place in severe weather conditions (wet snowstorm). The French were defeated but managed to hold until they could retreat under cover of darkness. At nightfall the fighting ceased and the French retired to Lesmont, leaving Marmont behind to observe Coalition movements. From Lesmont, the French moved to Troyes. But no pursuit was attempted by coalition army.

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on 10th February, 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of  Champaubert (in France)

Occured between a French army led by Napoleon I and a small Russian corps commanded by Lieutenant General Count Zakhar Dmitrievich Olsufiev. The French won the battle.

After defeating Emperor Napoleon at the Battle of La Rothière on 1st February, 1814 allied Austrian army under  Field Marshal Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg  and Prussian army under  Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher advanced in two separate directions for further assault on the French. Allied lapses in communication and Blücher's overconfidence left       General Olsufiev's corps of 5000 Russian Army got isolated from Blücher's command  near Champaubert when Napoleon's 30000 army pounced on them. Despite  putting up a good fight, the Russian formation was effectively destroyed;  the survivors escaped into the woods while Olsufiev became a French prisoner.

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11 February 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Montmirail (in France)

Was fought between a French force led by Emperor Napoleon and two Allied corps commanded by Fabian Wilhelm von Osten-Sacken and Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg which resulted in the French victory.

In a hard fighting that lasted until evening, French troops defeated Sacken's Russian soldiers and compelled them to retreat to the north. A Part of Yorck's Prussian I Corps  belatedly tried to intervene in the struggle but it was also driven off.

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12 February 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Château-Thierry (in France)

The Imperial French army commanded by Emperor Napoleon fought with a Prussian corps led by Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg and an Imperial Russian corps under Fabian Wilhelm von Osten-Sacken. Napoleon own.

After being defeated  in the hard-fought Battle of Montmirail on the previous day,  the two Allied corps managed to escape across the Marne River and scramble north toward Château-Thierry's bridge. Napoleon launched his army in hot pursuit.  Although he  failed to destroy  Yorck and Sacken,  the allied  corps suffered considerably heavier losses than the pursuing French and retreated to north.

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14 February 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Vauchamps  (France)

It was the final major engagement of the Six Days Campaign in which the Imperial Army  under Napoleon I defeated a superior Prussian and Russian force under Field-marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher.

Being frustrated  from his successive defeats by Napoleon , Blücher, on 13 February,  instead of engaging  directly with him, fell upon the isolated VI Corps of his Marshal, Auguste de Marmont, who was defending Napoleon's rear.

Marmont was falling back until Napoleon arrived on the battlefield with strong combined-arms forces  next day and launched counter attack to drive  back the Blücher’s Army. When  Blücher realized that he would be facing the Emperor in person he decided to pull back and avoid another battle against Napoleon.

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17 February 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Mormant

Held between an Imperial French army under Emperor Napoleon I and a division of Russians under Gen. Count Peter Petrovich Pahlen which was won by  the French.

Surrounded by Napoleon’s strong  army of cavalry and infantry troops, Pahlen's outnumbered force was nearly destroyed, with only about a third of its soldiers  being able to escape and disperse over the French countryside.

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18 February 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

The Battle of Montereau ( in France)

Held between an Imperial French army led by Emperor Napoleon and a corps of Austrians and Württembergers commanded by Crown Prince Frederick William of Württemberg. The Kingdom of Württemberg (German: Königreich Württemberg) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918. The French won the battle.

Initially the Allies stoutly held off a series of French attacks. However, under increasing French pressure, the Crown Prince's defence buckled in the afternoon and his troops retreated. Brilliantly led by Pierre Claude Pajol, the French cavalry seized Montereau along with the expanse across the rivers Seine and Yonne. The Allied force suffered heavy losses and the defeat confirmed Schwarzenberg's decision to continue the retreat to Troyes in North-Central France.

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March 5 , 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Berry-au-Bac  (in France)

The battle saw the French cavalry commanded by Napoleon I opposing to the Russian Cossacks of General Ferdinand von Wintzingerode which resulted in the French victory.

