The Battle of Borodino was the largest and bloodiest single-day battle of the Napoleonic Wars.

It was fought during Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812.

After months of tactical retreat, the Russian army, under Commander Mikhail Kutuzov, finally made a stand near the village of Borodino to defend Moscow.

The battle was a brutal war of attrition, with both sides launching fierce frontal assaults against fortified positions.

Both the French and Russian armies suffered horrific casualties.

The battle was technically a French victory, as the Russian army withdrew from the field, leaving the road to Moscow open.

However, it was a pyrrhic victory for Napoleon, as he failed to achieve his goal of decisively destroying the Russian army.

The losses to his Grande Armée, particularly to his cavalry, were irreplaceable so deep inside Russia.

Napoleon went on to occupy Moscow, but the city was largely deserted and set on fire.

The Battle of Borodino marked the beginning of the end for Napoleon's disastrous Russian campaign.