Finally! :D I'm from Leipzig, so I looked forward to this reaction in particular. This battle still plays a huge role in our local history, and not just because of the giant monument that was build in 1913 (which is the biggest monument in Europe btw). At that time, Leipzig had only about 30,000 inhabitants, compared to 600,000 today. There were almost 100,000 dead soldiers lying on the battlefield, and tens of thousands of wounded men in the city itself. There was a typhoid epidemic as a result and all the bodies had to be buried. Some lay there in the open for months, you can imagine how they looked (and smelled) like... And there were many wounded soldiers scattered across the battlefield, some of which slowly died over the course of several days, desperatly crying for water and help. And then there was the fighting in the villages and the city itself, causing a lot of collateral damage. It was said that during the final artillery bombardment, one couldn't hold a glass of water without spilling its content because of the vibrations. It was a catastrophic, traumatizing experience - Leipzig needed several decades to fully recover from it. (And btw, a few months before the battle, a certain Richard Wagner was born in the city - luckily for the world of music, he survived it). There was actually a huge reenactment in 2013 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle, with thousands of reenactors from all over Europe. I was there as a spectator, it was really impressive. There was even a french actor playing Napoleon, I saw him as he rode by. :D
When you think about it, how do you feel at the idea that you're from an area where basically 100,000 men died or have been wounded? I'm French. I must confess that what happened in Germany back then is a shame... the Germans were merely fighting for their freedom and homeland, I totally understand and respect that.
@@kevindvl8417 It's a part of history and a quite sad one, but I have no strong feelings about it beyond that. It was a long time ago, just like the 30 Years War for example. And in the german collective memory and history, WW2 pretty much overshadows earlier conflicts. WW1 for example is not very much talked about except in school and the war of 1870 even less. Regarding the local aspect, there is not much that remains of the battle, except a few artifacts, the big monument from 1913 and a small monument at the location of the bridge that blew up and Poniatowski died. Leipzig has changed much in the last 200 years and the city has swallowed up most of the outer villages, so the original battlefield is now mostly covered with buildings. I imagine that it is harder for people living in Verdun, Wolgograd or Hiroshima to deal with their local history.
@@kevindvl8417 Regarding the last part of your comment... At the time it was mostly a power struggle between monarchies, the "German War of Liberation" was mostly a propaganda tool and construct to get people to fight against Napoleon. From their perspective it certainly was a struggle for freedom, but in hindsight this was pretty much the birth of german nationalism, and we Germans today tend to look at this in a very negative way. I know that the French are much less... reflective (that's my impression) of their own national identity, but we look at it through the lense of later events.
9:48 I don't know if Alexander knew German well, but he spoke French better than Napoleon. French was then the language of international communication between European monarchs.
@@Ghost_of_Gaby Basically, yes. The Corsican accent affected his pronunciation. Plus his French teachers weren't very good, unlike Alexander's. He often constructed sentences in a very sloppy manner.
The Saxon’s defection was promoted by the fact that Bernadotte had commanded the Saxon IX Corps during the Wagram campaign in 1809. Bernadotte had treated the Saxons well and defended their conduct during the battle after fierce criticism by Napoleon. They went over to his army in response to a proclamation released a week prior in which Bernadotte invited the Saxons to join their old commander in defeating Napoleon.
It’s very likely high level politics played into Bernadotte’s rather passive behavior during the 1813 German campaign. The Russian Tsar Alexander I, with support from French liberals like Benjamin Constant and Madame de Staël, advocated placing Bernadotte on the French throne in place of Napoleon after the war. Thus Bernadotte could not be seen to be so eager in fighting fellow Frenchmen.
It is far more likely in my opinion that Bernadotte who had promised when he was elected and chosen as successor in Sweden that Finland would be reconquered. And since the Swedish military was so small compared to many of the other European nations he was very careful with making sure that his Swedish troops would avoid as much combat as possible. He would no doubt realise that reconquering Finland wasn't in the cards so he would use the army to conquer Norway instead with Russian support. It is also highly unlikely the allies would have entertained the idea to give Bernadotte the French throne with so many Bourbons still out there. I have no doubt he was more concerned with the crown he already had rather than some imaginary one.
Spoiler: The Battle of Leipzig is not in Ridley Scott's movie Spoiler 2: The Battle of Leipzig is not even mentioned in Ridley Scott's movie. Even at the end of the film where they list some of the most important battles of the Napoleonic Wars, Leipzig is not mentioned.
Finally! :D I'm from Leipzig, so I looked forward to this reaction in particular. This battle still plays a huge role in our local history, and not just because of the giant monument that was build in 1913 (which is the biggest monument in Europe btw).
