Speaker 1: Hello, and Welcome to Western civ Episode five and ten.
Speaker 1: The March to Moscow. In the summer of eighteen twelve,
Speaker 1: Europe held its breath. Napoleon Bonaparte, master now of the continent,
Speaker 1: self proclaimed Emperor, the Vanquisher, now of Austria, Prussia, and
Speaker 1: frankly half of Italy, was getting ready to go after
Speaker 1: his last unruly ally Russia. The Czar Alexander the First
Speaker 1: had grown increasingly weary of Napoleon's continental system, and his
Speaker 1: generals whispered that the French colossus had become stretched thin.
Speaker 1: Napoleon believed a swift, decisive campaign would bring the Czar
Speaker 1: to heal, and so he summoned a host unlike anything
Speaker 1: that had ever been seen. Once again, it was called
Speaker 1: the Grand Army, but it was no longer the tight knit,
Speaker 1: disciplined group that Napoleon had fought to get his empire.
Speaker 1: This Grand Army was a patchwork of peoples. There were Poles, Italians, Dutch,
Speaker 1: even some reluctant Prussians, more than six hundred thousand men.
Speaker 1: As they crossed the Neman River in June of eighteen twelve,
Speaker 1: Napoleon declared to his troops let the second Polish War begin,
Speaker 1: but Russia wouldn't give him a second Austerlitz Alexander. He
Speaker 1: intended something a lot more painful for the emperor of
Speaker 1: the continent of Europe. Napoleon expected a quick strike, a
Speaker 1: single battle that would.
Speaker 2: Topple the Russian will.
Speaker 1: But each time he advanced, the Russian armies fell back,
Speaker 1: burning the land behind them. Smolensk was torched, grain stores destroyed,
Speaker 1: villages emptied. The French marched ever deeper into a wasteland
Speaker 1: of smoke and ash. Desperation for that one great battle
Speaker 1: finally came to rest on a field just to the
Speaker 1: west of Moscow, the battle Aboard to Dino on September
Speaker 1: the seventh, eighteen twelve. Born to Dino became the bloodiest
Speaker 1: single day of the Napoleonic Wars up to this moment.
Speaker 1: The Russians had dug in, and so Napoleon's men stormed
Speaker 1: in one general, crashing charge, a massive great redoubt the
Speaker 1: Russian defensive position, over and over again. Field Marshal Ney,
Speaker 1: the bravest of brave, charged so many times that even
Speaker 1: the most hardened a veteran believed that he had to
Speaker 1: be immortal. By nightfall, the French held the field, but
Speaker 1: at a cost that chilled even Napoleon. He had lost
Speaker 1: seventy thousand casualties in a single day, just over ten
Speaker 1: percent of his total army. The Russian army had been battered,
Speaker 1: but in the end it had not been broken, and
Speaker 1: Czar Alexander the First remained defiant board Deadno was a
Speaker 1: French victory, but not the kind that Napoleon needed. He
Speaker 1: had destroyed neither the Russian army nor his enemy's will,
Speaker 1: and still they retreated. Still they would not surrender. And
Speaker 1: so in September the fourteenth, eighteen twelve, as dawn broke,
Speaker 1: Napoleon reached Polkalina Hill, a small from which he could
Speaker 1: see Moscow, and from where he expected to see delegations
Speaker 1: of the Russians approaching. Tradition, of course, held that foreign
Speaker 1: rulers presented themselves here humbly acknowledging defeat. Napoleon fully expected
Speaker 1: the keys of Moscow to be placed in his hands,
Speaker 1: and so he waited. The wind stirred on the Russian plane,
Speaker 1: No delegation appeared. Far in the distance. The domes of
Speaker 1: Ivan the Great's belt tower gleamed like a promise that
Speaker 1: would never be fulfilled, but still convinced that surrender was imminent.
Speaker 1: Napoleon descended the hill and rode into the western streets
Speaker 1: of Moscow. But the silence unsettled even him. Doors just
Speaker 1: hung out and curtains fluttered through windows that had been shattered.
Speaker 1: There were no people, but dogs wandered freely in the streets.
Speaker 1: Not a single rushing dignitary, not one soldier, not one priest,
Speaker 1: had come to greet him. Moscow, the ancient and beating
Speaker 1: heart of Russia, was totally empty. At last, he said
Speaker 1: aloud what his generals had already been whispering.
Speaker 2: Quote, this is the.
