Having the Russian [or Austrian] Navy threatening the Mediterranean

[ghappy1000]

[How to get the Russian Navy into the Mediterranean without the passage from the Black Sea needed. 18th Century.]
In 1770, the Russian Navy bombarded Chesma and the victory convinced the Holy Roman Empire to declare war on the Ottoman Empire [pod] due to Russian diplomacy and news transmitted. Over the next few years, the Russian Navy and army stationed in Greece would cause the defeat of the Ottomans in the Balkans and the Ottomans would lose Crimea, the Caucasus and Ukraine to the Russians.
The Holy Roman Empire would rout the Ottomans in the Balkans and cause the empire to lose parts of Serbia. The decisive defeat of the Ottomans would lead to the annexation of Romania and anything northwards from the empire. This would lead to the Russians intervening in the Bavarian Succession War in alliance, causing the Prussian Kingdom's decisive defeat and resulting in the kingdom's diminishing to its previous size before expansion from Brandenburg to its 18th century glory.
In 1787, the next Austrian-Russian war against the Ottomans would see Serbia falling into Austrian hands. This, along with the Russian assistance from the Black Sea and Greece [using ships in the Baltic transferred there] would cause the Ottomans to lose Bulgaria and link up with several Greeks. Although the Swedes entered the war later, they barely regained Finland before a naval defeat by ships from the Arctic and returning from the Mediterranean with the Danish Fleet diverted attention until the war ended in 1790 with a treaty at Vyborg. The next peace treaty would see the Ottomans lose the Caucasus as Persia and Georgia took advantage of the Ottoman defeats to invade more territory and the defeats would spread the rise of revolts in the empire's Asian core, besides threatening the empire with easier Russian military passage through the Black Sea. However, Constantinople was the bigger problem and was ripe for the picking anytime. Also, the Russian Navy was permitted to enter the Black Sea and fro, threatening the balance of power in Europe. Even Prussian intervention was barely sufficient to defeat Austria and regain lost territories in 1777, retaking Silesia and East Prussia.

However, the French Revolution and Polish issues were bigger issues that needed to be solved. The Ottomans attempted to rectify the problems by relocating troops and declaring war on Russia, but events would prove otherwise as the Ottoman Empire had to reconstruct its navy and army without lost equipment and most Christians who deserted or surrendered, plus some Turks later persecuted. The Napoleonic invasion of Egypt would threaten the Ottomans, but the Ottoman defeats while fighting against its former enemies would deal further damage on the empire. After the defeats of 1777, Prussia lost Silesia, Pomerania and East Prussia to Russia and Austria. Although the provinces mentioned on the top paragraph were regained in 1792, Pomerania would be retaken only when Poland was partitioned later the same year.

 

[ghappy1000]

The French Revolution affects the Ottoman remnants

After the French Revolution, European powers intervened in support of the French royalists and counterrevolutionaries. A necessary French campaign was needed to defeat the British in the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean and the route was through Egypt, which was a transition point along the trade route between Europe and the east.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_campaign_in_Egypt_and_Syria]

[Note that the butterflies would result in the Ottoman invasion of lost Balkan territories [from Bulgaria to northern Ukraine and from Bosnia to northern Albania]. This would result in Napoleon succeeding in his Egyptian Campaign despite the battle of the Nile still being a defeat. Also, the Ottomans would divert Russian and British attention during the War of the Second Coalition since this would be when the Russians entered the French Revolutionary Wars.]

The Ottomans invaded Russian-controlled Bulgaria and a mass exodus from the Balkans would inform Tsar Paul about the Ottoman threat to the Mediterranean. In response, the Russians transferred ships from the Baltic and the Black Sea Fleet prepared for war against the Ottomans to start in July 1798. Also, the campaign against the Ottomans diverted Russian attention from revolutionary France although Russia secured the Balkans and Holy Roman Empire from attack. Without Ottomans and Russian reinforcements to Europe, the French would perform slightly better in the Italian and Egyptian Campaigns. Greeks inspired by nationalist and revolutionary ideas fought against the Ottomans despite their initial support for the French Republic's ideologies as they wanted their independence.

Then, Napoleon would rise to power and start the next round of the French Revolutionary Wars named after him [most major European events are in reality except for butterflies regarding Russia]. Prussia regained its power over Poland, but digesting the portions gained [from Pomerania ceded in 1777 to East Prussia and Silesia] would be hard for the kingdom. Egypt would be captured by Britain slightly later than reality [in January 1802] while the island of Malta remained Russian before being ceded to Britain. Also, Napoleon would do better in the battle of Marengo and inflict a decisive defeat on the Austrian Army.

Back in the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Army defeated the Russians at the Danube and Georgia before the advances stopped at the Dniester and Caucasus decisively. After the decisive battles, which saw the Ottoman Army encircled and defeated decisively, the Ottomans were routed from a year of war, assisted by Balkan rebels until the Ottomans until Thrace was reached with Edirne captured in winter 1801. The Ottomans lost the Caucasian provinces when the peace treaty was signed simultaneously besides their Balkan gains.

 

[ghappy1000]

The Napoleonic Wars [early coalitions, introduction]

Third Coalition
After the termination of the Peace of Amiens, the continuation of the French Revolutionary Wars under Napoleon [as named] would include the Ottoman Empire fighting with the French and the Russians had to divert forces to defeat the Ottomans. Included in the Ottoman forces were several Arabs, Romanians and refugee Muslims from the Balkans and Caucasus.

With the Ottomans threatening Russia after several defeats of the Russian Balkan principalities in autumn 1804, [the war against Britain starting around the same time], Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire on 21 October. As a result, the Ottomans were threatened and asked for Napoleonic assistance. Napoleon declared war on Russia on 5 December 1804 [shortly after his slightly earlier coronation as the French Emperor] and Russia threatened to declare war on Austria and Prussia. Although Austria accepted Russian requests to transit through its territory, Prussia refused and war nearly occurred between the latter 2 European powers.

In the aftermath of the initial French and Ottoman defeats, France's Grand Army prepared to intervene in support of defensive operations in Germany, but it took several months of winter transit and training. By May 1805, the Grand Army was moving into German territory and preparing to engage in offensive operations. Luckily, the anti-Napoleonic Coalition Allies were hampered by winter from conducting offensive operations and defensive preparations until early spring, and Napoleon's Army was proceeding to intercept the first grand offensive against Napoleon. Then, the great battles that ruined the Holy Roman Empire began.

In early July, the Austrians were mostly focusing their efforts on Italy and the Rhine, although there were also diversions to other fronts in Swedish Pomerania and Naples with British troops. Napoleon's Army would score his first several victories there after an Austrian offensive against Napoleon failed in the terrain of the Black Forest and surrounding mountains. British reactions are more or less as in reality, but the Trafalgar Campaign would be slightly more successful until the ultimate defeat in 1805.

The Austrian Army's main effort was against the Rhine and Black Forest, however, and the majority of its troops assaulted the Black Forest and the Rhine on 12 July 1805. Napoleon's Grand Army received news from retreating German troops and about to finish his march from the Channel coast [after a cancelled invasion of Britain], rushed from Alsace to the Rhine and repulsed several Austrian attacks with heavy losses to the attackers from 16 July to a week after. However, the Napoleonic Army was ruined temporarily, but a surprised counterattack on 24 July and after 5 days, the Austrian Army was encircled, with a chaotic retreat across the Rhine, albeit effective at extracting the Austrian Army. The 'battles for the Black Forest', as commonly known and named in Germany, inflicted more than approximately 100,000 Austrian casualties and about less than half of the number of French casualties, with slightly more than one quarter being permanent losses [35,000 to 120,000].

 

[catconqueror]

What are the british doing?

 

[ByzantineMan]

Nice timeline.

