Battle of Borodino, 1812

Battle of Borodino

The largest battle of the French invasion of Russia, fought between Mikhail Kutuzov’s Russian army and Napoleon’s Grande Armée near the village of Borodino, 125 km west of Moscow.

Date

26 August (7 September) 1812exact dateJulian calendar (Old Style); the Gregorian date (New Style) is in brackets

Place

Borodinotoday: Borodino village, Mozhaysky Urban Okrug, Moscow Oblast, Russia · Eastern Europe

Participants

Russian Empire, First French Empire, Grande Armée, Napoleon I, Mikhail Kutuzov, Pyotr Bagration, Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly

Threads

French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, Russia at the turn of the 19th century

Also known as

Бородинская битва; Битва у Москвы-реки; Bataille de la Moskova

In twelve hours of fighting the French took the Bagration flèches, the Great (Raevsky) Redoubt and the village of Semyonovskoye, but could not break the Russian army and by nightfall had pulled back to their starting positions. Both sides suffered enormous losses; General Pyotr Bagration was mortally wounded.

The next day, in view of the heavy losses and Napoleon’s large reserves, Kutuzov ordered a retreat; both sides claimed victory. Borodino is often described as the bloodiest single-day battle in history.

Connections

Consequences

Fire of Moscow (1812)2 (14) September 1812 – 6 (18) September 1812 · Eastern EuropeMoscow was abandoned after the council at Fili

Part of

French invasion of Russia24 June – 14 December 1812 · Eastern Europe

Same participants

Battle of Jena–Auerstedt14 October 1806 · Western and Central Europevia Grande Armée

Finnish War9 (21) February 1808 – 5 (17) September 1809 · Western and Central Europevia Pyotr Bagration

Peninsular War2 May 1808 – 17 April 1814 · Western and Central Europevia Napoleon I

British conquest of Java4 August – 18 September 1811 · Southeast Asia and Oceaniavia First French Empire

Treaty of Bucharest16 (28) May 1812 · Balkans and Anatoliavia Mikhail Kutuzov

Founding of Fort RossMarch – 30 August (11 September) 1812 · North Americavia Russian Empire

Meanwhile in the world

Other regions, within a year of this event

Western and Central Europe

Peninsular War2 May 1808 – 17 April 1814
Continental System21 November 1806 – 11 April 1814

Balkans and Anatolia

Treaty of Bucharest16 (28) May 1812
First Serbian Uprising14 February 1804 – 7 October 1813

Southeast Asia and Oceania

British conquest of Java4 August – 18 September 1811

North America

Founding of Fort RossMarch – 30 August (11 September) 1812
War of 181218 June 1812 – 17 February 1815