1812 in Russia

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Napoleon retreating from the burning Moscow

This article lists notable events that occurred in 1812 of Russia, including a timeline of the French invasion of Russia.

Events

• Alexander I remains Monarch of Russia.
• March 14 - The Treaty of Paris is signed, establishing a reluctant alliance between the French Empire and the Austrian Empire to provide troops to fight against the Russian Empire.
  • June 24 - The French invasion of Russia begins, as Napoleon crosses the Nieman river^[1].
  • August 16 - The Battle of Smolensk begins, marking the first major Battle of the French invasion of Russia^[2].
  • August 18 - The Battle of Smolensk concludes in a French victory, with roughly 15,000 to 24,000 casualties^[2].
  • September 5 - The Battle of Shevardino begins and ends in a day, resulting in a French victory^[3].
  • September 7 - The Battle of Borodino also begins and ends in a day, in the outskirts of Moscow. This resulted in the Russian troops retreating, but with roughly equal losses on both sides.
  • September 14 - Moments before the French arrive at Moscow, Russian troops and civilians evacuate the city.
  • September 14 - The French army, led by Napoleon, take control of Moscow.
  • September 14 to 18 - Moscow is destroyed by a fire organized by Fyodor Rostopchin, the military governor at the time. This burns down most of the entire city, including Moscow University.
  • October 18 - The troops of Russian general Levin August von Bennigsen defeat Joachim Murat's french troops in the Battle of Tarutino.
  • October 18 - The Second Battle of Polotsk starts.
  • October 19 - Napoleon's forces abandon Moscow.
  • October 20 - The Second Battle of Polotsk concludes with a Russian victory.
  • October 24 - The Battle of Maloyaroslavets begins and ends in a day, resulting in a Russian victory.
  • November 15 to 18 - The Battle of Krasnoi begins and ends in a Russian victory.
  • November 26 to 29 - The Battle of Berezina begins and ends; as Napoleon and his army attempt to retreat to Poland to recover from the occupation of Moscow, they have to cross the Berezina river, leading to an attack from the Russian army.
  • December 24 - The French invasion of Russia concludes with a Russian victory, with an estimated 1 million total deaths.
• March 29 - Mikhail Speransky is dismissed from his office of State secretary due to his unpopular reform policies.
• May 28 - The Treaty of Bucharest is signed, establishing peace between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, following the Ottoman's defeat in multiple battles in eighth Russo-Turkish War. This also established the basis for future Russia–Turkey relations.
• December 29 - The Society of Patriotic Ladies, also known as the Patriotic Society, is founded in Saint Petersburg.

Births

• October 20 - Nadezhda Borisovna Trubetskaya, philanthropist (d. 1909)
• April 6 - Alexander Herzen, revolutionary(d. 1870)

Deaths

• August 1 - Yakov Kulnev, general(b. 1763)
• September 24 - Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration, general and prince(b. 1765)
• October 30 - Nikolay Tuchkov, general(b. 1765)

References

1. Foord, Edward (1914). Napoleon's Russian Campaign of 1812. Robarts - University of Toronto. London, Hutchinson.
2. Riehn, Richard K. (1990). 1812 : Napoleon's Russian campaign. Internet Archive. New York : McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-052731-7.
3. Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618-1905). Harvard University. Wien und Leipzig, C. W. Stern.

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