Speaker 1: Work of scythes end quote That was a reference to
Speaker 1: the Scythians and ancient nomadic peoples who destroyed their own
Speaker 1: land rather than let the invaders take it.
Speaker 2: And he was right.
Speaker 1: Czar Alexander the First had chosen scorched earth. He had
Speaker 1: chosen flight and sacrifice over submission. Napoleon rode down, continuing
Speaker 1: through the straight streets right towards the Kremlin. The silence
Speaker 1: deepened as he approached the ancient fortress walls. Smoke drifted
Speaker 1: in faint ribbons, an indication that maybe perhaps he had
Speaker 1: only just missed the Russian host. Once inside the Kremlin,
Speaker 1: according to our sources, Napoleon stepped into the private quarters
Speaker 1: reserved for Russia's rulers, exploring them in an eerie quiet
Speaker 1: There were gilded chairs, tapestries, everything suggesting luxury, yet totally untouched.
Speaker 1: He remarked to an aid that Moscow had become quote,
Speaker 1: a desert in disguise, and this, of course, was not
Speaker 1: how emperors won wars. There were no negotiations, no nobles
Speaker 1: begging for terms, only a city that seemed to have
Speaker 1: swallowed its own people. Still, Napoleon refused to admit the obvious.
Speaker 1: He continued to believe that Czar Alexander would show up,
Speaker 1: that he would relent, that he would come to the table,
Speaker 1: And so he made camp in the Kremlin, and he waited.
Speaker 1: He probably would have kept waiting had not. The fires began.
Speaker 1: Shortly before midnight. The glow of flames appeared on the
Speaker 1: northern edge of the city. At first, officers assumed a
Speaker 1: stray spark.
Speaker 2: Had caught on a roof.
Speaker 1: Moscow was a city of timber houses, and fires, after all,
Speaker 1: were common. But then another fire ignited, and another, and another.
Speaker 1: Napoleon stepped out onto a balcony of the Kremlin. The
Speaker 1: night air crackled, entire blocks began to light up like torches.
Speaker 1: A sudden gust turned embers into a storm of sparks
Speaker 1: that danced above the rooftops. He turned to his aid,
Speaker 1: who recorded, According to legend, the Emperor murmuring, quote, do
Speaker 1: you see they are burning their own city?
Speaker 2: End quote?
Speaker 1: Across Moscow, some bands of men, some convicts released by
Speaker 1: the governor of Moscow, some loyal patriots, worked under the
Speaker 1: cover of darkness to set more structures ablaze. They moved swiftly,
Speaker 1: setting to fire shops, granaries, warehouses, and dwellings. The Russian
Speaker 1: police had removed all the city's firefighting equipment several days earlier,
Speaker 1: because this was no accident, this was a plan. By morning,
Speaker 1: a deadly wind howled through the city, fanning the flames
Speaker 1: into now an inferno. Sparks leapt from roof to roof
Speaker 1: faster than the soldiers could stamp them. Ount The Grand Army,
Speaker 1: exhausted from its march, starving from lack of supplies, scattered
Speaker 1: in confusion as the fire swallowed the streets in minute.
Speaker 1: The heat got so great, in fact, that glass just
Speaker 1: exploded in the windows. Soldiers collapsed from smoke inhalation, horses
Speaker 1: panic Inside the Kremlin, the air grew thick, with suit
Speaker 1: flames crept ever closer. Now Napoleon tried to remain calm,
Speaker 1: but those around him saw unease in his eyes. His
Speaker 1: quarters grew unbearably hot. Cinders drifted through open windows at
Speaker 1: one point of firestorm surge toward the Kremlin walls, turning
Speaker 1: them into glowing embers. Mirat, for his part, begged his
Speaker 1: emperor to evacuate the city. Marshal Beliseias insisted that the
Speaker 1: whole citadel would soon be engulfed. Still Napoleon hesitated. He
Speaker 1: just couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that the Russians
Speaker 1: would sacrifice their capital city so willingly, But he just
Speaker 1: didn't understand Czar Alexander. And then, with a deafening crack,
Speaker 1: a powder magazine near the Kremlin exploded, sending a plume
Speaker 1: of fire so high into the sky no one could
Speaker 1: see the top. And so Napoleon finally gave the order.
Speaker 1: Soldiers now rushed quickly to move the imperial baggage. Horses stampeded,
Speaker 1: Smoke thickened to a choking black fog, Napoleon mounted his
Speaker 1: horse and rode out through the gate, his face streaked
Speaker 1: with ash. As he escaped into the open countryside southwest
Speaker 1: of the city, he turned back from one last look.
