The
Battle of Leipzig or
Battle of the Nations (; ; ) was fought 16–19 October 1813, at
Leipzig, in Saxony. The coalition armies of
Russia,
Prussia,
Austria, and
Sweden, led by Tsar
Alexander I of Russia and
Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg, decisively defeated the
French army of
Napoleon I,
Emperor of the French. Napoleon's army also contained
Polish and
Italian troops, as well as Germans from the
Confederation of the Rhine. The battle was the culmination of the 1813
German campaign and involved nearly 600,000 soldiers, making it the largest battle in Europe prior to
World War I.