Napoleon’s Russian campaign – 1 – the march to the Niemen

The first in our three-part extended close-up of Napoleon’s Russian campaign of 1812 traces the build-up to the monumental conflict that would signal the beginning of the end for the French Emperor. The war that saw Napoleon march about four hundred thousand troops – gathered from all over the empire and its allied states – across the Niemen and into the heartland of Russia was the result of a gradual deterioration in the Franco-Russian relationship, officially established after the Treaty of Tilsit. Russian concerns over France’s involvement in Eastern Europe and the Ottoman Empire were exacerbated by Napoleon’s Continental Blockade, which, coupled with Alexander’s refusal to fall in with Napoleon’s wishes, ensured that nothing but mutual suspicion reigned. As Emperor and Tsar sought to outmanoeuvre one another diplomatically, military preparations began in earnest.