Battle of Friedland
Part of the War of the Fourth Coalition
A Charge of the Russian Leib Guard on 14 June 1807, by Viktor Mazurovsky. The Fourth Coalition against Napoleon's French Empire was defeated in a war spanning 1806&ndash1807
Date June 14, 1807 Location Friedland, Prussia Result Decisive French victory
Belligerents
French Empire	Russian Empire
Commanders
Napoleon I	General Bennigsen
Strength
80,000 118 cannons[1]	60,000 120 cannons[1]
Casualties and losses
8,000 killed and wounded[2]	20,000 killed and wounded[3]

The Battle of Friedland (June 14, 1807) saw Napoleon's French army decisively defeat Bennigsen's Russian army about twenty-seven miles (43 km) southeast of Königsberg, effectively ending the Fourth Coalition against Napoleon. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 1807 ( MDCCCVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Pravdinsk (; Romuva Frydląd is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising The Empire of the French (1804-1814 also known as the Empire of France, Greater French Empire, First French Empire, French Empire, or The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. Levin August Gottlieb Theophil ( Leonty Leontyevich) Count von Bennigsen ( February 10 1745 - December 3 1826) was Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 1807 ( MDCCCVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. Levin August Gottlieb Theophil ( Leonty Leontyevich) Count von Bennigsen ( February 10 1745 - December 3 1826) was A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand Königsberg (Karaliaučius Low German: Königsbarg; Królewiec see also other names) was until 1946 the name of Kaliningrad. The Fourth Coalition against Napoleon's French Empire was defeated in a war spanning 1806&ndash1807 The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 involved Napoleon's French Empire and a shifting set of European allies and opposing coalitions After nearly twenty-three hours of fighting, the French were in complete control of the battlefield and the Russian army was retreating chaotically over the Alle River, where many soldiers drowned while trying to escape. Łyna can refer to Łyna River (Alle a river in Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast (Лава Lava) Łyna (village

Friedland effectively brought the Fourth Coalition to an end. On July 7, 1807, Russia and France signed the Treaty of Tilsit, which made the two nations allies after two years of war. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by Napoleon I of France in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland in the town of Tilsit France signed a separate treaty with Prussia two days later to ostracize her from the main negotiations. Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state The public terms of Tilsit mentioned the warm feelings between Napoleon and Alexander, but the secret terms addressed more substantial issues: France permitted Russia to do as it wished with the Ottoman Empire in return for gaining the Dalmatian coast and the Ionian Islands, Russia was given a free hand in Finland, and Alexander also agreed to join the Continental System if the war with Britain did not end soon. Alexander I of Russia ( Russian: Александр I Павлович / Aleksandr I Pavlovich (23 December 1777 – November 19 1825 served as Emperor of The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Dalmatia ( Croatian: Dalmacija, see names in other languages) is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, situated mostly in modern This article is about the group of islands west of Greece For the ancient region in western Anatolia see Ionia. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. The Continental System was the Foreign policy of Napoleon I of France in his struggle against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 ^[4] In the other treaty, France ensured that Prussia was humiliated. All Prussian territory west of the Elbe River was transformed into the new Kingdom of Westphalia, whose king was to be Napoleon's own brother, Jérôme. The Elbe ( die Elbe Low German: de Ilv) is one of the major Rivers of Central Europe. The Kingdom of Westphalia was a historical state that existed from 1807 - 1813 in parts of present-day Germany. Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte French Prince King of Westphalia, 1st Prince of Montfort ( November 15, 1784 &ndash June 24, 1860 Tilsit is traditionally regarded as the height of Napoleon's empire. ^[5]

Prelude

Before Friedland, Europe had been embroiled in the War of the Third Coalition in 1805. The War of the Third Coalition in 1805 saw the defeat of an alliance of Austria, Portugal, Russia, and others by France and its client states Year 1805 ( MDCCCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or Following the French victory at Austerlitz, Prussia went to war in 1806 to recover her position as the eminent power of Central Europe. The Battle of Austerlitz (Bitva u Slavkova also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories effectively destroying the Year 1806 ( MDCCCVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and

