Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos

Battle of Smolensk: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Date August 16, 1812 - August 18, 1812
Location Russia • Smolensk
Participants France • Russia
Context Napoleonic Wars

Photos

The Battle of Smolensk
See All Images →

Timeline

default image
Battle of Lodi
May 10, 1796
The Battle of the Pyramids
Battle of the Pyramids
July 21, 1798
Nile, Battle of the
Battle of the Nile
August 1, 1798
default image
War of the Oranges
April 1801 - June 1801
Battle of Copenhagen (1801)
Battle of Copenhagen
April 2, 1801
default image
Treaty of Amiens
March 27, 1802
default image
Battle of Ulm
September 25, 1805 - October 20, 1805
John Christian Schetky: The Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
October 21, 1805
Painting by Antoine-Jean Gros showing Napoleon I and Francis II meeting after the Battle of Austerlitz, with both figures in military dress and soldiers, horses, and smoke in the background.
Battle of Austerlitz
December 2, 1805
Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth
Battle of Santo Domingo
February 6, 1806
default image
Battle of Jena
October 14, 1806
Napoleon on the Battlefield at Eylau, February 1807
Battle of Eylau
February 7, 1807 - February 8, 1807
Ernest Meissonier: 1807, Friedland
Battle of Friedland
June 14, 1807
The Battle of Copenhagen
Battle of Copenhagen
August 15, 1807 - September 7, 1807
On May 2, 1808, by Francisco de Goya
Dos de Mayo Uprising
May 2, 1808
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, stands among British soldiers as the French flag is lowered and the Union Jack is raised at Ciudad Rodrigo during the Peninsular War.
Peninsular War
May 5, 1808 - March 1814
The Battle of Wagram, 7 July 1809
Battle of Wagram
July 5, 1809 - July 6, 1809
The Battle of Grand Port
Battle of Grand Port
August 22, 1810 - August 29, 1810
Peninsular War
Siege of Badajoz
March 16, 1812 - April 6, 1812
The Battle of Smolensk
Battle of Smolensk
August 16, 1812 - August 18, 1812
default image
Battle of Dresden
August 26, 1813 - August 27, 1813
default image
Battle of Leipzig
October 16, 1813 - October 19, 1813
Arthur Wellesley, The 1st Duke of Wellington
Battle of Toulouse
April 10, 1814
Historical battle map showing troop positions at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815, near Brussels, Belgium. Red lines represent Anglo-Dutch infantry and cavalry under Wellington, positioned north of French forces. Blue lines show French infantry and cavalry under Napoleon, with both armies facing each other across a central road. Key locations like Chateau de Goumont (Hougoumont) and Plancenoit are labeled, and an inset map highlights the location within present-day Belgium and Europe.
Battle of Waterloo
June 18, 1815

Key People

Jacques-Louis David: The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries
Napoleon I
emperor of France
default image
Pyotr Ivanovich, Prince Bagration
Russian general
default image
Mikhail Bogdanovich, Prince Barclay de Tolly
Russian military officer

Related Quizzes

Civil War era cannon overlooks Kennesaw Mountain National Battle. (military, artillery, American history)
Pick Your Battles Quiz
D-Day. American soldiers fire rifles, throw grenades and wade ashore on Omaha Beach next to a German bunker during D Day landing. 1 of 5 Allied beachheads est. in Normandy, France. The Normandy Invasion of World War II launched June 6, 1944.
A History of War
Louis IX of France (St. Louis), stained glass window of Louis IX during the Crusades. (Unknown location.)
World Wars