Napoleon spent only a month in Moscow. He was disappointed by the sight of the burning Mother See. Bonaparte was never able to realize his plans. Regarding the reasons for Napoleon's retreat from Moscow, historians have no consensus.
Tilsit world
Shortly before Napoleon took Moscow in 1812, peace reigned in much of Europe. But in France, rapid preparations were made for war. Thousands of soldiers entered the service, various corps were formed. At the same time, the French emperor made it clear that he did not want a new war. Why did Napoleon go to Moscow?
In 1811, he controlled all of Europe - from the Mediterranean Sea to the Neman River. Bonaparte counted on the help of the Russians in the war with England. After winning the battle of Friedland in 1807, followed by the conclusion of the Treaty of Tilsit, France and Russia became allies. However, Alexander did not support the Napoleonic strategy and, in violation of the treaty, granted the British access to Russian ports. Such behavior made Russia an enemy of France in the eyes of Napoleon.
It is believed that Arman de Colencourt, who held the post of French ambassador to Russia for several years, warned Bonaparte against going to Moscow. Napoleon, in his then opinion, made a terrible mistake, which could tragically affect the fate of France. Russia is a large country with a harsh climate. French troops could easily get lost in its vast expanses.
Russian campaign
Kolenkur foresaw that even if the troops succeeded in entering the Mother See, it would not bring good luck to the French army. However, Napoleon insisted that the war with Russia was part of an important strategic plan. For several months, he gathered troops from all over Europe and sent them to the borders of the already enemy state.
Alexander understood that a collision was inevitable. He hesitated for a long time and wondered which strategy to choose. Go to meet the French? Or skip them to Moscow? Fearing Napoleonic spies, Alexander shared his plans with only a few elected generals.
Multinational army
Bonaparte continued to ignore calls for caution. Napoleon prepared very carefully for the campaign to Moscow in 1812. His army consisted of one and a half million people. In the ranks they spoke not only French, but also other European languages. It was an army of twenty nations.
Initially, Bonaparte planned a lightning expedition, a demonstration of power, which was to force the Russian Tsar to agree to its terms. England was the main rival of Napoleon, who did not allow him to establish dominance over Europe. The French commander sought to bring Britain to its knees and force it to make peace. That is why he signed a pact with Russia in 1807. In fact, it was a union of the strong with the weak.
The treaty obliged Russia to stop trade with England. But Alexander could not observe such conditions. Trade with England was vital to the country's economy. Napoleon’s attack on Moscow in 1812 also had an ideological component. It was believed that the campaign, which, according to Bonaparte, was to succeed, would lead to the introduction of European culture in this Asian state.
Napoleon planned to defeat the Russian army in less than two months. However, according to many modern scholars, he did not seek to destroy the Russian empire and deprive Alexander of the throne. He needed a local war. As for the Russian emperor, he considered Napoleon to be the enemy, but not France, whose history and culture he greatly respected. In the language of Voltaire, he spoke with the same pleasure as in his own.
Kutuzov’s order
In the battle of Borodino, the Russian army suffered significant losses. Kutuzov ordered to retreat towards Mozhaisk. His main goal was to save the army.
On 13 September, a council was held at Fili to discuss further actions. Most Russian generals insisted on the need for battle near the walls of Moscow. But Kutuzov did not listen to anyone. He interrupted the meeting, despite the protests of the generals, and ordered Moscow to surrender to Napoleon.
French offensive
On September 14, the Napoleonic army was already in the vicinity of Moscow, or rather, on Poklonnaya Gora, where today the famous memorial complex is located. Here the French built fortifications. About half an hour Napoleon expected the reaction of Russian generals. But she did not follow. Then the French troops began to enter the city.
According to eyewitnesses, already at the approaches to Moscow, a certain man in a blue overcoat approached Napoleon. After talking with the French emperor for several minutes, he retired. There is an assumption that it was he who brought the news to Napoleon that the city was abandoned by both Russian troops and civilians. This news off-balance Bonaparte.
At the Moscow River
So Napoleon mounted his horse and rode into the Mother See. Cavalry followed him. Having passed the Yamskaya Sloboda, the French troops reached the Moskva River. The army was divided into several parts. After crossing the river, the French broke up into small detachments, took guard on the side streets and main streets of Moscow. Napoleon left his usual self-confidence here.
Empty city
There was dead silence on the streets of the old Russian city. Having passed along the Arbat, Napoleon saw only a few people, including a wounded French general, who was at a stand at the local pharmacist. Finally, the French reached the Borovitsky gate. Napoleon, looking at the Kremlin walls, apparently did not feel satisfaction. But the main disappointments awaited him ahead.
The Kremlin, like most buildings in Moscow, was empty. The Russian people decided to cede the ancient capital, but not bow to the great commander. In Moscow in those days there were about six thousand inhabitants, which amounted to 2.6% of the total population.
Outrages of French soldiers
In the days of occupation, looting was not uncommon. But not only from the French, but also from the indigenous population. Muscovites who remained in the city later claimed that the French command was fighting against violations of army discipline, but not very successfully. However, rape cases were sporadic. Residents of Moscow, left without shelter and food, voluntarily made contact with the French invaders.