The Prussian Campaign

Franco-Prussian tensions gradually increased after Austerlitz. Napoleon insisted that Prussia should join his economic blockade against Britain. This adversely affected the German merchant class. Napoleon ordered a raid to seize a subversive, anti-Napoleonic bookseller named Palm, and made a final attempt to secure terms with Britain by offering her Hanover, which infuriated Prussia. Johann Philipp Palm ( 17 November, 1768 &ndash 26 August, 1806) was a German bookseller executed during the Napoleonic Wars Hanover (i ( haˈnoːfɐ on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony ( Niedersachsen ^[6] The Prussians began to mobilize on August 9 and issued an ultimatum on August 26: French troops were required to be on the west bank of the Rhine by October 8 or there would be war between the two nations. The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge ^[7]

Napoleon's strategy to win the war envisioned destroying the Prussian armies before the Russians could arrive. ^[7] 180,000 French troops began to cross the Franconian forest on October 2nd, deployed in a bataillon-carré (square-battalion) system designed to meet threats from any possible direction. The Frankenwald (Franconian Forest is a mid-altitude Mountain range in Northern Bavaria, Germany. ^[8] On October 14, the French won decisively at the large double-battle of Jena-Auerstadt. The twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt (older name Auerstädt were fought on October 14, 1806 on the plateau west of the river Saale A famous pursuit followed, and by the end of the campaign, the Prussians lost 25,000 killed and wounded, 140,000 prisoners, and more than 2,000 cannons. ^[9] A few Prussian units managed to cross the Oder into Poland, but the vast majority of the Prussian army had been lost. The Oder (known in Czech and Polish as Odra) is a River in Central Europe. Russia now had to face France alone. By November 18, French forces under Davout were halfway to Warsaw, Augereau's men were near Bromberg, and Jerome's troops were approaching Kalisch. Louis-Nicolas d'Avout ( May 10, 1770 &ndash June 1, 1823) better known as Davout, 1st Duc d' Auerstaedt Warsaw (Warszawa; also known by other names) is the Capital and Largest city of Poland. Charles Pierre François Augereau 1st Duc de Castiglione ( October 21, 1757 &ndash June 12, 1816) was a French soldier and military Bydgoszcz (Bromberg Bydgostia is a city in northern Poland, on the Brda and Vistula rivers with Kalisz is a City in central Poland with 109800 inhabitants (1995 ^[10]

Eylau

Main article: Battle of Eylau

Napoleon at the Battle of Friedland, by Horace Vernet. The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau (February 7–8 1807 was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and Émile Jean-Horace Vernet ( 30 June 1789 - 17 January 1863) was a French painter of battles portraits and Orientalist

When the French arrived in Poland, they were hailed as liberators. ^[11] Russian general Bennigsen worried that he would be cut off from Buxhowden's army, so he abandoned Warsaw and retreated to the right bank of the Vistula. Friedrich Wilhelm Count von Buxhoevden, (Федор Федорович Буксгевден Fyodor Fyodorovich Booksgevden other spellings Feodor Buxhoeveden Buxhœwden ( September On November 28, 1806, French troops under Murat entered Warsaw. Joachim-Napoléon Murat (born Joachim Murat) ( Gioacchino Napoleone Murat) ( March 25 1767 &ndash October 13 1815) The French pursued the fleeing Russians and a significant battle developed around Pultusk on December 26th. The Battle of Pułtusk took place on December 26 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars near Pułtusk, Poland. The action was indecisive, but Bennigsen wrote to the Czar that he had defeated 60,000 French troops, and as a result he was given overall command of the Russian armies in Poland. At this point, Marshal Ney began to extend his forces to procure food supplies. Michel Ney, 1st Duc d' Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa ( January 10 1769 &ndash December 7 1815 Bennigsen noticed a good opportunity to strike at an isolated French corps, but he abandoned his plans once he realized that Napoléon was maneuvering to trap his army. ^[12] The Russians withdrew towards Allenstein, and later to Eylau. Olsztyn (Allenstein Olštynas Old Prussian: Alnāsteini) is a City in northeastern Poland, on the River Łyna. Bagrationovsk (Багратио́новск Preußisch Eylau Yluva or Prūsų Ylava; Pruska Iława or Iławka) is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast

On February 7th, the Russians fought Soult's corps for possession of Eylau. Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duc de Dalmatie (29 March 1769 26 November 1851 the Hand of Iron, was a French general and statesman named Daybreak on February 8 saw 44,500 French troops on the field against 67,000 Russians. ^[12] Napoleon hoped to pin Bennigsen's army long enough to allow Ney's and Davout's troops to outflank the Russians. A fierce struggle ensued, made worse by a blinding snowstorm plaguing the battlefield. The French were in dire straits until a massed cavalry charge, made by 10,700 troopers formed in 80 squadrons,^[13] relieved the pressure on the center. Davout's arrival meant the attack on the Russian left could commence, but the assault was blunted when a Prussian force under Lestoq suddenly appeared on the battlefield and, with Russian help, threw the French back. Lestoq was a Prussian commander at the Action at Heilsberg where he repulsed Ney and participated in the Battle of Friedland. Ney came too late to effect any meaningful decision, so Bennigsen retreated. Casualties at this indecisive battle were horrific, perhaps 25,000 on each side. ^[14] More importantly, however, the lack of a decisive victory by either side meant that the war would go on.

Heilsberg

Main article: Battle of Heilsberg

The Russian army, under General Bennigsen, held strong defensive positions in the town of Heilsberg on the Alle. The Battle of Heilsberg took place on 10 June 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars. Lidzbark Warmiński (Heilsberg is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland. Łyna can refer to Łyna River (Alle a river in Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast (Лава Lava) Łyna (village The French army, under Marshals Murat and Lannes, attacked on June 10th. Bennigsen repelled several attacks, resulting in huge French casualties, but had to withdraw towards Friedland the following day.

The battle

The Russian forces under General Golitsyn had driven off the French cavalry outposts from Friedland on the 13th, and Bennigsen's main body began to occupy the town at night. Serene Prince Dmitriy Vladimirovich Golitsyn (Дмитрий Владимирович Голицын ( 29 October 1771 &ndash 27 March 1844, The army of Napoleon was set in motion for Friedland, but it was still dispersed on its various march routes, and the first stage of the engagement was a purely situational battle. The corps of Marshal Lannes engaged the Russians first in the Sortlack Wood and in front of Posthenen (2. Jean Lannes, 1st Duc de Montebello, 1st Sovereign Prince de Sievers ( April 11, 1769 &ndash May 31, 30-3 A. M. on the 14th). Both sides now used their cavalry freely to cover the formation of lines of battle, and a race between the rival squadrons for the possession of Heinrichsdorf resulted in favor of the French under Grouchy. Grouchy redirects here For the musical theorist Jean de Grouchy (ca

In the meantime Lannes was fighting hard to hold Bennigsen. Napoleon feared that the Russians meant to evade him again, but by 6 a. m. Bennigsen had nearly 50,000 men across the river and forming up west of Friedland. His infantry, organized in two lines, extended between the Heinrichsdorf-Friedland road and the upper bends of the river along with the artillery. Beyond the right of the infantry, cavalry and Cossacks extended the line to the wood northeast of Heinrichsdorf. Small bodies of Cossacks penetrated even to Schwonau. The Cossacks (Каза́ки́ Kazaki; Козаки́ Kozaki; Kozacy are a group of martial people living in the southern Steppe regions of Eastern The left wing also had some cavalry and, beyond the Alle river, batteries were brought into action to cover it. Łyna can refer to Łyna River (Alle a river in Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast (Лава Lava) Łyna (village A heavy and indecisive fire-fight raged in the Sortlack Wood between the Russian skirmishers and some of Lannes's troops.

The head of Mortier's (French and Polish) corps appeared at Heinrichsdorf and the Cossacks were driven out of Schwonau. Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier, 1st Duc de Trévise (13 February 1768 28 July 1835 was a French General and Marshal of France Lannes held his own, and by noon Napoleon arrived with 40,000 French troops at the scene of the action. Napoleon's orders were brief: Ney's corps was to take the line between Postlienen and the Sortlack Wood, Lannes closing on his left, to form the centre, Mortier at Heinrichsdorf the left wing. I Corps under General Victor and the Imperial Guard were placed in reserve behind Posthenen. Claude Victor-Perrin, 1st Duc de Belluno ( 7 December 1764 &ndash 1 March 1841) was a Marshal of France Cavalry masses were collected at Heinrichsdorf. The main attack was to be delivered against the Russian left, which Napoleon saw at once to be cramped in the narrow tongue of land between the river and the Posthenen mill-stream. Three cavalry divisions were added to the general reserve.

Napoleon salutes the cuirassiers of the 12th regiment charging into the field. Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. Cuirassiers were mounted Cavalry Soldiers equipped with Armour and Firearms first appearing in late 15th-century Europe.

