Grande Armée
Napoleon's main force
The Grande Armée was Napoleon Bonaparte's principal military force, assembled in 1805 and reaching its peak strength of over 600,000 soldiers for the 1812 invasion of Russia.
The name, French for "Great Army," distinguished it from smaller French forces elsewhere.
Its catastrophic losses in Russia marked the beginning of Napoleon's downfall.
The term now evokes both military grandeur and hubris.
- Napoleon BonaparteFrench military dictator
- AusterlitzDecisive Napoleonic victory site
- cavalryMounted military force
- LeipzigMajor Saxon metropolis
- military strategyArmed forces operational planning
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