 During the confrontation,  the Russians quickly broke down at the  overwhelming charge by the French which seized the bridge over the Aisne and drove back the Russian cavalrymen. The capture of the bridge and the town of Berry-au-Bac facilitated the rest of the French corps to cross the Aisne to continue to follow the retreating Prussian army.

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7 March 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Craonne (France).

It was a battle between an Imperial French army under Emperor Napoleon I opposing a combined army of Imperial Russians and Prussians led by Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher which resulted in a narrow technical  French victory, having allied army  been forced to withdraw.  

  It was one of the bloodiest battle of the Campaign of France in 1814. Both sides suffered heavy casualties (more than 5000 each). In the aftermath of this battle Blucher united his forces around Laon, where he planned to fight a defensive battle.

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9–10 March 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Laon (capital city of Aisne Department  in northern France)

The battle saw the victory of Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher's Prussian army over Napoleon's French army.

 During the Battle of Craonne on 7 March, Blücher's army was forced to retreat into Laon after a failed attempt to halt Napoleon's east flank. Along the way to Laon, reinforcements from Russian forces under Ferdinand von Wintzingerode and a Prussian corps led by Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow joined the defensive. Blücher opted to face Napoleon at Laon because it was the site of a strategically important road junction, and because of its highly defensible position. Blücher’s army successfully defended Laon.  Having  successive  French attacks failed to  produce  results, Napoleon decided to retire.

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12–13 March 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Reims (France)

Was fought between an Imperial French army commanded by Emperor Napoleon and a combined Russian-Prussian corps led by General Emmanuel de Saint-Priest. The French own the battle.

On the first day, Russians and Prussians easily captured Reims from its French National Guard garrison, capturing or killing more than half of its defenders. On the second day, an overconfident Saint-Priest carelessly deployed his forces west of the city, unaware of  Napoleon’s  approaching with 20,000 troops. In the battle that followed, the French army struck with crushing force and the Allies were routed with serious losses and the remaining forces scrambled to safety. During the fighting, Saint-Priest was struck by a howitzer shell and died two weeks later.

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20–21 March 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube (in France)

The Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube  saw an Imperial French army under Napoleon face a much larger Allied army led by Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg  in which the French suffered defeat.

On the first day, the allies, despite being vastly superior in numbers, did not gain an inch on the ground and ended the fight with two armies posted on either side of the village Nozay on  the River Aube. On the second day of fighting only, Emperor Napoleon suddenly realized he was so massively  outnumbered that it was futile to face the allied army, and immediately ordered a masked retreat. By the time the Austrian Field Marshal Schwarzenberg realized Napoleon was retreating, most of the French had already disengaged and the Allied pursuit afterwards failed to prevent the remaining French army from safely withdrawing to the north. It was a   Coalition strategic victory, Napoleon retreated and the Coalition advanced towards  Paris.

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26 March 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Saint-Dizier ( in France)

Was a battle of Napoleon I  fought against a combined Prussian, Russian and Austrian (allied) forces. and is notable as Napoleon's last victory before the surrender of Paris and his unconditional abdication. 

Despite a fierce attack by French Army  on the Allied forces which were outnumbered, Russian Army  under  Tettenborn,  lieutenant colonel  and  General Wintzingerode  defended courageously but of no avail. They had to retreat. The easy victory at St. Dizier helped convince Napoleon that the main Allied armies were gone, but in fact his enemies were on the road to Paris.

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March 30–31, 1814

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Montmartre or Paris

Was fought between the Sixth Coalition, consisting of Russia, Austria, and Prussia, against the French Empire. French defeat and surrender of Paris marked the end of the War of the Sixth Coalition and led to abdication and exile of Napoleon to Elba.