The course of the previous operations had been such that both armies still had large detachments out towards Königsberg. Königsberg (Karaliaučius Low German: Königsbarg; Królewiec see also other names) was until 1946 the name of Kaliningrad. The afternoon was spent by the emperor in forming up the newly arrived masses, the deployment being covered by an artillery bombardment. At 5 o'clock all was ready, and Ney, preceded by a heavy artillery fire, rapidly carried the Sortlack Wood. The attack was pushed on toward the Alle. One of Ney's divisions (Marchand) drove part of the Russian left into the river at Sortlack. Michel Ney, 1st Duc d' Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa ( January 10 1769 &ndash December 7 1815 A furious charge of cavalry against Marchand's left was repulsed by the dragoon division of Latour-Maubourg. A dragoon is a soldier intended primarily to fight on foot but trained also in Horse riding and cavalry combat especially Marie Victor Nicolas de Fay marquis de Latour- Maubourg (Château de La Motte-de-Galaure, near Grenoble 22 May 1768 — (Dammarie-lès-Lys

Soon the Russians were huddled together in the bends of the Alle, an easy target for the guns of Ney and of the reserve. Ney's attack indeed came eventually to a standstill; Bennigsen's reserve cavalry charged with great effect and drove him back in disorder. As at Eylau, the approach of night seemed to preclude a decisive success, but in June and on firm ground the old mobility of the French reasserted its value. The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau (February 7–8 1807 was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and The infantry division of Dupont advanced rapidly from Posthenen, the cavalry divisions drove back the Russian squadrons into the now congested masses of infantry on the river bank, and finally the artillery general Sénarmont advanced a mass of guns to case-shot range. Pierre-Antoine, Comte Dupont de l'Étang (1765-1840 was a French General of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars Alexandre-Antoine Hureau de Sénarmont ( 1769 - 26 October 1810) was a French Artillery General.

It was the first example of the terrible artillery preparations of modern warfare, and the Russian defence collapsed in a few minutes. Ney's exhausted infantry were able to pursue the broken regiments of Bennigsen's left into the streets of Friedland. Lannes and Mortier had all this time held the Russian centre and right on its ground, and their artillery had inflicted severe losses. When Friedland itself was seen to be on fire, the two marshals launched their infantry attack. Fresh French troops approached the battlefield. Dupont distinguished himself for the second time by fording the mill-stream and assailing the left flank of the Russian centre. This offered stubborn resistance, but the French steadily forced the line backwards, and the battle was soon over.

The losses incurred by the Russians in retreating over the river at Friedland were very heavy, many soldiers being drowned. Farther north the still unbroken troops of the right wing drew off by the Allenburg road; the French cavalry of the left wing, though ordered to pursue, remaining, for some reason, inactive. French casualties hovered around 8,000 while the Russians suffered nearly 20,000 in dead and wounded.

Results

The thorough destruction of Bennigsen's army persuaded Czar Alexander I to seek peace terms five days after the battle. Alexander I of Russia ( Russian: Александр I Павлович / Aleksandr I Pavlovich (23 December 1777 – November 19 1825 served as Emperor of The following negotiations led to the Treaty of Tilsit in July, spelling the end of the War of the Fourth Coalition. The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by Napoleon I of France in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland in the town of Tilsit The Fourth Coalition against Napoleon's French Empire was defeated in a war spanning 1806&ndash1807

Modern name of the town

Friedland is now in the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast and was renamed Pravdinsk in 1945. Kaliningrad Oblast (Калинингра́дская о́бласть Kaliningradskaya oblast; informally called Yantarny kray (ru Янта́рный край meaning Pravdinsk (; Romuva Frydląd is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia.

Notes

References

• Chandler, David G. The Campaigns of Napoleon. David G Chandler ( 15 January 1934 – 10 October 2004) was a British Historian whose study focused on the Napoleonic New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. ISBN 0-02-523660-1
• Fisher, Todd & Fremont-Barnes, Gregory. The Napoleonic Wars: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd. , 2004. ISBN 1-84176-831-6
• McLynn, Frank. Napoleon: A Biography. New York: Arcade Publishing Inc. , 1997. ISBN 1-55970-631-7
• La bataille de Friedland selon le général baron de MARBOT (Mémoires). Jean Baptiste Antoine Marcellin Marbot ( August 18, 1782 &ndash November 16, 1854) French soldier son of General Jean Plon, Nourrit et Cie - Paris 1891