In 1812 French forces in Spain were severely overstretched, as Napoleon withdrew the best troops for his invasion of Russia. Wellington saw an opportunity to strike.

"What does this mean? What does Russia want from me? You know it’s easy to start a war but it’s very difficult to finish one." On June 24, 1812, ignoring the advice of his closest advisors ...

A poster portraying the “Second Patriotic War” as World War I was known in Russia. (Napoleon’s 1812 invasion was Russia’s first “patriotic war.”) Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II ...