Speaker 1: Moscow burned before him, looking like the setting sun. A
Speaker 1: French officer would later write, quote, it seemed not like
Speaker 1: a real city, but a vision, an entire world on fire.
Speaker 1: For three days, the flames raged, some quarters were reduced
Speaker 1: entirely to ash, and more than two thirds of the
Speaker 1: Russian capital city of Moscow was destroyed. When the fire
Speaker 1: at last began to die, Napoleon returned to the Kremlin,
Speaker 1: stepping through the charred Debrison ash that drifted like snowflakes
Speaker 1: in the air. The city ruined beyond repair for the
Speaker 1: coming winter, and so now the shock began to settle in.
Speaker 1: He had conquered the capital of Russia, but it had
Speaker 1: cost him everything, and it had gained Napoleon nothing. There
Speaker 1: were no peace envoys, The Tsar was nowhere to be seen.
Speaker 1: He had no supplies, and now he had no shelter. Instead,
Speaker 1: the Tsar sent him a message, one that would echo
Speaker 1: across history. I will make peace at no other capital
Speaker 1: than Paris. Napoleon was now trapped in a hollow victory
Speaker 1: master of a burning city. He could not use and
Speaker 1: he could not hold. For Napoleon, if the invasion of
Speaker 1: Russia had been at Gamble, the retreat was almost instantaneously
Speaker 1: a nightmare. Temperatures plunged to minus thirty degrees fahrenheit. Winter
Speaker 1: came way too early. Horses died by the thousands, Cannon
Speaker 1: and wagons were simply abandoned. Wolves stalked the columns, and
Speaker 1: Cossacks raided the flanks. Men froze standing upright, Soldiers burned
Speaker 1: their own muskets just to stay warm. And then came
Speaker 1: the catastrophe at the Barrenzena River in late November. The
Speaker 1: Battle of Barrenzena fought between November twenty sixth and twenty ninth,
Speaker 1: eighteen twelve. Snow fell thick in wind driven sheets. The
Speaker 1: barren Zena River, contrary to Napoleon's hopes, had not frozen solid. Instead,
Speaker 1: the water churned black and half iced, swollen by a
Speaker 1: sudden thaw that turned the banks into deep, clinging mud.
Speaker 1: For Napoleon, the Barnzena was the last barrier between his
Speaker 1: disintegrating army and survival. If he could cross, he might
Speaker 1: yet reach Vilna, reorganize and save the remnant of his forces.
Speaker 1: If he failed, the Grand Army that set out with
Speaker 1: so much ambition would likely be annihilated on the spot.
Speaker 1: Now behind him chased Marshal Kutsov and the main Russian army,
Speaker 1: which pressed relentlessly forward, and after the disaster at Moscow,
Speaker 1: had suddenly come out of hiding. On his right, Admiral
Speaker 1: Chikov's Army of the Danube raced to block his crossing
Speaker 1: of the Barrenzena River. Meanwhile, to the north, Wittenstein's Corps
Speaker 1: Prussians pushed downward to crush him. To the Russians, it
Speaker 1: appeared like a perfect trap, three walls closing in upon
Speaker 1: a depleted, wounded, and desperate foe. To Napoleon, the only
Speaker 1: hope was deception and speed. Napoleon scouts reported that the
Speaker 1: main bridge at the nearby town of Borisov had already
Speaker 1: been destroyed by Russian forces. Worse, Chiov had deployed heavy
Speaker 1: units along the crossing points, assuming Napoleon would try to
Speaker 1: construct his own bridge at one of those. But here,
Speaker 1: on November twenty sixth, a strange salvation appeared a small,
Speaker 1: almost forgotten village eight miles to the north, Studyanka. The
Speaker 1: river banks were firmer there, the current slightly calmer, the
Speaker 1: enemy presence weaker. No one, neither French engineers nor Russian commanders,
Speaker 1: had considered this tiny village to be a serious crossing point.
Speaker 1: But Napoleon, with the instinct of a gambler on the ropes,
Speaker 1: seized on it instantly. He ordered Marshall Udina to hold
Speaker 1: the Russians at Borisov with aggressive demonstrations, drum beats, fires,
Speaker 1: cavalry movements, all the jazz, while his engineers slipped northward
Speaker 1: through the freezing night. If the Russians took the bait
Speaker 1: Studianka might become the miracle that the French needed now.