At that time, Leipzig had only about 30,000 inhabitants, compared to 600,000 today. There were almost 100,000 dead soldiers lying on the battlefield, and tens of thousands of wounded men in the city itself. There was a typhoid epidemic as a result and all the bodies had to be buried. Some lay there in the open for months, you can imagine how they looked (and smelled) like... And there were many wounded soldiers scattered across the battlefield, some of which slowly died over the course of several days, desperatly crying for water and help. And then there was the fighting in the villages and the city itself, causing a lot of collateral damage. It was said that during the final artillery bombardment, one couldn't hold a glass of water without spilling its content because of the vibrations. It was a catastrophic, traumatizing experience - Leipzig needed several decades to fully recover from it. (And btw, a few months before the battle, a certain Richard Wagner was born in the city - luckily for the world of music, he survived it).
There was actually a huge reenactment in 2013 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle, with thousands of reenactors from all over Europe. I was there as a spectator, it was really impressive. There was even a french actor playing Napoleon, I saw him as he rode by. :D
Same man, same :D
When you think about it, how do you feel at the idea that you're from an area where basically 100,000 men died or have been wounded? I'm French. I must confess that what happened in Germany back then is a shame... the Germans were merely fighting for their freedom and homeland, I totally understand and respect that.
@@kevindvl8417 It's a part of history and a quite sad one, but I have no strong feelings about it beyond that. It was a long time ago, just like the 30 Years War for example. And in the german collective memory and history, WW2 pretty much overshadows earlier conflicts. WW1 for example is not very much talked about except in school and the war of 1870 even less.
Regarding the local aspect, there is not much that remains of the battle, except a few artifacts, the big monument from 1913 and a small monument at the location of the bridge that blew up and Poniatowski died. Leipzig has changed much in the last 200 years and the city has swallowed up most of the outer villages, so the original battlefield is now mostly covered with buildings. I imagine that it is harder for people living in Verdun, Wolgograd or Hiroshima to deal with their local history.
@@kevindvl8417 Regarding the last part of your comment... At the time it was mostly a power struggle between monarchies, the "German War of Liberation" was mostly a propaganda tool and construct to get people to fight against Napoleon. From their perspective it certainly was a struggle for freedom, but in hindsight this was pretty much the birth of german nationalism, and we Germans today tend to look at this in a very negative way. I know that the French are much less... reflective (that's my impression) of their own national identity, but we look at it through the lense of later events.
9:48 I don't know if Alexander knew German well, but he spoke French better than Napoleon. French was then the language of international communication between European monarchs.
Between the aristocrats of every nation.
At Waterloo, Blucher and Wellington spoke French.
Is it because Napoleon was a Corsican?
@@Ghost_of_Gaby Basically, yes. The Corsican accent affected his pronunciation. Plus his French teachers weren't very good, unlike Alexander's. He often constructed sentences in a very sloppy manner.
The Saxon’s defection was promoted by the fact that Bernadotte had commanded the Saxon IX Corps during the Wagram campaign in 1809. Bernadotte had treated the Saxons well and defended their conduct during the battle after fierce criticism by Napoleon. They went over to his army in response to a proclamation released a week prior in which Bernadotte invited the Saxons to join their old commander in defeating Napoleon.
Let’s go he’s back!
It’s very likely high level politics played into Bernadotte’s rather passive behavior during the 1813 German campaign. The Russian Tsar Alexander I, with support from French liberals like Benjamin Constant and Madame de Staël, advocated placing Bernadotte on the French throne in place of Napoleon after the war. Thus Bernadotte could not be seen to be so eager in fighting fellow Frenchmen.
I was about to comment something similar. He was maybe considering ruling France. Not a good look killing French.
It is far more likely in my opinion that Bernadotte who had promised when he was elected and chosen as successor in Sweden that Finland would be reconquered. And since the Swedish military was so small compared to many of the other European nations he was very careful with making sure that his Swedish troops would avoid as much combat as possible. He would no doubt realise that reconquering Finland wasn't in the cards so he would use the army to conquer Norway instead with Russian support. It is also highly unlikely the allies would have entertained the idea to give Bernadotte the French throne with so many Bourbons still out there. I have no doubt he was more concerned with the crown he already had rather than some imaginary one.
Will you react to the Marshals series after this as well? Hope so. : )
Oh, 100%!
Bernadottes descendant King Carl XVI Gustaf just celebrated his Golden Jubilee. The first Swedish monarch to have ever done so.
22:45 - could you imagine if he didnt gave that order?? It would have ended right then and there ...
Spoiler: The Battle of Leipzig is not in Ridley Scott's movie
Spoiler 2: The Battle of Leipzig is not even mentioned in Ridley Scott's movie. Even at the end of the film where they list some of the most important battles of the Napoleonic Wars, Leipzig is not mentioned.
I will never understand why Napoleon didn't abandon the field on day two.
I thought you reacted to this already hmm