Prelude to Russia

The Spanish ulcer created the conditions that made the Russian campaign inevitable. Napoleon's commitment of massive resources to Spain left him unable to address growing tensions with Russia, while the economic pressures created by the Continental System made compromise with Tsar Alexander I increasingly difficult. The two disasters were intimately connected, each making the other more likely and more catastrophic.

Alexander I's gradual withdrawal from the Continental System reflected Russian recognition that the economic costs exceeded the political benefits. The Ukase of December 1810, which allowed neutral trade with Britain, directly violated the Continental System and provided Napoleon with the pretext for invasion. Yet this pretext masked deeper tensions created by the Spanish commitment and the system's overall failure.

The Russian campaign of 1812 was conceived as a rapid decisive blow that would restore French prestige and force Russian compliance with the Continental System. Napoleon assembled the largest army in European history—over 600,000 men from across the empire and allied territories—believing that overwhelming force would intimidate Russian resistance and enable a quick victory.