 

[ghappy1000]

The southern German Campaign and defeat of Austria

But the French Army considered the Danube and Germany as the major theatres of war against Austria and this proved fatal to the Austrian Army, both against Napoleon and his subordinate marshals. After the offensive against the northern flank failed, Massena and Napoleon with their troops and cavalry enveloped the Austrian Army from Mannheim to Tuttlingen in an encirclement avoiding Swiss neutrality infringement. The main attacks in Germany would be supported by French assaults in other theatres, from Italian attacks to diversions across the Rhine.
After the overall Austrian offensive against the Black Forest failed with heavy losses to defensive terrain actions on 30 July, Napoleon launched his decisive counteroffensive, which would result in the loss of a corps from Austria and a general captured when the encirclement was completed on 10 August. Captured information would accelerate the rout and Austrian defences in the Black Forest crumbled under the scheme within a week. News of the defeat would be spread to other German states and the French didn't feel the need to intrude Prussian territory as the Austrians had an unfilled gap that was further exploited in Bavaria when the French Army started marching on 20 August fiercely and by 2 September, Austrian General Mack contemplated defending Ulm even when demoralised with heavy casualties. Also, the Russians were tied up with Ottomans and although nearly victorious, couldn't transfer troops from the Ottoman and Baltic fronts on time [Prussia being threatening for the time being].

Over 8-10 September, a furious battle was fought at the regions surrounding Ulm and the Austrian General Kienmayer was threatened with encirclement and defeat. Only less than a division's worth of troops survived the battle of Ingolstadt as it was known, with the rest being forced to surrender. The Austrian Army was losing its last regular formations by the month. On 17 September, the battles of Wertingen and Gunzberg saw the Austrian Army losing control of the bridges across the Danube and an even chaotic battle decimated and demoralised the Austrians that Ulm was effectively vulnerable to assault after 21 September, when the battles ended.

The chaos surrounding the Austrian Army were such that several isolated elements sought refuge in Prussia and asked for a Prussian declaration of war. At Haslach-Jungingen and Elchingen, the Austrian Army was barely victorious at one of them on 23 September, but on 25 September, the latter was a decisive defeat that would seal Austria's doom. By the battle's end, the Austrian Army at Ulm was trapped and locked up the same day as the defeat, with a complete encirclement the next day. General Mack was now doomed and there was no chance of fleeing across the Danube any more, with Marmont and Napoleon's Guard surrounding the outskirts of Ulm to the south of the river, and Soult was moving north from Memmingen to prevent the Austrians escaping south to the Tyrol and defeating a relief offensive from surrounding troops which surrendered. [Sourced from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulm_Campaign.] When portions of the Austrian Army were defeated and forced to surrender at Heidenheim and other surrounding towns along Ulm on 29 September, the situation was hopeless to induce surrender by 1 October.

Although Prussia finally managed to declare war in early October 1805 [after the Austrian defeats at Ulm], it was too late for the tide to be changed. [For more details, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulm_Campaign by one month earlier.] The Prussian Army attempted to launch its first offensive, but a defeat sent it on the defensive and the French proceeded to envelop the Austrians and Prussians to the south of Bavaria and Austria, proceeding to invade present day Czech territory in November. Then, the decisive battles that ended Austria as a great power occurred in December 1805.

[Note that casualties involved at the Battle for the Black Forest should be halved, 18,000 to 60,000.]

 

[ghappy1000]

1806 Campaigns

The Ulm Campaign was followed by the fall of Vienna on 22 October after a pitched battle with Austrian Army remnants. Then, the Prussian invasion of Bavaria sent the French Army to envelope Bavaria, which resulted in the Battle of Passau on 31 October that was chaotic and led to the wrecking of a Prussian Army with more than 5000 French casualties and 30000 for Prussia, plus 1000 Bavarians and Germans of the Rhine Confederation. Then, the French Army recaptured northeast Austria with a counterattack that defeated the first Russian Corps against Napoleon barely. By 1 December, the French Army was in Moravia and intentionally weakened its flank against its enemies, who were defeated decisively after a failed offensive and the resulting French encirclement like in reality.
After the defeat of Austria, Prussia and Russia at Austerlitz, Serbian revolts took place and although the leaders had to fight with the Ottomans, they took advantage of Austria's defeat to invade Bosnia, Montenegro and Ragusa. Romanians dreamed of retaking Transylvania, but the Russian support needed to save their country from Ottoman offensives resulted in the decision to continue fighting with Austria and Russia.

In the meantime, the focus of the 1806 campaign was to finish up and dissect the Holy Roman Empire until only Czech regions and ethnically German Austria was left. The Austrian Empire, weakened and with minimal assistance forthcoming from Russia, was finished. When the peace treaty was signed at Budapest, the Holy Roman Empire was reduced to Moravia, eastern Austria and Carinthia, with the Balkans south of the Drina being ceded to Serbia and a newly formed Kingdom of Dalmatia. Italy received more territory than reality and to compensate for potential territorial losses and disputes, Napoleonic Italy received more of Austria and Istria. Serbia was to neutralise Montenegro while Italy would capture Mediterranean islands with a navy that might be built with a wrecked Austria. Hungary was made independent and asked to receive Romanian and Galician territory from Russia in return for any claims on Croatia and Bosnia. Bohemia would be integrated into the Rhine Confederation. This treaty was signed on 26 July 1806 [seven months later than reality] and would weaken the strength of Austria that it wouldn't fight anymore.

This treaty might have been signed earlier had it been not for the first Napoleonic defensive defeat from a Prussian offensive in March 1806 against the Czech and north German regions of the defeated Habsburg Empire. The offensive took place in early spring and revealed the weaknesses of the Napoleonic forces facing Prussia. After the offensive was halted in early April 1806 with moderate losses received from a better trained Prussian Army, the Prussian troops involved were defeated and the French shifted attention to the Austrians again from recently captured Slovakia after an effective month of marching and time spent despite being somewhat wasted, inflicting their final defeat on 6 July 1806 on the Danube while defending Budapest [equivalent to a worse Wagram battle 3 years early] and a harsh peace treaty when the French linked up with Serbian and Hungarian rebels.

[Prussian campaigns might be discussed later.]

After the Austrian defeats, the Serbian revolutionaries declared war on 1 June 1806 after rebelling and contributed to Napoleon's decisive Hungarian victory besides their independence from an Austrian province by invading Vojvodina, Ragusa and eastern Croatia. Montenegro would be invaded to neutralise the state and secure the Adriatic. Newly-formed Hungary and Serbia received independence. Then, the Prussians would be placed into Napoleon's most decisive combat battles, even with heavy losses sustained. This was followed by the French 'Grand Army' invading Prussian territories in late September 1806 after rest and refit, causing Prussian defeats with heavy losses to the kingdom's excessively dispersed armies and in less than one month, the Prussian Army was retreating to Berlin from its new borders after a militarily decisive defeat at Jena-Auerstadt on 14 October, in which the 3 numbered army commanders were heavily wounded and one succumbing, along with 40,000 casualties for 10,000 French. After several decisive defeats, the remnants of the surviving Prussian Army were besieged in the city before surrendering during winter in very late December 1806, along with other portions retreating into besieged fortresses with many prisoners. Other Prussian troops were defeated by an uprising in Greater Poland and the province ended up as part of Napoleon's Polish puppet state. There were few remnants left to be fighting with Russia even with prolonged sieges of German fortresses compared with reality.

It must be noted that Bernadotte was diverted to destroy the Prussian Reserve Army and weaken the Prussians for Jena, which he succeeded in doing so with total loss of his opposing Prussian objective to the enemy.

 

[XFE]

Interesting idea. even more interesting tl.

 

[ghappy1000]

1807 Campaigns [Prussia's collapse, defeat in Poland and East Prussia]

After the siege of Berlin, winter marches were undertaken by Napoleon to assist Polish rebels in early 1807, although the weather was known to cause the defeat of a Prussian relief offensive in December 1806 even if arrival of relief might be too late to save Berlin or suppress the Polish insurgents. Only minimal progress was made, but the Prussian remnants in Poland were forced to surrender due to Napoleon's advance, Poles deserting and the surrender of Berlin despite the attempted struggle against Napoleon's troops in winter.

Battle of Czarnowo
On 20 January 1807, after marching through Poland with support from Polish rebels, the French troops which received Prussia's 30 December 1806 surrender faced the Russian Army, several Balkan allies and very meagre Prussian Army remnants at the town of Czarnowo in northern Poland. The force was sent to Poland and prepared for winter and defence when a surprise attack defeated the Russians before stopping for logistical issues and winter and a motivated counterattack routed Bernadotte's Corps, which was later reconstituted after the battle. The Oder was crossed by scouts from the troops besieging Berlin and located on 1 December followed by consolidation with Polish forces that diverted Prussia from relieving Berlin. However, an offensive was unfeasible and the troops were forced on the defensive temporarily without Russian exploitation.
Following the siege of Berlin, Napoleon and his French and Polish troops crossed the Vistula and enveloped the city of Warsaw on 15 January, which surrendered in several days due to weakened defences, potential damage and a [partly successful] breakout leading to the decision. Then, Napoleon observed the Russians organizing around the location of the Wkra emptying into the Bug-Narew and prepared to attack the day after. Near its mouth, the Wkra was divided into two branches and a swampy low island was formed, but in the winter and with the helps of bridges, Davout's cavalry marched across the river only to be stopped by several non-Russians when he first advanced in the morning and inflicted heavy casualties on the first day. The situation resulted in Napoleon requesting a surprise night attack on the same day if the enemy was on the defensive. French cavalry which rushed forward to take Czarnowo and drive the Russians and Romanians found their opponents counterattacked and retook the village from the French by surprise. Action stopped temporarily as Morand reinforced his sector. He sent forward the 30th Line Infantry Regiment along the banks of the Bug-Narew to attack frontally while the home brigade moved through a pine woods on the left. General Ostermann-Tolstoy's troops also repelled this assault with heavy losses and a failed counterattack. Afraid of retreating without heavy artillery, the Russian commander secured the rear with the guns and forced French to continue their attack with losses and eventually Czarnowo was recaptured that they could deploy east of the village while Russian redoubts opposite Pomiechowo were lost after reinforcements and the counteroffensive chased the Russians until the Vistula was crossed with the Russian General's division annihilated for moderate Napoleonic French casualties assisted by ferocity, shells and the Vistula. [Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Czarnowo]
Surroundings
At Biezun, Bessieres's Corps routed the Prussians on 22 January after the withdrawal of Prussian troops to counterattack and enveloped the Prussians, who were eliminated from the battle in short order also in moderate fighting with 1,000 French casualties. This was done to plug the gaps at Kołoząb and the Russian stragglers and reserves had the French under Augeureau routed from Soldau before enveloping the latter, who broke out successfully with several casualties. At Golymin, the French were nearly defeated until their artillery caught up with them and they sent the Russians away with several hundred casualties for themselves. Marshal Lannes also received orders to cross with his corps the Narew at Pułtusk if the enemy retreated and followed although he was aware that there was a Russian force of unknown size facing him. After struggling through terrain, his first troops reached the area at about 10:00 AM. on 25 January, and drove the cossacks back onto the Russian main line. Because of the terrain, Lannes was only capable of locating the Russian positions on the extreme left and right with the cavalry between them. The Corps was defeated with 10,000 in the Marshal's first defeat and routed until the French encircled the Russians, who broke out on 30 January with heavy French losses. As a result of Lannes' defeat, a Polish Corps from nationalists was created as a replacement. Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pultusk

By the time, the Russians were present in the battlefield in large numbers, but that wasn't sufficient to defend East Prussia from Napoleon with 70,000 troops [mostly recalled from defeating the Ottomans in Bulgaria and watching Serbia]. After the French offensive against East Prussia kicked off in late February, all the Russians had to think was retreat from their failed early February offensive that intended to destroy Marshal Bernadotte's Corps at Mohrungen with some success following a surprise 15 February attack with a diversion into East Prussia that drove Ney's troops from Schippenbeil with a decisive defeat, but the French under Napoleon pursued them and threatened to cut off the Russians after receiving news of Bernadotte's initial defeat and recovery with artillery and cavalry charges and the French were besieging Graudenz from 28 February. In fact, prisoners caught revealed the Russian war plans and accelerated the Russian retreat.

Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Eylau
By early March, the isolated Russian army was in total withdrawal and pursued aggressively by the French. After several attempts to resist and fight, General Bennigsen decided to retreat to the town of Eylau and make its last stand there. During the pursuit, perhaps impacted by the awful state of Polish roads, savagely cold winter weather, advancing over long distances and overconfidence after his forces had dealt with Prussia, Napoléon permitted the Grand Army to become more dispersed than was his custom. In contrast, Bennigsen's forces were already concentrated and managed to defeat an isolated corps which was lucky to escape.

On 17 March 1807, the Russian Army was assaulted at Eylau and after the French offensive failed on the 1st day with dubious incentives, the Russians counterattacked on the second day. A Russian artillery duel galvanized Napoleon as it started the next day's battle as the Russians were expected to continue their retreat. Now he knew there was a fight for him. Messengers were hurriedly dispatched to Ney ordering him to march on Eylau and join the French left wing. During the battle for the town, Napoleon's Guard corps was defeated and it was reported that the Russian Army's 1st Division was prepared to capture an injured Napoleon when he was rescued and the opposing Russian troops were decisively defeated, causing the right flank to crumple when the Russian division surrendered in a few hours with heavy casualties. [Most of the remaining battle is similar to its actual counterpart].

It took 2 days before the Russians retreated and Napoleon's troops [including Poles and reserves facing Prussia in reality] managed to cut off a retreating Russian Corps and defeat it. Still, it was a pyrrhic victory that wouldn't do Napoleon much good with very similar casualties on his Poles and Frenchmen to the Russians.

 

[Saphroneth]

...isn't this just mostly some barely-edited Wikipedia copy-pastes?




Wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Eylau#cite_note-FOOTNOTEPetre1976154.E2.80.93155-9 By early February the Russian army was in full retreat relentlessly pursued by the French. After several aborted attempts to stand and fight Bennigsen resolved to retreat to the town of Preussisch-Eylau and there make a stand. During the pursuit, perhaps influenced by the dreadful state of the Polish roads, the savage winter weather and the relative ease with which his forces had dealt with Prussia, Napoléon had allowed the Grande Armée to become more spread out than was his custom. In contrast, Bennigsen's forces were already concentrated.

You:

By early March, the isolated Russian army was in total withdrawal and pursued aggressively by the French. After several attempts to resist and fight, General Bennigsen decided to retreat to the town of Eylau and make its last stand there. During the pursuit, perhaps impacted by the awful state of Polish roads, savagely cold winter weather, advancing over long distances and overconfidence after his forces had dealt with Prussia, Napoléon permitted the Grand Army to become more dispersed than was his custom. In contrast, Bennigsen's forces were already concentrated and managed to defeat an isolated corps which was lucky to escape.

This is edited "just enough to avoid plagiarism" which is not really on.

 

[BigDestiny]

What are the british doing?

This is a very good question. Britain at this time has a personal union with Hanover in Germany and has a vested interest in the status quo. They aren't going to be happy about what's going on.

 

[Saphroneth]

This is a very good question. Britain at this time has a personal union with Hanover in Germany and has a vested interest in the status quo. They aren't going to be happy about what's going on.

Honestly I think most of this is just as OTL - it's basically copied from Wikipedia. So whatever Britain did OTL.

This is why it's best to start at the PoD and explain the divergences...

 

[ghappy1000]

...isn't this just mostly some barely-edited Wikipedia copy-pastes?




Wiki:



You:



This is edited "just enough to avoid plagiarism" which is not really on.

Didn't I source the article properly and note its source?

Defeat at Eylau, Friedland and Surrender of Russia

It was lucky for Napoleon that the cavalry and Imperial Guard were readied on time as Napoleon was temporarily carried injured away from the battlefield. The charge of these elite units not only rescued Napoleon, but defeated a Russian Corps encircled with heavy losses. Afterwards, the initially heartened Russians were defeated just as they started pouncing on Davout and Ney, delaying the French chances for a decisive victory until these were gone. At Ostroleka, another intended site of retreat, the newly constituted V Corps, replacing casualties and the lost Marshal Lannes] routed Essen after reinforcements were sent from the only Polish and reserve division with the corps to assist the French troops [under Marshal Victor-Peirrin from besieged Kolberg] in stopping a Russian offensive. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ostrołęka_(1807)

After the defeat of Russia at Eylau, it was time for Napoleon to mop up besieged Prussian and Russian-controlled Baltic and Polish towns, which fell over June 1807 and freed up French and Polish troops for the decisive battle at Friedland. Earlier on 14 June, the Russians struck at the Alle River and Guttstadt-Deppen and annihilated a French division from Marshal Ney, but Napoleon's Army counterattacked and reaped fruit as it arrived from the Baltic towns on 20 June 1807 [following the last fortress's surrender on 14 June and evacuation of others before the 20th] and halted a Russian offensive against Bernadotte with the failure of the offensive against Bernadotte and Soult's troops diverting attention to more threatened frontline sectors the next day. The Napoleonic Army counterattacked an exposed flank, defeated Bennigsen on 24 June at Heilsberg and by night of 26 June, the Russian Army was encircled and shelled at Friedland after a costly delaying action for 2 days, being forced to surrender on 1 July with 40,000 casualties for 15,000 French including the injured emperor, who had to sign a treaty which resulted in ceding western Galicia and Polish territories of the empire to Poland and Hungary, withdrawal from the Balkans and other lenient terms similar to reality at Tilsit. Prussia was dismantled as in reality except for Brandenburg and its core before 1700.

During the battle for the Alle River, it was reported that the presence of invading French troops resulted in bridges being destroyed across the river to stop the Napoleonic advance, but this trapped the Russian Army and left it to Napoleon's mercy while a counterattack was made impossible with troops being shelled and drowned or captured. Why the Russians didn't counterattack the cavalry and Napoleon to the north and retire with a victory was unknown, but this was the success of the remaining French and Polish troops involved in the battle. It was reported that several prisoners initially taken were released as they were left behind and noticed, contributing to Napoleon's victory at Friedland when the outcome was dubious in sight.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Friedland, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Heilsberg and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaties_of_Tilsit [for battle and actual treaty details, slightly worse for Russia].

 

[Saphroneth]

Didn't I source the article properly and note its source?

I don't think that that really immunizes you from the point. You're mostly not actually creating an AH here, just copying vast reams of stuff from Wikipedia and changing the words.

Try starting at the actual PoD, and explaining the differences.

 

[ghappy1000]

War of the Fourth [actually Fifth o.t.l.] Coalition

Having defeated Prussia, Austria and [albeit barely] Russia with minor [although critical casualties], Napoleon's attention turned to Spain to exploit its chaos following the invasion of Portugal. Also, Napoleon faced several insurrections in his occupied territories. Despite this, Napoleon still wanted to intervene in Spain. But Portugal had to be subdued first.

Meanwhile, Russia had crushed the Ottomans in the Balkans and left the Ottoman Empire on the defensive without any Napoleonic War-era territorial gains still under Ottoman control in 1807, allowing the Russians to face Napoleon alone before being defeated in East Prussia as the Russian 'Romanian Principalities' were liberated and strong enough to deal with the Ottomans alone along with Bulgaria's first taste of 'independence'. After failed Ottoman offensives, the empire signed a peace treaty with the Romanian states and Russia [along with France for the latter].

[Peninsular War is mostly similar to reality, but with minor butterflies in favour of Britain due to the changes in warfare and Napoleonic garrisons. Note that there are fewer Ottoman, Russian, British and French ships in the Mediterranean as a result of the changes. The Scandinavian Wars would end in a stronger Russia as a result of more Russian soldiers and ships, with Sweden being weakened.]

In August 1809 [after some delays], the heavily weakened Austrian Empire finally declared war on France. There would be attempts to support the Austrians by opportunistic [later weakened] Hungarian nationalists, but the defeat of Austria in December 1809 and the threat of Russian and Serbian intervention prevented actual Hungarian assistance. In any event, the Hungarian Government was in chaos as a result and had to clamp down on the rebels, like the situation in Napoleon's Rhine Confederation. An Austrian Empire with more discontent yet further reduced in size to its German core was the result after a peace treaty was signed in February 1810, but only some hinterlands were lost. It was still for nothing, though.

War of the Fifth Coalition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Fifth_Coalition

After the Austrian Empire declared war on 9 August with a secret offensive against Napoleonic Bavaria and Hungary, Napoleon mobilised his armies just as Spain was about to be defeated. In fact, Spanish and British ships attempted a failed landing on the French coast at Walcheren, and the losses compensated those of 1807 without captures. However, the defeat of his armies by Austria and German nationalists resulted in Napoleon going on a maximum effort to defeat the enemy with an offensive. The Dalmatian, Italian and Grand Armies were called to defeat Austria after the near loss of a Bavarian corps and Davout to an encirclement by Austrians and Bavarian rebels. After the Austrian retreat from Landshut on 21 August, the Serbian Army attempted to intervene, but the Hungarian puppet regime of Napoleon prevented Serbian advances into Central Europe. In fact, quarrelling within the Serbian government stopped the troops from helping Napoleon. But Serbia and Russia kept Hungary and Romania from intervening initially.

Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Teugen-Hausen
During the campaign, it was noted that the Austrians decisively defeated Davout, Lefebvre and the French-Bavarian troops in the province of Bavaria. The Austrian troops pursued aggressively compared to reality and the troops were encircled, which resulted in Napoleon speeding up his attack orders. In support, the encircled troops broke out and left for Teugen-Hausen to join Napoleon. The Isar River was crossed and Ingolstadt fell, along with Regensburg. It was believed that support from other troops would encircle the Bavarians when Haugen and Sol An Der Danau were captured. However, at Dünzling and Schneidert, Rosenberg encountered and was fought by Montbrun's cavalry and a division. With less than 14,000 troops, Montbrun scored a victory against the IV Armeekorps throughout the day, using the wooded terrain to good advantage and sending a cavalry charge that defeated the attackers. Meanwhile, Regensburg was captured with heavy losses to both sides for their era's formations. Teugen-Hausen was assaulted by Austria and the Austrians were defeated with heavy losses for the French-Bavarian remnants nevertheless. By the end of the day, the Austrians had inflicted a corps' worth of casualties with moderate losses, but the defeat of Archduke Charles would spell Austria's doom.

Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Abensberg
At Abensberg, orders to withdraw were received with delay that V Corps was endangered with encirclement. Bachl was found with French cavalry marching into the village. Having become isolated from his supporting dragoons, Austrian General Thierry and his men were chased into the woods by Jacquinot's horsemen until they were encircled. By the afternoon, the troops were lost to the Austrian cause. The arrival of Jaquinot's cavalry surprised Schustekh and the Austrians were routed decisively, with heavy losses for the cavalry and IV Corps, which had lost troops as reinforcements following the previous day's Bavarian defeat to the III Corps. General Vandamme assaulted the crossing at Siegenburg, but it was useless under heavy resistance, so he decided to attack northwards, crossing the Danube at Abensberg and advanced to Kirchdorf from the south. Here the Bavarians and Württembergers located Bianchi with his reinforced brigade and a cavalry squadron. Pfeffenhausen was captured and an aggressive pursuit by the French-Bavarian II Corps [formed from the remains of the Bavarian Army] brought the Austrian IV Corps to a defeat with 5,000 casualties on the day of battle.

