The Sixth Coalition defeated Napoleon, drove him into exile on Elba, and ended French imperial dominance over continental Europe.
Key Facts
- Duration
- December 1812 – May 1814
- Largest battle
- Battle of Leipzig (Battle of Nations)
- Coalition members
- Austria, Prussia, Russia, UK, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Sardinia
- Outcome date
- 30 May 1814 (Treaty of Paris)
- Napoleon's fate
- Abdicated and exiled to Elba
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
France's catastrophic invasion of Russia in 1812 destroyed much of the Grande Armée and severely weakened French military strength. Prussia and Austria, previously compelled to support France, seized the opportunity to join Russia, Britain, Sweden, and Portugal in a broad coalition, while Spanish rebels continued their ongoing resistance against French occupation.
Coalition forces engaged French armies across Central Europe in a series of major battles, including Lützen, Bautzen, Dresden, and the decisive Battle of Leipzig in October 1813—the largest battle in European history before World War I. In 1814 the allies invaded France itself, defeated the remaining French armies, and occupied Paris, forcing Napoleon to abdicate in April 1814.
Napoleon's abdication ended the First French Empire, and the allied powers restored the Bourbon monarchy under the heir of the House of Bourbon. Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba. The peace was short-lived; in 1815 he escaped, returned to power, and triggered the War of the Seventh Coalition, which ended definitively at Waterloo.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent