Napoleonic Wars: Battle for Germany 1813

In 1813, following his disastrous invasion of Russia, Napoleon faced a desperate battle to save his empire. His enemies were gaining in strength, as Prussia and Sweden joined the Sixth Coalition against him, while Russian armies advanced across Poland and into Germany. The French Emperor worked miracles to raise a new Grande Armée of young conscripts, leading them to victory at Lützen and Bautzen. But Napoleon knew everything might ultimately depend on Austria - which side would his father-in-law, Austrian Emperor Francis I, chose to support? The matter would be settled after a fateful and ill-tempered meeting in Dresden between Napoleon and Austrian foreign minister von Metternich...

Special thanks to Alexander Averyanov for kind permission to use his paintings 'On the Frontier' & 'Horse Guards at the Battle of Borodino'. Royal Interior Image by Monoar Rahman Rony via Pixabay

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[LastHussar]

No criticism intended here but the Battle of Dresden really deserves an episodes of its own. One of Napoleon’s finest performances- the level of coordination employed by his artillery and the stubborn resistance shown by his infantry were nothing short of masterful!

[Cottereau]

This Napoleon series is amazing.
Actually this whole channel is amazing.

[TheFiresloth]

A common (very possible) legend says that after Kulm, Vandamme was brought before Alexander, who called him a thief (knowing the character, not a baseless accusation). Vandamm, famously short tempered, answered "how rich to be called a thief by a parricide !", referring the emperor's ambiguous role in his father's death.
Napoleon said of the quarrelsome general : "If I had two Vandamme, I would execute one to serve as a warning for the other. But I have only one, so I keep him."

[rodgermurphy]

"My eagles are victorious once again, but my star is setting"

Napoleon could see the writing on the wall and many of his close friends had died in combat at that point. What a giant of history Napoleon is

[sebastienm]

Increase difficulty rating to vengence mode;
Enemy number: Max
Enemy allies: On
Allies defect: On
Spies: On
Disrupt supply & coms: On
Britain: On
Cossacks: On
Cavalry: Minimum
Age: 98% 18-25, 2% 25+
Experience: 98% recruit, 2% vet
Save game: Off

[pughtube]

Never has this period of history been presented in such a way; continues to amaze me, keep it up!

[MattMarshallUK]

Wellington famously said Napoleon's presence on the battlefield was worth 40, 000 men. After seeing this video I now know what he meant.

[hughdancey]

Something Metternich would never forgive was Napoleon's accusation during the fatal Dresden meeting: after a fruitless conversation, with Metternich refusing to lower his demands, Napoleon threw his hat to the ground, ranted as he paced around, before swiftly marching towards the Austrian diplomat with a raised finger: "How much did England pay you?"

Metternich would never recover from that insult, since he always claimed to act in Austria's interest.


And as usual a wonderful video, thank you very much!

[olefredrikskjegstad]

Now this is a chapter of the Napoleonic Wars that I haven't heard of before. I usually just hear that "after his retreat from Russia, Napoleon's enemies pounced while he was weak", nice to see the blanks be filled in. Thanks EHTV.

[akrybion]

Imagine being so overpowered that even with half of Europe against you they still don't want to attack you directly.

[raul-alexandrupetrescu]

Such an honor to be part of this community. Your videos quality amazes me every time.

[qxrbil]

... and 28, 000 gallons of rum and brandy.


Finally, the important stuff.

[BholewalaofTaranto]

Napoleon was lost in history, suppressed by centuries of efforts. Epic History has brought the genius back to life. A great narrative experience with tons of knowledge

[Antonious_jeffer]

Nobody :
Russian artillery : depressing Napoleon, one friend at a time

[JustMe-wmzg]

How brilliant you have to be that every enemy commander is afraid to face you

[Pryttanis]

“The Allies had suffered a disastrous defeat, because they had ignored there own rule, don’t take on Napoleon in battle”

chills

[starguy]

Do you plan on doing a series on the French Revolutionary Wars? There are not many videos that go into detail about them. A series like that could serve, in a sense, serve as a prequel series to the Napoleonic Wars. Otherwise, I love your videos! Keep up the good work!

[jacquesmourant]

SIXTH COALITION: There's only one rule in this campaign, DO...NOT...FIGHT...NAPOLEON!!

AUSTRIA: Hold my musket...

[Skinnyjeboss]

It's irony that some of his most brilliant victories (Dresden, Six Days Campaign) came from the war he eventually lost.
EDIT: Ah yes, it's Six not Seven days, thanks for pointing it out.

[rodgermurphy]

The bravest of the brave Marshal Ney was always my favorite but after watching these I think Davout was actually Napoleons best and most reliable Marshal