Who besides the French participated in Napoleon's invasion of Russia?
To wage war against Tsar Alexander, Napoleon Bonaparte enlisted troops from dozens of European states. Some of them were eager to fight for the French emperor, while others were reluctant to travel to distant Russia.
The Germans
In 1812, the ranks of the 600,000-strong ‘Grande Armée’ included more than 140,000 Germans. The states of the Confederation of the Rhine willingly sent their contingents to aid the emperor – in alliance with France, they had acquired territories and power.
However, the Kingdom of Prussia was completely unwilling to participate in the military campaign, but was forced to send its 22,000-strong corps to the French. You can find out why here.
The Portuguese
In 1807, the French occupied Portugal, disbanded its army and recruited many soldiers into their units. More than 4,000 Portuguese took part in the war against Russia.
Find out how willingly these soldiers fought for Bonaparte at the other end of Europe here.
The Italians
Many inhabitants of the Italian Peninsula welcomed the collapse of feudalism and the freedoms that French rule brought them. Because of this, tens of thousands of Italians enthusiastically went to fight for France in distant Russia, seeking "rich and glorious rewards, wonderful heroic glory".
Read about their unenviable fate here.
The Poles
Bonaparte had no more loyal allies than the Poles. They, in turn, pinned their hopes on him for the restoration of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which had been divided among the Russians, Austrians and Prussians in the 18th century.
About 100,000 Poles served in the contingent of the Duchy of Warsaw created by Napoleon, as well as in French units, including the Imperial Guard. Read about how they fought here.
The Spanish
The Spaniards, meanwhile, were Bonaparte's most unreliable allies – they fiercely hated him. In 1808, he deposed their king and installed his brother Joseph on the throne, immediately sparking a popular war in the country.
Despite his precarious position, Joseph sent about 4,000 soldiers to help his brother. Immediately after crossing the border, they began to desert and defect to the Russian side. Read about how this happened here.
The Austrians
Like the Prussians, the Austrians were unwilling to fight for France. They had fought against it for many years, but suffered a number of heavy defeats and were forced to submit.
Find out about how sluggishly and passively Field Marshal Karl Philipp Schwarzenberg's 30,000-strong corps participated in the military campaign against Russia here.
The Swiss
During the Napoleonic Wars, the Swiss Confederation supplied soldiers to Bonaparte for his military campaigns. The French regularly paid the highlanders well for their service.
The French praised the bravery and resilience of the Swiss, who suffered heavy losses in battles, but did not retreat. Read about the role these mercenaries played in saving the remnants of the ‘Grande Armée’ at the Berezina here.
