Wagram, the last Battle of the Napoleonic Wars and the scene of the final French defeat and Napoleon's death from drowning in the Danube is well known. John Gill describes the final battle in great detail in Volume 3 of his history of the campaign, Thunder on the Danube:Wagraam
The collapse of the Saxon Corps at Aderklaa and the Emeror's dismissal of Bernadotte on the field of battle combined with he thrust of IV Corps (Rosenburg) and VI Corps (Klenaau) int the French flank and rear was of course the decisive moment of the battle. The desperate final attack of the Imperial Gaurd at Pydorf and its' last sand around the village are immortalised in paintings and films, most notabally Cecil B de Mille's "The Batle of Wagram"
The monument to Napoleon on Lobau Island close to where the Emeror drowned trying to swim the Danube as he tried to flee the battlefield is well known. It was of course left to Marshal Davout to surrenderthe battered remnants of the Grande Armee when the Archduke John arrived about 5pm cutting off any hope of French escape.
After tht the collapse of the Napoleonic Emirre was swift. The Walcheran expedition liberated the Low Countries very swiftly pushing into Westphalia and capturing Jerome who was lucky to escape the Prussians who had risen in revolt on earing the news of Wagram. Sir Arthur Wellesley's victory over Joseph at Talavera is well knowen, chiefly because Joseph heard the news of his brother's defeat and deah at Wagram as he retreated the day after Talavera.
By that time of course Talleyrand's "July Coup" had overthrown the last vestiges of Napoleon's Imperial regieme and the Bourbons were back in Paris by the end of August.
Throughout Europe Austria's Archduk Charles was hailed as a hero ad as Europe's foremost general having defeated Napoleon himsel twice, first at Aspern Essling and then of course at Wagram.
But could things have turned out differently f Napoleon had somehow managed to wn at Wagram? Was the Napoleonic Empire always doomed to collapse due to Napoleon's over ambitinn or could he have ever established it as a permanent political power dominating Europe? What might the course of events have been after 1809 if Napoleon had won at Wagram?