Introduction

No pre-revolutionary military event was more celebrated by Russian writers and artists than the epic of 1812, during which Napoleon advanced his Grand Armée into Russia, fought General Mikhail Kutuzov’s army at Borodino, occupied Moscow, and then retreated in defeat as his army faced starvation and capture during the brutal Russian winter, only to be pursued all the way back to Paris. The defeat and expulsion of Napoleon was a turning point in Russian history that, in many ways, helped define modern Russian identity. Not only did 1812 put Russia on the map as a European military and imperial power, particularly in the eyes of England and France, but also the memory of this campaign in Russia also served as a source of national pride that was celebrated by artists and writers for more than a century.