Speaker 1: That very next morning, the November twenty seventh, the sun
Speaker 1: rose faintly behind a gray curtain of clouds. French engineers,
Speaker 1: led by the legendary General Jean Baptiste Elda, waded into
Speaker 1: the frigid Berenzena River. They carried not only tools, not timber,
Speaker 1: but memory, the knowledge of how to build a bridge
Speaker 1: under fire, you see, like any great general before him,
Speaker 1: Going all the way back to Alexander the Great. When
Speaker 1: Napoleon un understood was the need for experts and specialists
Speaker 1: in an army. In a pinch, they could save your life,
Speaker 1: and that's what he planned.
Speaker 2: Right now.
Speaker 1: Nowbez Men had saved their forges, nails, and tools against
Speaker 1: all orders to abandon heavy equipment during the retreat, and
Speaker 1: now that foresight was the only reason that Napoleon's army
Speaker 1: even had a chance at crossing. As they entered the water,
Speaker 1: the temperature hovered around freezing. The river was dotted with
Speaker 1: chunks of ice. Some engineers waited in so deep that
Speaker 1: the current nearly carried them under. Eyewitnesses later recalled that
Speaker 1: many died building the bridge. Some pulled from the river
Speaker 1: stiff as boards, others swept away beneath the surface. By midday,
Speaker 1: to Napoleon's astonishment, a light bridge capable of supporting infantry
Speaker 1: had been completed. A heavier bridge for artillery followed soon after,
Speaker 1: though it constantly broke under the strain of ice and current.
Speaker 1: But what battered the most, of course, was that the
Speaker 1: bridges existed, and they existed before the Russians realized what
Speaker 1: was happening. So as soon as the first bridge was
Speaker 1: declared passable, Oudinot's second Corps surged across men staggered under
Speaker 1: the far bank like ghosts. Many had not eaten in days,
Speaker 1: their uniforms little more than rags. Yet after crossing, the
Speaker 1: French formed ranks and the advance guard struck.
Speaker 2: Like lightning.
Speaker 1: The French stormed the Russian outpost at Studiyanka, seizing the
Speaker 1: village and securing the exit point. It was a rare
Speaker 1: moment of triumph in what had become a campaign of
Speaker 1: defeat and despair. But this brief moment didn't last. Chigov,
Speaker 1: realizing that he had been out maneuvered, redirected the bulk
Speaker 1: of his army towards Studiyanka. By the twenty eighth heavy
Speaker 1: Russian forces to ended upon the French foothold, and the
Speaker 1: crossing became a desperate fight for survival. On the eastern bank,
Speaker 1: the French defended the perimeter with fierce determination, recognizing this
Speaker 1: was it, This was the last throw at the dice.
Speaker 1: If they didn't win here, there was no going home.
Speaker 1: Muskets thundered and artillery boomed across the flat, frozen fields,
Speaker 1: and the white air filled with smoke so thick that
Speaker 1: men fired blind guided only by sound. Every hour lost
Speaker 1: meant Russian troops closing in from all directions and behind
Speaker 1: the fighting troops. The crossing itself became a nightmare. Tens
Speaker 1: of thousands of stragglers, soldiers, camp followers, wounded men, civilians
Speaker 1: were all terrified, crushed together in a mass, Carts overturned,
Speaker 1: horses thrashed wildly, People slipped on the icy banks and
Speaker 1: plunged into the dark water below. One French officer would
Speaker 1: lay described the crossing on the bridge at Studianka as
Speaker 1: quote a scene from Dante's Inferno end quote. As artillery
Speaker 1: shells began to fall among the crowds, panic rippled through
Speaker 1: the masses. People screamed, shoved, and trampled one another. The
Speaker 1: narrow wooden span swayed under the weight of thousands. Some
Speaker 1: fell intentionally hoping maybe icy water would be better than
Speaker 1: a Russian gunfire. Others prayed, while hour by hour the
Speaker 1: French continued to cross. Finally, on November the twenty eighth,
Speaker 1: the Russians launched a massive final assault on their enemy.
Speaker 1: Chikov attacked the French western bridge had at ten am,
Speaker 1: hoping to drive them back into the river. At the
Speaker 1: same time, Wiggenstein finally broke through the French rearguard and
Speaker 1: pushed down.
Speaker 2: From the north.
Speaker 1: It seemed like the trap was finally about to slam shut,
Speaker 1: but Napoleon's commanders Nay Victor Udino, fought with the ferocity
Speaker 1: of cornered men for.