Fire
The fact that preceded Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow is described in many works of art. First of all, in Lermontov’s poem Borodino. As soon as the French entered the city, arson was organized in different parts of it. Napoleon was sure that they were organized by local residents on the orders of the governor Rastopchin.
The day after the capture of Moscow by Napoleon, a strong wind rose. It lasted more than 24 hours. Flames swept the surroundings of the Kremlin, Solyanka, Zamoskvorechye. The fire destroyed most of the city. About four hundred residents of Moscow, representatives of the lower classes, were accused of arson and shot by French invaders. In Bonaparte itself, the burning Moscow made a painful impression.
Defeat or victory?
The capture of Moscow by Napoleon initially seemed an absolute victory over Russia. But everything was not so rosy as the proud Corsican thought. He was struck by the stubbornness of the Russian army, ready to destroy its city in spite of the enemy. In the early days, Napoleon traveled along the route from the Arbat to the Moscow River. Later, for security reasons, he moved exclusively along the coast.
From Russia, Bonaparte continued to rule his empire all this time. He signed decrees, decrees, appointments, awards and dismissals of officials. Napoleon settled in the Kremlin and publicly announced his intention to stay in winter apartments in the Mother See. The Kremlin and the monasteries of the French commander ordered to bring in a condition suitable for defense.
After Napoleon came to Moscow, several Russian organizations functioned here. Within a month, the municipality, a self-government body, opened in Rumyantsev’s house, was engaged in the search for food, the salvation of burning churches, and assistance to victims of the fire. The members of this organization worked involuntarily, and therefore, after the departure of the French army, none of them was accused of collaborationism.
The French organized a municipal police on October 12. Napoleon, who traveled on horseback in the early days of various Moscow districts, visited monasteries. He also visited the Orphanage, whose boss asked him for permission to write a report to Empress Maria. Napoleon not only allowed, but also asked to convey to Emperor Alexander his desire to establish peace.
It is worth saying that during his stay in Moscow Napoleon tried three times to inform the Russian Tsar of his peaceful intentions. However, I never received a response. Many researchers believe that Napoleon planned to free Russian peasants from serfdom. He wanted to hold this event as the last and most reliable means of influencing Alexander. And most of all the nobility was afraid of it. As you know, a trip to Moscow was unsuccessful. Napoleon's plans were not destined to come true.
The desecration of temples and monasteries
The French did not particularly stand on ceremony with Moscow shrines. In many temples they arranged stables. Horns were organized for the smelting of silver and gold utensils.
When the Russians returned to Moscow, the famous Assumption Cathedral was closed. They opened it only after restoration. The fact is that the relics of the saints and the tomb were disfigured, the icons are split and dirty. The mayors decided to hide from the eyes of the Muscovites a temple defiled by an unbridled soldier.
However, some historians claim that rumors about the destruction of Russian shrines by the French are exaggerated. No one was allowed into the Kremlin except the guard. Churches and monasteries were turned into barracks. However, the French did not aim to offend the feelings of the Orthodox.
Retreat
Around October 18, Napoleon finally realized that the idea of ​​concluding a peace agreement with the Russian emperor was futile. He decided to leave Moscow. In addition, the weather turned bad, and frost began. The reasons that forced Bonaparte to abandon his original plans cause controversy among historians. But one of the main factors that influenced the course of further events is looting, drunkenness of French soldiers. The situation that developed in the ranks of the Napoleonic army, depressed Bonaparte. He understood: in such a state it is impossible to lead the fighters to St. Petersburg.
Tarutin battle
On October 20, the French army, under the command of Murat, clashed with Kutuzov. This happened before Tarutin, on the Chernishna River. The clash escalated into a battle, as a result of which the French army was driven back beyond the village of Spas-Kuplya. This event showed Bonaparte that Kutuzov, after the Battle of Borodino, managed to regain his strength and would soon inflict a strong blow to the French army.
Before leaving Napoleon ordered Mortier, the marshal, temporarily appointed to the position of Moscow Governor General, to set fire in Moscow before leaving all the wine shops, public buildings, and barracks. On October 19, the French army moved along the old Kaluga road. Only the Mortier corps remained in Moscow.
In Trinity
At the end of October 1812, Napoleon’s army left Moscow. Nonetheless, Bonaparte still hoped to attack Kutuzov’s army, defeat it, reach the war-ravaged regions of Russia, and provide his army with food and fodder. He made his first stop in the village of Troitsky, located on the banks of the Desna River. Here for several days was its main headquarters.
In Trinity, Napoleon changed his mind about attacking Kutuzov. Indeed, in this case, a battle was expected, no less large-scale than Borodino, and this could only mean the final defeat of the French troops.
In 1812, Napoleon left Moscow contrary to his original plans. In the end, he ordered the Kremlin to be blown up. But Marshal Mortier only managed to partially comply with Bonaparte’s order. In the confusion, the French destroyed the Water Tower, caused damage to the Nikolskaya and Petrovskaya towers.
The rout, which was launched by the French soldiers, was continued by Russian peasants and Cossacks. They drank, engaged in robberies and vandalism. In 1814, the emperor issued a manifesto according to which most of the looters who traded during the days of the French occupation were amnestied.