1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:20,079 Speaker 1: a show that proves history waits for no one. I'm 4 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: Gabe Louizier, and today we're talking about the time Napoleon 5 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 1: Bonaparte made an ill fated trip to Moscow. The day 6 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:40,159 Speaker 1: was September eighteen twelve. Fresh from his victory over Russian 7 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: forces at the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon Bonaparte and his 8 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: Grand Army marched triumphantly into the city of Moscow. To 9 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: their surprise, the city was deserted. Normally home to two 10 00:00:55,600 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: hundred and seventy five thousand Russian citizens, only if few thousand, 11 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: about two percent remained when Napoleon made his not so 12 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: grand entrance. The people weren't the only thing missing either. 13 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: The city had been swept of food and supplies, leaving 14 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,760 Speaker 1: little reward for the tired and hungry French soldiers who 15 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: now occupied an abandoned city. This disappointing situation got even 16 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:27,480 Speaker 1: worse for Napoleon when, just after midnight, fires erupted across 17 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 1: the city, the handiwork of the remaining Russians, who would 18 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 1: have rather seen their city burn than fall under the 19 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:39,680 Speaker 1: rule of their enemy. One day earlier, high ranking Russian 20 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: officials had held a meeting just outside of Moscow. They 21 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:46,960 Speaker 1: debated whether to step aside and allow Napoleon to enter 22 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: the city or to mount a stand against him. It 23 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: was not an easy decision. Losing the city would, of 24 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: course be a disgrace, but an attempt to defend it 25 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 1: would almost certainly fail. The Russian army had just lost 26 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: about forty five thousand soldiers during the Battle of Borodino 27 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: one week earlier. The remaining troops were exhausted, demoralized, and 28 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:16,239 Speaker 1: in no shape to fight again so soon. With all 29 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: of this in mind, Russia's commander in chief, General Mikhail Kutuzov, 30 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: made the difficult decision to order a strategic retreat. He 31 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 1: wrote a consoling letter to Emperor Alexander, the first saying, quote, 32 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: your Majesty, Napoleon entering Moscow does not mean him conquering 33 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:42,520 Speaker 1: Russia yet. Kutuzov was right, but Napoleon was inching closer 34 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:45,799 Speaker 1: to that goal. At the time, the French Emperor was 35 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: at the height of his power. His European Empire was 36 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: expanding by the day, with Britain being the only real holdout. 37 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:58,279 Speaker 1: Napoleon knew that if Russia were to join his continental blockade, 38 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 1: Britain would be economic comically isolated and would have no 39 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: choice but to submit to his rule. But when this 40 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: plan was presented to Alexander the First, the Russians are 41 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: adamantly refused. In retaliation, Napoleon ordered his Grand Army into 42 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 1: Russia on June eighteen twelve. At the time, it was 43 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: the largest European military ever assembled, featuring more than five 44 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: hundred thousand soldiers and staff. He had expected to steam 45 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: roll the Russian army, but rather than surrender, Russian forces 46 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 1: just kept fleeing deeper and deeper into their own territory. 47 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 1: The retreating Russians made a point to either seize or 48 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: burn any supplies that might otherwise fall into French hands. 49 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: They knew that Napoleon's supply lines would be over extended 50 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: the deeper they went into Russian territory. Eventually, though the 51 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 1: Russian public grew tired of their armies perpeed chual retreat. 52 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: Under immense pressure, General Kutuzov finally agreed to face the 53 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: French head on at the town of Borodino, about seventy 54 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: miles west of Moscow, and as I mentioned earlier, it 55 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: did not go well for the Russians, who were compelled 56 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 1: to give up Moscow and retreat. Yet again. Napoleon wasn't 57 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,160 Speaker 1: pleased with how the Russian campaign had gone so far, 58 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: but he still believed that storming Moscow would force Alexander 59 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:33,480 Speaker 1: the First to surrender and join his blockade. But when 60 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:37,040 Speaker 1: he marched into a mostly deserted city on September four, 61 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: he probably started to have some doubts. At first, Napoleon 62 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 1: took up residence in a house on the edge of 63 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: the city, then when news came that a fire had 64 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: broken out, he moved to the Kremlin, where he could 65 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,920 Speaker 1: better monitor the situation. But soon a fire broke out 66 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: in the Kremlin to supposedly started by a Russian officer 67 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: who was immediately caught and killed. With the flame spreading 68 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:05,599 Speaker 1: out of control, Napoleon and his forces fled through the 69 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 1: burning city streets, nearly choking to death in the process. 70 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: The fires continued for the next three days, and when 71 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:17,160 Speaker 1: they were finally out, more than two thirds of Moscow 72 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:22,280 Speaker 1: was gone. Despite the poor outcome of his invasion, Napoleon 73 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 1: still held out hope that Alexander would agree to join forces. 74 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:30,719 Speaker 1: He wrote to the Russians are three times, proposing peace, 75 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: but his requests were ignored. For his part, Alexander the 76 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:39,839 Speaker 1: First said the burning of Moscow had quote illuminated his 77 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 1: soul and that he would never negotiate peace with Napoleon. 78 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:47,719 Speaker 1: After a month spent waiting in a burned out city, 79 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:51,719 Speaker 1: Napoleon was forced to accept that no surrender was coming. 80 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 1: He reluctantly led his starving army back along the war 81 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,280 Speaker 1: torn route by which they had come to Moscow. On 82 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: the long road back to Paris, Napoleon's army was attacked 83 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 1: again and again by Russian forces. A lack of food 84 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 1: and the sub zero temperatures of a Russian winter also 85 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:15,599 Speaker 1: took their toll. At last, in mid December, the Grand 86 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 1: Army finally made it out of Russia. Over the course 87 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: of their unsuccessful coup, the five hundred thousand strong army 88 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:29,160 Speaker 1: had dwindled to less than one hundred thousand. General Kutuzov's 89 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 1: gamble had paid off, and Napoleon's humiliating failure in Russia 90 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:37,480 Speaker 1: marked the beginning of the end of his empire. Two 91 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 1: years later, a coalition of European armies defeated his remaining 92 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:46,480 Speaker 1: forces and exiled the former emperor to the island of Elba. 93 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 1: In eighteen fifteen, Napoleon mounted a short lived comeback, escaping 94 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:55,239 Speaker 1: to France and raising a new army once again, though 95 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:58,039 Speaker 1: an allied force fought back and put an end to 96 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:01,320 Speaker 1: his reign for good at the Attle of Waterloo in 97 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 1: June of that year. This time Napoleon was exiled to 98 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:09,479 Speaker 1: the even more remote island of St. Helena, where he 99 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:14,720 Speaker 1: remained until his death six years later. I'm Gabe Louisier 100 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: and hopefully you now know a little more about history 101 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. If you have any comments 102 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:24,920 Speaker 1: or suggestions, you can send them my way at this 103 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 1: day at i heart media dot com. Thanks as always 104 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: the Channeler Mays for producing the show, and thank you 105 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow for 106 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: another Day in History class. For more podcasts from my 107 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 108 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 1: where ever you listen to your favorite shows.