In the south, the Austrian Army and Tyrolean rebels were defeating Italian troops until news of a Russian offensive into Romania and [what would be ceded to] Hungary and the Hungarian declaration of war on Austria diverted Austrian troops from the Italian front to the Danube. Archduke John left a large vacuum that was exploited by the Italian Army, which pursued the remnants of his army to the Danube and joined Napoleon. Russia was prepared to attack Austria as it advanced to reclaim its Polish and Hungarian territories and the threat further diverted resources that Archduke Charles' Army was defeated at Vienna. On 24 August, Regensburg was evacuated despite its earlier capture and the Austrian Army retreated in good order to Vienna, but not before a chaotic retreat from the fortress with 12,000 casualties. The subsequent encirclement took Charles and his II corps' remnants from the Austrian order of battle and Hungary prepared to intervene, leading to Austria's Danubian defeat.

Landshut was taken and with 5,000 French casualties, the Austrian Army under Von Hiller was encircled. Defeat at the city resulted in plenty of supplies being captured and the Austrians lost a corps left behind when the city was taken on 21 August. The next day, the Austrian IV Corps was enveloped and an attempt to destroy Davout's Corps for the last time was lost after the defeat. At Eckmühl, soldiers stormed the bridge and captured the town while Rosenberg's former corps lost even more troops that his forces [and himself] were no longer a threat to France. Austrian cavalry troops were defeated with heavy losses and Regensburg was captured easily after one day [23-24 August] of battle. Over the battle, the French were nearly repulsed before charging by Davout led the French into the city and Archduke Charles was injured and captured, causing a chaotic retreat that led to shelling and even several drowning casualties that were saved by surrender. Although Hiller won the battle of Neumarkt decisively by encircling French forces, he had to retreat when the French crossed the Danube and approached.

At Ebelsberg, Hiller was nearly enveloped by heavy losses and couldn't fight anymore, so he retreated after heavy shelling covered his escape. This was on 5 September and Vienna was about to be occupied in a week. Demoralised, Hiller retreated to Vienna and the Danube as fast as possible. The II French Corps' arrival contributed to his decision despite an actually fierce fought battle from strong defences. In Czechoslovakia, an attack by demoralised troops was repulsed with heavy losses and this contributed to the corps' destruction on 20 September, leading to the siege of Vienna and defeat of Ferdinand.

By 13 September, Vienna was threatened when shells fell into the city while the defeat of Archduke Ferdinand's Army in the Polish plains prevented the troops from reinforcing Marshal Johann Hiller and the demoralised troops. After an offensive against the Danube succeeded on 23 September following an initial defeat at Aspern-Essling with significant casualties, Hungary proceeded to declare war on Austria and Vienna was besieged. The Austrian capital was relieved by a last ditch offensive on 5 November, but the subsequent advance into Austria cut the Austrian army across the Danube into two and the isolated portion surrendered on 20 November. The remnants were defeated in detail that on 2 December, an armistice was signed with peace to be in effect from February 1810.


Sieges [of the previous coalition]
Siege of Kolberg [Source of the actual facts [similar to reality]:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Kolberg_(1807)]
With the defeat of Prussia, it was up to Sweden to transfer troops to Pomerania to reinforce Prussian garrisons and occupy them should they attempt to surrender. The presence of the Swedish Army strengthened the resolve of the Prussians to fight Napoleon and Kolberg was soon besieged, although heavily defended by Swedes along with Straslund. There was heavy enthusiasm among the Poles and Germans wanting to claim the city for their respective newly-formed 'national' puppet states, but heavy combat and an offensive kept the city besieged until 11 July, when supply starvation and the Russian defeat at Friedland contributed to the fortress's surrender.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Stralsund_(1807)
In this scenario, the Swedes drove the French out of Pomerania and German troops were used in the siege instead, resulting in the continued siege being prolonged. The end details are similar to reality, but one month later. However, the Swedish losses would result in Russia winning the Finnish War of 1808 decisively.

Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Danzig_(1807)
Like the Pomeranian fortresses, the city was another important strategic location, more so because of the resources present in it and the potential of defeating Napoleon's advance with natural boundaries and fortifications. The city could only be invested from the west and the anti-Napoleonic Coalition navies were still supreme over the French Navy, while the Vistula blocked further chances of encirclement. As a result, Danzig was a direct threat to the French left and threatened Napoleon as troops could be landed from the Baltic and encircle Napoleon's rear, leading to his defeat. In fact, Italian troops and ships planning for a 'Mediterranean Campaign' had to replace French resources shifted to Spain and the Atlantic with the intention of supporting Napoleon's Army by operating against Britain only for one of the fleets to be decisively defeated and the other to be scattered in Spain despite actually minimal losses.

Marshal Lefebvre and his 10th corps besieged the city until defeat by a failed counterattack. After the weather improved with clear roads and the fall of another fortress, the Swedes, Prussians and Russians were decisively defeated and Danzig was besieged again, but with gaps in the centre. Luckily, Swedish Naval operations assisted the fortress until the end on 10 June, when the loss of several salvaged ships to grounding deprived the Coalition of supplies to Napoleon, who used them to penetrate the fortresses' defences and stormed them, until the city surrendered early on 14 June along with surrounding Pomeranian Baltic towns.

Danzig finally surrendered on 14 June 1807, after the fall of several fortresses ordered to support the defenders such as the Weichselmünde fort, but Russian General Kamensky had fled with his troops earlier, and the remaining garrison surrendered shortly afterwards on the same day. The defenders had lost around 15,000 men during the siege, compared to the French losses of roughly 1,400 men. In response to Lefebvre's assistance, he was elevated in rank. Swedish losses hampered operations to the extent that the breakout attempts failed.

Siege of Graudenz: On 21 February, an advance into Graudenz besieged the fortress from 28th February although it was lifted by advancing Russian stragglers and the withdrawal of the besiegers until the Russian offensive failed by 15 March, but the 10 days of relief [from 5 to 15 March] allowed food to be supplied and the fortress resisted until 14 July 1807.

 

[ghappy1000]

Invasion of Russia [repost until deletion for font size]


After several quarrels with the Tsar over the presence of French troops and a puppet state in Poland [the Duchy of Warsaw], the Russian Army prepared for an offensive into Poland to retake Polish and Baltic territory and backstab Napoleon in return for territorial gains. Also, Russia's withdrawal from the Napoleonic Continental System and resumption of trade with Britain [which continued its fight with Britain despite its size] resulted in increased urgency to invade as the island nation needed a decisive overseas defeat [of a trading partner] and Napoleonic Eastern European security to finish the Spanish Campaign and prevent further attacks.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_invasion_of_Russia

On 24 June 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia from the border at the Neman River and defeated the Russian Army at the border after giving a final ultimatum to the Tsar. Logistics involved in the offensive were complicated and the huge foreign and French contingents [above 700,000 soldiers including a Serbian Corps] only complicated an advance into mobile unfriendly and mud laden Russian territory, besides winter and several untrustworthy or inadequately trained foreigners to hinder mobile operations. With food and water lacking in minimally populated and much less agriculturally fertile regions than Central Europe, the death of invading troops and horses by exposing them to waterborne diseases from mud puddles with unclean water and food poisoning from rotten food and forage that could be searched occurred. The army's advancing troops received whatever could be provided, leaving starvation to the formations behind, but supplies had to travel a long distance.

After Kaunas and Vilnius were evacuated on 27 June, the Russian Army began its notably long retreat to its homeland. The retreat defeated Napoleon in the long run as Napoleon had to march through longer distances supported by lack of roads, supplies after scorched earth and terrain. Even diversionary actions committed by Napoleon's Grand Army and allies to the south [without him] could not inflict significant defeats on the Russians despite 50,000 casualties during the 1st month.

