Napoleon's Invasion of Russia

<p>The <strong>French invasion of Russia</strong>, known in Russia as the <strong>Patriotic War of 1812</strong> (<a title="Russian language" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_language">Russian</a>: <span lang="ru" xml:lang="ru">Отечественная война 1812 года</span>, <small><a title="Romanization of Russian" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanization_of_Russian">romanized</a>: </small><em lang="ru-Latn" title="Russian-language romanization" xml:lang= "ru-Latn">Otechestvennaya voyna 1812 goda</em>) and in France as the <strong>Russian campaign</strong> (<a title= "French language" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language">French</a>: <em lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Campagne de Russie</em>), began on 24 June 1812 when <a title="Napoleon" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon">Napoleon</a>'s <em lang="fr" title="French language text" xml:lang="fr"><a title="Grande Armée" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_Arm%C3%A9e">Grande Armée</a></em> crossed the <a class="mw-redirect" title= "Neman River" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neman_River">Neman River</a> in an attempt to engage and defeat the <a title= "Imperial Russian Army" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Russian_Army">Russian Army</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_15-0" class="reference"><a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_invasion_of_Russia#cite_note-:0-15">[15]</a></sup> Napoleon hoped to compel the <a title="Emperor of All Russia" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_of_All_Russia">Emperor of All Russia</a>, <a title="Alexander I of Russia" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_I_of_Russia">Alexander I</a>, to cease trading with <a title="United Kingdom" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom">British</a> merchants through proxies in an effort to pressure the <a title= "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland">United Kingdom</a> to sue for peace.<sup id= "cite_ref-FOOTNOTECaulaincourt20