Why was Napoleon's decision to invade Russia the biggest mistake of his military career?

1 Answer
Oct 26, 2016

He lost big. He thought by capturing Moscow he could dictate terms to Russia. The Russians fought back with harassing small scale attacks. Napoleon was forced to retreat in winter at great loss.

Explanation:

Napoleon had been undefeated before he invaded Russia in 1812 and he controlled the rest of Europe firmly except Britain. Afterwards he was weakened and the rot set in. By 1813 Napoleon was on the run and Europe was under a wave of unstoppable Nationalism.