Which country did Napoleon invade in 1812?

Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812. The campaign began on 24 June, when the multinational Grande Armée crossed the Neman River into the Russian Empire.

Napoleon hoped a decisive victory would force Tsar Alexander I to respect the Continental System, his effort to blockade Britain economically. The invasion force was enormous—roughly 400,000 to 500,000 troops crossed into Russia initially, with additional forces joining later.

The Russians avoided a single early showdown, retreating eastward and denying the French reliable supplies. Napoleon captured Moscow after the Battle of Borodino, but the city was largely abandoned and burned. With winter approaching and negotiations absent, he ordered a disastrous retreat.

A common mix-up is confusing the 1812 Russian campaign with Napoleon’s earlier wars against Austria and Prussia. Those countries were major opponents in other campaigns, but Russia was the country invaded in 1812.