After significant Russian defeats that proved costly to Napoleon despite the results obtained, the Russian Army was at Borodino and [due to better planning and the presence of extra troops], the battle proved to be a pyrrhic victory for both sides despite the last hour intervention of Napoleon's Imperial Guard, which inflicted approximately 100,000 Russian casualties for 60-70,000 French. Although Napoleon was secure as it seemed, the victory was too pyrrhic to be sustained.

Nevertheless, Moscow was captured after a fire and scorched earth policies on 15 September and the French could spend winter there, but it was desolate and surrender was useless. After the defeat, Tsar Alexander recalled troops from the north and asked Sweden to provide reinforcements in support. Although Finland wasn't going to return to Sweden, securing the northern flank was crucial to Napoleon's defeat during the winter and Napoleon had to retreat in November 1812 after heavy losses and Russian reinforcements. He barely made it out in December 1812 after a chaotic crossing of the Berezina that sent the French out of Russia but inflicted a pyrrhic victory that would be strategic against the German states in 1813 before final defeat [later] in 1814.

En route along the retreat to Smolensk, in the beginning of November 1812, the Russian Army's last regular remnants intercepted Murat on 8 November 1812 and defeated the general at Tarutino, causing Napoleon to evacuate Moscow and attack Kaluga to destroy the remnants at Maloyaroslavets. Although the Russian Army won a victory at the former battle, the latter resulted in a pyrrhic victory for Napoleon that caused the emperor to evacuate the city and stop pursuit until winter 1812 despite its ferocity. Polotsk was assaulted and although the attack was nearly defeated, the prize of Moscow was threatened and the attacks on other sectors contributed to the retreat from Moscow. Vyazma was were assaulted by surprise on 3 December and captured followed by Krasnoi on 20 December and 4 weeks later, the Berezina battle would be chaotic and defeat Napoleon's remnants except for several decimated corps including Napoleon himself.
[Note that I'm testing some fonts, but the writing should be coherent.]

Here's the original post. This is not going to be deleted.

After several quarrels with the Tsar over the presence of French troops and a puppet state in Poland [the Duchy of Warsaw], the Russian Army prepared for an offensive into Poland to retake Polish and Baltic territory and backstab Napoleon in return for territorial gains. Also, Russia's withdrawal from the Napoleonic Continental System and resumption of trade with Britain [which continued its fight with Britain despite its size] resulted in increased urgency to invade as the island nation needed a decisive overseas defeat [of a trading partner] and Napoleonic Eastern European security to finish the Spanish Campaign and prevent further attacks.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_invasion_of_Russia
On 24 June 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia from the border at the Neman River and defeated the Russian Army at the border after giving a final ultimatum to the Tsar. Logistics involved in the offensive were complicated and the huge foreign and French contingents [above 700,000 soldiers including a Serbian Corps] only complicated an advance into mobile unfriendly and mud laden Russian territory, besides winter and several untrustworthy or inadequately trained foreigners to hinder mobile operations. With food and water lacking in minimally populated and much less agriculturally fertile regions than Central Europe, the death of invading troops and horses by exposing them to waterborne diseases from mud puddles with unclean water and food poisoning from rotten food and forage that could be searched occurred. The army's advancing troops received whatever could be provided, leaving starvation to the formations behind, but supplies had to travel a long distance.

After Kaunas and Vilnius were evacuated on 27 June, the Russian Army began its notably long retreat to its homeland. The retreat defeated Napoleon in the long run as Napoleon had to march through longer distances supported by lack of roads, supplies after scorched earth and terrain. Even diversionary actions committed by Napoleon's Grand Army and allies to the south [without him] could not inflict significant defeats on the Russians despite 50,000 casualties during the 1st month.

After significant Russian defeats that proved costly to Napoleon despite the results obtained, the Russian Army was at Borodino and [due to better planning and the presence of extra troops], the battle proved to be a pyrrhic victory for both sides despite the last hour intervention of Napoleon's Imperial Guard, which inflicted approximately 100,000 Russian casualties for 60,000 French. Although Napoleon was secure as it seemed, the victory was too pyrrhic to be sustained.

Nevertheless, Moscow was captured after a fire and scorched earth policies on 15 September and the French could spend winter there, but it was desolate and surrender was useless. After the defeat, Tsar Alexander recalled troops from the north and asked Sweden to provide reinforcements in support. Although Finland wasn't going to return to Sweden, securing the northern flank was crucial to Napoleon's defeat during the winter and Napoleon had to retreat in November 1812 after heavy losses and Russian reinforcements. He barely made it out in December 1812 after a chaotic crossing of the Berezina that sent the French out of Russia but inflicted a pyrrhic victory that would be strategic against the German states in 1813 before final defeat [later] in 1814.



After several quarrels with the Tsar over the presence of French troops and a puppet state in Poland [the Duchy of Warsaw], the Russian Army prepared for an offensive into Poland to retake Polish and Baltic territory and backstab Napoleon in return for territorial gains. Also, Russia's withdrawal from the Napoleonic Continental System and resumption of trade with Britain [which continued its fight with Britain despite its size] resulted in increased urgency to invade as the island nation needed a decisive overseas defeat [of a trading partner] and Napoleonic Eastern European security to finish the Spanish Campaign and prevent further attacks.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_invasion_of_Russia

On 24 June 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia from the border at the Neman River and defeated the Russian Army at the border after giving a final ultimatum to the Tsar. Logistics involved in the offensive were complicated and the huge foreign and French contingents [above 700,000 soldiers including a Serbian Corps] only complicated an advance into mobile unfriendly and mud laden Russian territory, besides winter and several untrustworthy or inadequately trained foreigners to hinder mobile operations. With food and water lacking in minimally populated and much less agriculturally fertile regions than Central Europe, the death of invading troops and horses by exposing them to waterborne diseases from mud puddles with unclean water and food poisoning from rotten food and forage that could be searched occurred. The army's advancing troops received whatever could be provided, leaving starvation to the formations behind, but supplies had to travel a long distance.

After Kaunas and Vilnius were evacuated on 27 June, the Russian Army began its notably long retreat to its homeland. The retreat defeated Napoleon in the long run as Napoleon had to march through longer distances supported by lack of roads, supplies after scorched earth and terrain. Even diversionary actions committed by Napoleon's Grand Army and allies to the south [without him] could not inflict significant defeats on the Russians despite 50,000 casualties during the 1st month.

After significant Russian defeats that proved costly to Napoleon despite the results obtained, the Russian Army was at Borodino and [due to better planning and the presence of extra troops], the battle proved to be a pyrrhic victory for both sides despite the last hour intervention of Napoleon's Imperial Guard, which inflicted approximately 100,000 Russian casualties for 60,000 French. Although Napoleon was secure as it seemed, the victory was too pyrrhic to be sustained.

Nevertheless, Moscow was captured after a fire and scorched earth policies on 15 September and the French could spend winter there, but it was desolate and surrender was useless. After the defeat, Tsar Alexander recalled troops from the north and asked Sweden to provide reinforcements in support. Although Finland wasn't going to return to Sweden, securing the northern flank was crucial to Napoleon's defeat during the winter and Napoleon had to retreat in November 1812 after heavy losses and Russian reinforcements. He barely made it out in December 1812 after a chaotic crossing of the Berezina that sent the French out of Russia but inflicted a pyrrhic victory that would be strategic against the German states in 1813 before final defeat [later] in 1814.

[Note that I'm testing some fonts, but the writing should be coherent even if small. Could it be enlarged?]