The French army could not withstand the Coalition attack from all sides.  After a day of fighting in the suburbs of Paris, the French Marshal Auguste Marmont  surrendered.  On March 31, the city capitulated and the Coalition armies triumphantly entered the city with the Russian Tsar at the head of the army followed by the King of Prussia and Austrian Prince Schwarzenberg.  At that time Napoleon was away as far as Fontainebleau on his way to Paris. He planned  to proceed to  the capital to take on the enemies, but his marshals did not agree  to fight and wanted  him to surrender. He abdicated in favour of his son on 4 April. The Allies rejected this outright. He was forced to abdicate unconditionally on April 6 and exiled to the Isle of Elba, a Mediterranean island in Italy in terms of the Treaty of Fontainebleau entered into on April 11. Thus,  the  War of the Sixth Coalition was over.  However, the European Allied Powers gave him sovereignty over this Italian island and allowed him to retain the title of 'Emperor'.

Seventh Coalition.

Following Napoleon’s escape from Elba, Seventh Coalition was formed to fight him under the treaty of 25 March, 1815. Key members were Austria, Prussia, Russia and the United Kingdom. Besides them,   almost all other  countries of Europe had signed the treaty.

16 June 1815

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Ligny (in present-day Belgium)- Part of the Hundred Days War

French troops of the Armée du Nord          ( Army of the North) under the command of Napoleon I defeated a part of a Prussian army under Field Marshal Blücher.  The battle resulted in a tactical victory for the French.  It was Napoleon’s last victory in his military career.

Unhappy in exile, Napoleon escaped and landed in France on March 1, 1815. Marching to Paris, he built an army. He was declared an outlaw by the Congress of Vienna. In a bid to reaffirm his power, Napoleon attacked early before the coalition forces could reinforce and put together an overwhelming force. Blücher's worn-out soldiers could not withstand the French Infantry and Artillery assaults.  The Prussian Army under compelling situation retreated  bravely repelling all further attacks and ultimately they regrouped south of Wavre, around 13 kilometres to the east of Waterloo.  The battle resulted in a tactical victory for the French, but the bulk of the Prussian army survived the battle in good order and played a pivotal role two days later at the Battle of Waterloo, having been reinforced by Prussian troops who had not participated at Ligny.

Seventh Coalition

18 June 1815

French Empire / Napoleon as Emperor.

Battle of Waterloo in Belgium, a part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands at the time.

A British-led coalition (Anglo-allied army) consisting of units from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hanover, Brunswick and Nassau, under the command of the Duke of Wellington  along with  a Prussian army under the command of Field Marshal von Blücher fought a French army under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte. The French army was defeated. The battle marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars and led to abdication of Napoleon and his exile to remote South Atlantic island of Saint Helena where he died in 1821.

In repeated attacks, Napoleon failed  to break the allied centre of defence. Subsequent forceful allied advance particularly that of  Prussian Army  forced the disorganised French Army to retreat. After his defeat, instead of remaining in the field with his shattered army,  Napoleon returned to Paris in the hope of retaining political support for his position as Emperor of the French and subsequently getting prepared to continue the war. But the fate was written otherwise. To his dismay, the members of the two chambers created a Provisional Government and demanded Napoleon’s abdication. Napoleon thought of   the idea of a coup d'état similar to Eighteenth of Brumaire but ultimately decided against it. He abdicated on 22 June 1815 in favour of his son Napoleon II. On 25 June Napoleon left Paris for the final time and after staying at the Palace of Malmaison, left for the coast hoping to reach the United States of America. In the meantime, the Provisional Government deposed his son and tried to negotiate a conditional surrender with the Coalition powers. They failed to obtain any significant concessions from the Coalition who insisted on a military surrender and the restoration of Louis XVIII (the erstwhile King of France from 1814-to 1824). Napoleon, realising he could not hope to evade the Royal Navy, surrendered to Captain Maitland upon placing himself under his protection on board HMS Bellerophon. The British Government refused to allow Napoleon to set foot in England and in October that year  was exiled to the remote South Atlantic island of Saint Helena where he died in 1821.