Napoleonic Wars
Napoleon staged a French invasion of Russia in 1812 by gathering the largest army that Europe and possibly the whole world had ever seen, just as the Americans and the British started the War of 1812. In Russia, Napoleon barely won the huge Battle of Borodino but lost many of his soldiers. Napoleon hoped to make peace with the Russias, but they decided to retreat and abandon Moscow to the advancing French troops. However, the Russians decided to retreat and abandon Moscow to the advancing French troops. Napoleon found Moscow empty and burning. The cold winter along with starvation from scorched earth tactics devastated Napoleon's army. That was the first important defeat in his conquest of Europe