After recovering from the Russian campaign, the French army faced more foes in the Germanic states. Napoleon faced crucial losses at the Battle of Nations in Leipzig. He was forced to retreat back to Paris with a fraction of an army, compared to the allied European forces surrounding him. Paris was soon overrun with foreign troops and he signed a formal notice of abdication, placing his son on the throne. He was eventually forced to surrender unconditionally and was sent to live in exile on the island of Elba.