 

[ghappy1000]

Final defeat of Napoleon-Part 1

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Sixth_Coalition


With Napoleon finally defeated in his 1812 invasion of Russia and retreating by January 1813, the Russians decided to deal with Prussia and the weakened Austrian Empire. After the defeat in Russia, negotiations between the Russian Empire and Prussia would result in the defection of Prussia to the side of Russia, aligned with Sweden and Britain. With the Treaty of Konigsberg signed by 20 February 1813 [replacing the Convention of Tauroggen], Prussia would declare war against France on 27 April 1813, having signed the Treaty of Kalisz, and commence offensive operations against the French with raids on 15 May and an advance into Mockern on 17 May. The war was declared as a 'War of National Liberation'. Having consented to Swedish claims on Norway simultaneously, and taking advantage of the French disaster in Russia, Sweden declared war by 5 May and sent an army corps for participation in June.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Campaign_of_1813

With a corps intended to check the advance of Napoleon into Berlin, the majority of the Russian-Prussian troops were concentrated along the Elbe around Dresden. The lack of cavalry impeded reconnaissance on both sides and contributed to Napoleon being unable to exploit any major offensive advantage given to him. With most of the Russian and Prussian Armies concentrated south of the majority of troops for Napoleon's intended advance, there remained a chance for Napoleon to encircle the Russians and Prussians, but another target for him was Leipzig and with the objective of his attack being to capture the city, the path of his advance was finally determined.


Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lützen_(1813)

On 1 June 1813, Napoleon entered Lutzen and with the Russian rear guard alerted to Napoleon's intentions, the Russians and Prussians launched an offensive on 2 June towards the French rear guard. Upon knowing the situation, Napoleon quickly prepared Marshal Ney to retreat with his troops towards the outskirts of Lutzen while he launched a counteroffensive towards the Prussians and Russians. Meanwhile, the Prussians and Russians fell for the trap Napoleon set, but with advanced warning, they retreated from Napoleon's grasp and without adequate or significant cavalry and veterans, Napoleon couldn't inflict a second Austerlitz as the majority of the Prussian and Russian Armies retreated into the dark and out of Napoleon's reach, for all the best of his efforts in this battle.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bautzen

Despite the Coalition retreat, the retreat halted at Bautzen after reports from French troops were collected. With the battle against the majority of the Prussian and Russian corps at Bautzen, Napoleon intended to tie up his enemies while at their defensive positions before Ney's supporting offensive encircled them. Reconnaissance errors caused by cavalry losses left Napoleon with the concern that numerical and defensive superiority laid with Prussians and Russians much more than they actually did relative to the French Army's strength, with required heavy softening before the encirclement of the Coalition Armies.

This encirclement never came due to the failures of Napoleon to get the pursuing forces into position when Bautzen was attacked on 20-21 June. Really, the problem laid with Marshal Ney, who was confused and distracted by several the villages lying on his path. The crucial difference of a few hours and the lack of support for Ney allowed another successful Coalition retreat from Bautzen, with only abandoned defensive posts to be captured from the battle besides Bautzen. Two days of softened positions were never exploited due to weakness and Marshal Ney. The Russians and Prussians safely retreated in the end. After the battle, Napoleon had to worry about the Austrian threat to the south in July 1813, the Austrians having joined the conflict on 5 June and defeated Bavaria for a few weeks before an armistice. At Haynau, all further attempts to pursue the enemy to increase the scale of their defeat after successfully retreating ended up being defeated with the destruction of a division under Maison [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Haynau].

The armistice [Truce of Pläswitz] was signed between Russia, Prussia and Austria for 10 weeks effective 1 July 1813, but with certain conditions [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truce_of_Pläswitz]. Napoleon, having a weakened Austria to deal with, used the time to prepare his client states to the south of Austria and the Army of Italy to attack Austria and Bavaria, while the Grand Army defended Germany. Later, this was changed to an all out offensive against Austria.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dresden

To defeat and divert the Prussians and Russians, an advance towards Berlin and another towards Katzbach would be launched in coordination with the main offensive against Austria, and occurred immediately after the armistice ended [13-18 September with both failing]. On 21 September, Austria was defeated by Napoleon at Dresden, with the Austrians having attacked the previous day and were halted, allowing the Austrian defeat. Napoleon cut the left wing of the Austrian Army, which was destroyed at Dresden. This was continued with Napoleon destroying the Austrian Army at Dresden by 24 September.

 

[ghappy1000]

With the defeat of Austria at Dresden, Napoleon planned his next move. An offensive towards Berlin while the Grand Army pursued the Austrians would be defeated, but the Austrian Armies left were fighting against the Italians, Hungarians and Serbs. On 15 October, Napoleon's next offensive entered Bavaria and by 1 November, the French were on the Bavarian border with Austria. Also, the French had sent the Russians and Prussians into retreat, although minor offensives failed. Besides, the remnants of Napoleon's Serbian corps, having been lost in Russia, were defending Austria with the objective of liberating Serbia. By the end of the month, the Austrians were defeated, assisted by Hungarians off Vienna, and forced to sign for peace. The peace would never become effective.

During the Napoleonic advance on Austria, it must be noted that the Russian and Prussian emperors were encircled at Dresden and barely escaped, being effectively knocked out of the war. However, the emperors would withdraw only to prepare for an offensive campaign in 1814. Napoleon's decision to release the captured emperors after Dresden would prove to be his biggest undoing, and in December 1813, taking advantage of a plan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachenberg_Plan] to isolate and destroy Napoleonic corps individually with their Generals and Marshals, the first major offensive would be launched against individual Napoleonic corps along the Elbe off Leipzig, the subsequent desertion of Napoleon's German troops contributing to Napoleon's defeat.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leipzig

Having been released from capture at Dresden on 26 September 1813, Tsar Alexander I and King Frederick William III of Prussia reorganized their armies and prepared an offensive. As reconnaissance found the absence of Napoleon and his best troops from the Elbe, the stage was ripe for an offensive, helped by the repulsing of attacks on Berlin. The new offensive would occur on 26 November, with morale of the Prussians and Russians being boosted by the absence of Napoleon, his cavalry and one of his best corps. This battle would have Blucher's corps on the offensive to the north, the Russian Army Of the North [replacing the real life Austrians at the actual 1813 Leipzig battle on day 1] and Swedes reinforcing the centre and the Russian and Prussian cavalry and Guards advancing from the south to meet Blucher, with Russians and Swedes from the Russian Army Of the North diverting French attention [replacing the Austrians in reality].

Despite the failures of the first day's Coalition attacks, without Napoleon, the French were forced out of Leipzig by day 2. On day 1, III Russian Corps of Bennigsen's Army attempted to occupy Connewitz and Dolitz, but failed to occupy both positions. The French failed to occupy Markkleeberg, though. Attacks on Wachau also failed. Liebertwolkwitz received successive counterattacks until cavalry drove off the French, who would retreat from the village. Any counteroffensives by the French were halted with attacks from the Russian Guard and cavalry, with the Russian Guard halting the French cavalry while Austrian cavalry drove the French from Liebertwolkwitz, took the artillery, halted all attempts by the French to retake both village and cavalry and trapped any French staggers. Villages named Wiederitzsch would be taken by Swedish forces with determination while Mockern was lost to Prussia and Russia with heavy casualties to the French. Lindenau would be captured from the Russian I Corps, but without any advantage. In any event, the absence of Napoleon precluded any counteroffensive and weakened French reaction, especially without the Imperial Guard and cavalry needed.

The next day, Prussian, Swedish and Russian counterattacks were launched with the attempt of encircling Leipzig and any French corps in the west, with flanking attacks on the Coalition encircling Leipzig to be defeated. On 28 November, the main offensive was launched with the objective of encircling Leipzig and losing surrounding villages needed for defence contributed to the decision to retreat, assisted by the spread in propaganda to German troops on the French side. Relief would come from the French IV Corps, which captured Lindenau and were forced to join the retreating coalition. In 3 villages alone [Probstheida, Paunsdorf and Schonefeld], the French suffered major losses while being forced to retreat.