Speaker 2: Nearly the whole day.
Speaker 1: Infantry squares held under brutal pressure, buying precious minutes for
Speaker 1: the crossing to continue. At one point Napoleon himself stood
Speaker 1: on the eastern bank, watching the chaos and murmuring, quote,
Speaker 1: it is a frightful spectacle, one that will haunt me
Speaker 1: until my dying day. But Napoleon's biggest attribute, if nothing else,
Speaker 1: then attribute come into all successful commanders throughout history. His
Speaker 1: luck held once more. The Russians were brave, but poor
Speaker 1: coordination and the dense fog blunted their ability to execute
Speaker 1: the hammer blow. Attacks came, but they only came piecemeal.
Speaker 1: Some commanders misunderstood orders, others simply waited for reinforcements that
Speaker 1: weren't coming, and so by evening the French had saved
Speaker 1: their army. By dawn on November the twin, Napoleon ordered
Speaker 1: the bridges destroyed. The army needed distance before the Russians reorganized. Unfortunately,
Speaker 1: thousands remained still on the eastern bank, deserters, camp followers,
Speaker 1: and wounded men who just couldn't move quickly enough. Some
Speaker 1: begged the engineers for just a little more time. Others
Speaker 1: tried to fight their way across, but according to legend,
Speaker 1: elbe tears dotting his face, gave the order and the
Speaker 1: bridges were set ablaze. Flames quickly licked the frost covered planks.
Speaker 1: Screams rose as people surged forward, only to collapse into
Speaker 1: the water when the timbers finally broke and gave way.
Speaker 1: By the time that the smoke had cleared, the French
Speaker 1: army had escaped, but the cost had been extraordinary. Estimates
Speaker 1: varied wildly, but historians believed that somewhere between twenty to
Speaker 1: forty thousand men, women and children died at the Barnzena River,
Speaker 1: and for the Russian commanders it was not the final
Speaker 1: annihilation they had hoped for. For Napoleon, it was a miracle,
Speaker 1: but a miracle drenched and suffering. One of the interesting
Speaker 1: things about the Battle of Bearnzena is that it serves
Speaker 1: as kind of a paradox of military history. Tactically, Napoleon
Speaker 1: had won. He saved the core of his army, evaded
Speaker 1: three converging Russian forces, and prevented total encirclement. But strategically
Speaker 1: it didn't matter. It was actually kind of pointless. He
Speaker 1: was already defeated. The Grand army that once number is
Speaker 1: six hundred thousand now marched toward Vilno only a few
Speaker 1: tens of thousands. Many men were unarmed, many were starving,
Speaker 1: Many wouldn't make it home at all. So almost immediately
Speaker 1: Napoleon's enemies saw.
Speaker 2: Blood in the water, and they pounced.
Speaker 1: Russia, Prussia, Austria, Sweden, and of course Great Britain now
Speaker 1: formed a coalition. They believed finally that Napoleon could be defeated. Now,
Speaker 1: the Emperor, as soon as he was back on French soil,
Speaker 1: scrambled to raise a new army. Teenagers, reservists, untested conscripts.
Speaker 1: They were all drilled in a couple of weeks. Their
Speaker 1: spirit was strong, but their experience thin. All that being said,
Speaker 1: it was Napoleon that struck first, marching directly into Prussia
Speaker 1: in May of eighteen thirteen near Leipzig. Napoleon's young forces
Speaker 1: endured Prussian attacks that might have shattered lesser forces, but
Speaker 1: Napoleon consistently counterattacked brilliantly, retaking villages, sometimes at bayonet point.
Speaker 1: The French were still winning, they were taking heavy casualties,
Speaker 1: but it was at the Battle of Botsin that things
Speaker 1: started to turn.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 1: Napoleon, in May of eighteen thirteen, faced both the Russians
Speaker 1: and the Prussians together. He achieved another hard fought victory,
Speaker 1: but this time he failed to decisively defeat his enemy,
Speaker 1: something he was now doing with frightening regularity. True, Napoleon
Speaker 1: did seem diminished, His marshals complained of exhaustion, and this
Speaker 1: time the Allies didn't come for peace. They held together
Speaker 1: and refused to break. A summer armistice followed, but that
Speaker 1: gave the coalition only some time to grow stronger, and
Speaker 1: Napoleon would come to regret it. The coalition now devised
Speaker 1: what was called the Trattenburg Plan. The goal was pretty simple,
Speaker 1: don't do battle with Napoleon himself. In fact, attack the
Speaker 1: French anywhere and everywhere else, wear his marshals down instead,
Speaker 1: deny him the chance to win a decisive battle copy
Speaker 1: what Czar Alexander had done. Just wear him down. And
Speaker 1: overall the plan worked. Now, in August of eighteen thirteen,
Speaker 1: after the armistice, the Battle of Dresden showed that Napoleon
Speaker 1: could still have some glimmer of his old genius. With
Speaker 1: torrential rain obscuring the battlefield, this time he managed to
Speaker 1: crush Austrian forces sent against them, throwing them back across.
