Napoleonic Wars · 1812

1812: the march on Moscow

In June 1812 the largest army Europe had ever seen crosses into Russia. Six months later only a small part of it comes back. Students follow the road to Moscow and back, and weigh why the campaign failed.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1812
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

In June 1812 the largest army Europe had ever seen crosses into Russia. Six months later only a small part of it comes back. Students follow the road to Moscow and back, and weigh why the campaign failed.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Trace the route of the Grande Armée from the Neman to Moscow and back on the map.
  • Explain how Russian strategy, supply problems and winter destroyed the army.
  • Judge which of Napoleon's decisions in 1812 mattered most.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1812

Europe in 1812

Open the map in 1812 and zoom out over Europe. Find Paris and Moscow. The straight distance is about 2,500 km. How would you feed an army over that distance?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1812

Borodino

Turn on Historical Events and zoom in west of Moscow. Find the battle of Borodino and click it. How close to Moscow was it?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1812

The long road back

Zoom out to the land between Moscow and Vilnius. Follow the road west through Smolensk. Why would a retreating army find almost nothing to eat on the road it had used before?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Napoleon's army included soldiers from France, Poland, Germany, Italy and many other lands. How might that affect their loyalty?
  2. The Russians kept retreating and burned food and shelter. Was that a smart plan? What did it cost Russian civilians?
  3. Napoleon waited five weeks in Moscow. What do you think he was hoping for?
  4. People often say "the winter" beat Napoleon. Why is that only part of the story?
  5. Painters, writers and composers made 1812 famous. Why do some wars become legends?
4

Game round

9 min

Play the 1812 round of Rule History as Napoleon Bonaparte. Let the class vote before choosing. Afterwards compare the class's choice with what Napoleon did, and with the result.

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.