Rearguard action and the defences of Leipzig would defend the French, but panic and the destruction of bridges trapped many Frenchmen, Germans and Poles, including the rearguard and defenders of Leipzig. The chaos of Leipzig would lead to the loss of Germany east of the Rhine for Napoleon despite heavy casualties on both sides by December 1813.

 

[ghappy1000]

Final defeat of Napoleon-Part 3 [Last counterattacks and the route to Paris]

With the defeat of Leipzig being sufficient to deter Napoleon from successfully making peace with Austria, which was defeated but yet to sign an armistice in its pocket of an empire, Napoleon decided to abandon the German border with Austria of all its troops and launch a final counteroffensive against the Sixth Coalition on its south flank once and for all, supported by Bavarians on the Austrian border. The offensive would be launched by encircling the Russian and Prussian Armies along the Rhine and crossing the same river, which was crossed by the entire Sixth Coalition on 22 January 1814 along with the border to the ex-Kingdom of the Netherlands, having taken Arnheim and besieged Mainz on 10 January and left 80,000 troops deserting, taken prisoner or besieged. The French Army would launch its counteroffensive on 1 February 1814.

The Prussians and Russians left in the battlefield would advance all the way to Paris, without Austrian concerns as they were too far south of the battlefield. On the southern flank, which was covered by recently deserted German soldiers from the Rhine Confederation, Wurttemberg was recaptured [and never rearmed] by Napoleon from the Black Forest and the Prussians and Russians, now approaching a line from Utrecht to Wissembourg, had to retreat in the face of Napoleon. The survivors warned Blucher and Tsar Alexander I about the danger, and they retreated with their troops across the Rhine over 8-18 February, Napoleon's flanking attacks held up by a 25,000 strong rearguard with heavy casualties on the rearguard. Napoleon would occupy the Rhine from Karlsruhe to Cologne by 10 March, but the enemy was mostly out of side. Napoleon would stay on the defensive just as Austrian troops defeated Bavaria and counterattacked the French from the south.

On 30 April 1814, the combined Coalition offensive crossed Wurttemberg and the Rhine again and Napoleon would never see the river again. Having marched into Belgium and Alsace by May 1814, Napoleon's last successful offensive to win his wars would be launched on 20 June 1814. Over the last ten days, the Prussians, Russians and German ex-Rhine Confederates had been attacked with the intention of separating them from the Austrians, but failed. Now, Napoleon had an opportunity.

Based on: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Days'_Campaign

To facilitate the advance of Blucher into Paris from the Marne, his corps were scattered by some distance. Napoleon counterattacked and destroyed a Russian division on 20 June off Champaubert with Zakhar Olsufiev lost with the entire division [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Champaubert]. Then, the vanguard troops of Blucher were encircled at Montmirail, forcing the Prussian Field Marshal to flee while another Prussian Corps was devastated and sent fleeing without most of its troops [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Montmirail]. Château-Thierry was captured on 22 June with a heavy rout [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Château-Thierry_(1814)]. On 25 June, Blucher with his troops were decisively defeated and one by one, all his brigades in the 1st Prussian Corps were destroyed, leaving him captured before reaching the Etoges Forest and his army severely weakened off Vauchamps. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vauchamps

Having captured Blucher and 55,000 casualties, Napoleon reached Chalons-Sur Marne on 28 June and routed the remnants of Gneisenau's troops. At least, Gneisenau wasn't captured, but the French had taken another 5,000 prisoners by 30 June before retreating. Austria was threatening Paris from the south, however. Apart from border defence forces, there was little concern for the Swiss border with France, with the only major success being the capture of Lyon. Only a French corps was stationed on the French-Swiss border for defence, not for offence, and it was defeated without contributing to Napoleon's last battles besides tying up the 50,000 Austrians, Swiss and Germans tied up against the corps from Napoleon's last battles as well.

By 8 July, Austria had nearly reached the Seine at Fontainebleau and Paris when its army was attacked by Napoleon. 700 French casualties were sustained compared to 2800 Coalition. A Battle of the Yvonne followed on 10 July with 3000 French to 8000 Sixth Coalition casualties. By 21 July, a Coalition counteroffensive on the Bar-sur-Aube defeated plans for a successful Napoleonic offensive.

Source for above paragraph: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bar-sur-Aube

On 25 July 1814, the Coalition counteroffensive inflicted a defeat on Jacques Macdonald that he had to retreat continuously. Joined by Nicolas Oudinot, the Sixth Coalition inflicted a further defeat at Laubressel and after a day of counterattacks, both marshals had to retreat again. Meanwhile, Napoleon had moved north with the objective of defeating the reorganized troops under Gneisenau's command after Blucher's capture. Gneisenau had prepared defences accordingly on the Aisne and would march only on weak French units with adequate support from his troops and allies. Before Gneisenau could force his way to Paris and support a detachment in routing the French troops stationed against him, Napoleon approached and Gneisenau retreated again.

Source for above paragraph: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Laubressel

At Laon, off the Aisne, Napoleon received a heavy defeat on 1 August and was under pursuit into Paris, with heavy losses. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Laon

By 20 August, Napoleon failed to defeat the Austrians for a last time off Troyes and Arcis-sur-Aube. Following the battle, the road to Paris was well open, with Paris falling by 3 September. Napoleon's last attacks failed to save Paris. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arcis-sur-Aube

 

[ghappy1000]

Final defeat of Napoleon-Part 4 and the aftermath

After the fall of Paris on 3 September 1814, Napoleon decided on a counteroffensive to retake his capital, but the first attacks on 4 September failed and a subsequent decrease in morale and mutinies prevented him from successfully carrying out the offensive, which was halted and pursued until 8 September. Having heard of the decrease in morale and defeats, all attempts to counterattack were halted and the remnants of Napoleon's Army surrendered off Fontainebleau on 9-10 September and were brought to Paris with a wounded and captured Napoleon. In Paris, Napoleon was fatally wounded and was forced to abdicate on 11 September 1814 before dying in his prison hospital the next day, having resisted the news with great pain. Napoleon's empire was over, his throne replaced with that of the Bourbons, and a week after the surrenders of Fontainebleau, proclamations were made to replace the Napoleonic Empire with a government of the Sixth Coalition's choosing, and that turned out to be the Bourbon family.

The proclamations resulted in the end of the Napoleonic Wars and they led to the Treaty of Fontainebleau. On behalf of the dead Napoleon and his son [in early childhood], Marie Louise signed the proclamations and accepted that the Bonaparte family would have no power over France in the future before being sent into exile with the corpse of Napoleon and a bodyguard to Austrian imprisonment [without Grande Armee veterans]. For information about the Treaty of Fontainebleau, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Fontainebleau_(1814) .

[There will be no Hundred Days or equivalent in this scenario. All the processes towards a general European peace will be made 5-6 months later than reality, but there will be no Hundred Days to disrupt it.]

Meanwhile, the decision would be made to release the survivors of the Serbian Corps interned in Russia after the 1814 Treaty of Paris [signed on 10 November instead of 30 May 1814] and the Congress of Vienna [lasting 6 months later than reality, but ending its session after 8 months instead of 9 months]. The decision was to return them to Ottoman and Austrian-controlled Serbia via Austria. This would create and exacerbate a second Serbian uprising in 1815 and recognition for a new Serbian state [the first uprising being defeated in 1813]. With the Second Serbian Uprising being threatened by the Ottomans in 1816, appeals from the Serbs meant that the Ottoman Empire had to create an independent Serbian state out of fear from being invaded by Russia and Austria, which were Christian like the Serbs, but unlike the Ottomans, who were disregarded in their contribution to European stability.

With the creation of the new Serbian state and the rise of Greek nationalism, the stage was set for the Greek War of Independence.