Editing Battle of Leipzig (section)

==Background==
The [[Emperor of the French|French Emperor]] [[Napoleon]] I attempted to force Emperor [[Alexander I of Russia]] into rejoining his unpopular [[Continental System]] by [[French invasion of Russia|invading Russia]] on 24 June 1812 with around 685,000 troops, and eventually entered [[Moscow]] in late 1812, following the bloody, yet indecisive [[Battle of Borodino]]. However, Alexander refused to surrender even as the French occupied the city, which was set on fire by the time of its occupation.{{sfn|Caulaincourt|1935|loc=chapter VI}} The campaign ended in complete disaster as Napoleon and his remaining forces retreated during the bitter Russian winter, with sickness, starvation, and the constant harrying by Russian [[Cossacks]] and partisans, leaving the ''Grande Armée'' virtually destroyed by the time it returned from Russia. To make matters even worse for Napoleon, in June 1813, the combined armies of [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]], [[History of Spain (1808-1874)|Spain]], and the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]], under the command of the [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]], had decisively routed the French at the [[Battle of Vitoria]] in the [[Peninsular War]], and were now advancing towards the [[Pyrenees]] and into France itself. With this string of defeats, the French armies were in retreat on all fronts across Europe.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=852}}

Anti-French forces joined Russia as its troops pursued the remnants of the virtually destroyed ''Grande Armée'' across Central Europe. The allies regrouped as the Sixth Coalition, comprising Prussia, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, as well as smaller German states whose citizens and leaders were no longer loyal to the French emperor.{{sfn|Dwyer|2013|pp=431–474}} Napoleon hurried back to France and managed to mobilize another large army, but severe economic hardship and news of defeats had led to [[war-weariness]] and growing unrest among France's population.{{sfn|Merriman|2010|p=579}}

Despite disastrous campaigns in Spain and Russia in 1812, France was still able to rebuild another massive army for Napoleon. Though this new army was large in numbers, it was mostly made up of raw and young French [[conscripts]], many of whom had no desire to fight in Napoleon's wars. Yet Napoleon, with this new massive army, had the intention of either inducing a temporary alliance or at least cessation of hostilities, or knocking at least one of the Great Powers (Prussia or Russia) out of the war and keeping Austria neutral. Napoleon sought to regain the offensive by [[German campaign of 1813|re-establishing his hold]] in Germany, winning two hard-fought tactical victories, at [[Battle of Lützen (1813)|Lützen]] on 2 May and [[Battle of Bautzen (1813)|Bautzen]] on 20–21 May.

These victories led to a [[Truce of Pläswitz|brief armistice]]. During the armistice, the monarchs of Russia and Prussia met Crown Prince [[Carl XIV Johan of Sweden|Charles John of Sweden]] at [[Żmigród|Trachenberg Castle]] in [[Silesia]]. Charles John, a former French Marshal of the Empire (previously known as Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte), outlined a strategy for defeating Napoleon that, with added details from the Austrians following their joining of the Coalition on 12 August 1813, became known as the [[Trachenberg Plan]].<ref>Scott, Franklin D. (1935) Bernadotte and the Fall of Napoleon. Pp. 88–90. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.</ref> In accordance with the Trachenberg Plan, three Coalition armies were formed, the Army of Silesia of 95,000 men under the command of [[Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher|Gebhard von Blücher]], the Army of North Germany of 120,000 (including Swedish garrisons in [[Stralsund]]) under Crown Prince Charles John, and the [[Army of Bohemia]], the primary allied army in the field with 225,000 men, under the command of [[Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg]]. A fourth army was constituted as the Army of Poland, initially 30,000 men, but expanding to 70,000 by year's end, under the command of [[Levin August von Bennigsen|Count Benningsen]].{{sfn|Barton|1925|pp=76–77}}<ref>Leggiere, Michael V (2015). Napoleon and the Struggle for Germany Vol. II. pp. 52–53, 101. Cambridge University Press.</ref> As outlined by the Trachenberg Plan, the Coalition armies would avoid battle with Napoleon, retreat whenever Napoleon himself advanced, and instead target the forces under the command of his marshals. Despite the injunction to avoid battle with the Emperor, the Army of Bohemia engaged Napoleon at the [[Battle of Dresden]] on 27 August where the French won a crushing victory.

However, close adherence to the Trachenberg Plan led to Coalition victories at [[Battle of Großbeeren|Großbeeren]], [[Battle of Kulm|Kulm]], [[Battle of the Katzbach|Katzbach]], and [[Battle of Dennewitz|Dennewitz]]. Meanwhile, Charles John had begun a concerted propaganda campaign in Germany, drawing on his experience as Minister of War during the French Revolution, to stoke German nationalist feeling and calling on the kings of [[Kingdom of Bavaria|Bavaria]] and [[Kingdom of Saxony|Saxony]], whose armies he had commanded in 1805 and 1809, to repudiate their French alliances. His efforts met with success as the Saxon and [[Kingdom of Westphalia|Westphalian]] armies had begun exhibiting signs of mutiny throughout late August and September, with Saxon units defecting to the Coalition at Großbeeren and Dennewitz and Westphalian troops deserting in increasing numbers. Additionally, in early September the Bavarians proclaimed neutrality following Charles John's victory over Ney at Dennewitz.<ref>Chandler, David. (1991) The Campaigns of Napoleon. pp. 898–901.</ref>{{sfn|Barton|1925|pp=89–92}} After these defeats and defections the French emperor could not capitalize on his victory at Dresden. Thinly-stretched supply lines spanning into now somewhat hostile territory, coupled with [[Treaty of Ried|Bavaria's switching of sides]] against the French just eight days prior to Leipzig, made it almost impossible to replace his army's losses of 150,000 men, 300 guns, and 50,000 sick.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=873}}