Speaker 2: The El River.
Speaker 1: But this, unfortunately was his last great victory, because everywhere
Speaker 1: else the Trottenberg plan was working. His marshals were defeated
Speaker 1: at Kum on August the thirtieth, Vanda May's corps was
Speaker 1: shattered at Kat's Back on August the twenty sixth. Another
Speaker 1: loss dni Witz on September the sixth. This time Field
Speaker 1: Marshal Ney, once almost unbelievably unbeatable, was beaten by a
Speaker 1: Swedish German army, and each defeat finally tightened the noose,
Speaker 1: leading to the Battle of Leipzig on October sixteenth, eighteen thirteen,
Speaker 1: sometimes called the Battle of Nations. Now Europe hadn't seen
Speaker 1: a clash like this before. Nearly six hundred thousand soldiers
Speaker 1: across several days, cannon thundered across the plains of Saxony,
Speaker 1: Napoleon fought with the fierce energy of a man who
Speaker 1: understood the stakes.
Speaker 2: If he lost here, it was over.
Speaker 1: And so for three days he held his own But
Speaker 1: on the fourth reinforcements swelled throughout the coalition ranks, Saxon troops.
Speaker 1: Once Napoleon's allies physically switched sides in the middle of
Speaker 1: the battle, turning their guns on the French. The French
Speaker 1: retreat collapsed with a single bridge over the Elster River
Speaker 1: was blown too soon, trapping thousands within Leipzig. Soldiers and
Speaker 1: civilians alike were drowned or cut down. It was a
Speaker 1: disaster on the scale of the March into Russia, but
Speaker 1: not as quite Apoctalyptic, Napoleon withdrew westward. All of his
Speaker 1: German allies now abandoned him. His Confederation of the Rhine
Speaker 1: disintegrated overnight. Now, of course, he had been defeated on
Speaker 1: French soil, and so Napoleon still had some time left.
Speaker 1: In early eighteen fourteen, he led a brilliant defensive campaign
Speaker 1: on French soil, moving with the speed of his youth.
Speaker 1: In February of eighteen fourteen, at Montmreal he smashed a
Speaker 1: Prussian force, and in fact, a string of victory started
Speaker 1: to rekindle his old legend. Maybe Napoleon could put it
Speaker 1: back together again. But this time what was different is
Speaker 1: like a whack a mole game. There was just too
Speaker 1: much for Napoleon to do. There are armies. The armies
Speaker 1: of the coalition were just too many. The marshal res
Speaker 1: resources of basically all of Europe against France this time
Speaker 1: was just too great. When Napoleon was able to bounce
Speaker 1: back one army, two others marched past him directly on
Speaker 1: to Paris. On March thirty first, eighteen fourteen, Coalition forces
Speaker 1: entered Paris, the Senate proclaimed, now that Napoleon was deposed,
Speaker 1: his marshals, exhausted and politically cornered, pleaded with him to abdicate,
Speaker 1: and he did so. On April to sixth, Napoleon signed
Speaker 1: an abdication document. The Emperor, who had actually crowned himself,
Speaker 1: now surrendered everything.
Speaker 2: And so it was.
Speaker 1: In the early hours of May fourth, eighteen fourteen, Napoleon
Speaker 1: stood on the deck of the British frigate HMS undaunted.
Speaker 1: With the wind whipping around the tricolor. He couldn't claim anymore.
Speaker 1: Crowds gathered not cheer, but just watching, this time in
Speaker 1: a stunned silence. He did get one last salute, and
Speaker 1: the emperor bowed his head. His long reign, it seemed,
Speaker 1: had ended ahead of him, lay at the island of Elba. However,
Speaker 1: as I'm sure we all know, the story doesn't end here.
Speaker 2: Napoleon was due. I'll come back.