Battle of Friedland
Part of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoléon at the Battle of Friedland, by Horace Vernet.
Date: June 14, 1807 Location: Friedland, Prussia Result: Decisive French victory
Combatants
First French Empire	Russian Empire
Commanders
Napoléon Bonaparte	General Bennigsen
Strength
80,000	60,000
Casualties
8,000 killed and wounded[1]	20,000 killed and wounded[2]

The Battle of Friedland, fought on June 14, 1807 about twenty-seven miles (43 km) southeast of the modern Russian city of Kaliningrad, just north of Poland, was a major engagement in the Napoleonic Wars during the War of the Fourth Coalition. The conflict involved forces of the First French Empire against the army of the Russian Empire. After nearly twenty-three hours of fighting, the French troops, commanded by Emperor Napoleon I, managed to score a decisive victory over the Russian army, commanded by Bennigsen. By the end of the battle, 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. Combatants Allies: • Great Britain/United Kingdom, • Prussia, • Austria, • Sweden, • Russia, • and Others • France • Denmark-Norway • Poland Casualties Full list The Napoleonic Wars consisted of a series of wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule over France. ... Image File history File links Napoleon_friedland. ... Émile Jean-Horace Vernet (June 30, 1789 - January 17, 1863) was a French painter of battle panoramas, sporting, and Arab themes. ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... 1807 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Pravdinsk (Russian: ; German: Friedland in Ostpreußen until 1946, Polish: FrydlÄ…d) is a town in the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia. ... Flag of Prussia (1894 - 1918) The Kingdom of Prussia existed from 1701 until 1918, and from 1871 was the leading kingdom of the German Empire, comprising in its last form almost two-thirds of the area of the Empire. ... The First French Empire, commonly known as the French Empire or the Napoleonic Empire, covers the period of the domination of France and much of continental Europe by Napoleon I of France. ... Official language Russian Official Religion Russian Orthodox Christianity Capital Saint Petersburg (Petrograd 1914-1925) Area Approx. ... Napoleon I Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, King of Italy (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution; the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from 11 November 1799 to 18 May 1804; then Emperor of the French (Empereur... Portrait by George Dawe in the Military Gallery Levin August Gottlieb Theophil (Russian: Leonty Leontyevich), Count von Bennigsen (February 10, 1745 - December 3, 1826) was a Russian general. ... In the Napoleonic Wars, the Fourth Coalition was an alliance organized against Napoleons Empire of France in 1806–1807. ... Combatants First French Empire Prussia Commanders Napoleon I, Louis Nicolas Davout Duke of Brunswick, Prince Hohenlohe Strength 90,000 (Jena); 27,000 (Auerstedt) 38,000 (Jena); 63,000 (Auerstedt) Casualties 5,000 dead and wounded (Jena); 7,000 killed, wounded, or missing (Auerstedt) 25,000 dead, wounded, or captured (Jena... The Battle of Pułtusk took place on December 26, 1806 near Pułtusk, Russians with 120 guns under General Bennigsen, and 35,000 French under Marshal Lannes. ... The Battle of Eylau, fought on February 7–8, 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive contest between the forces of Napoléon and a mostly Russian army under General Bennigsen. ... The Battle of Heilsberg took place in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars. ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... 1807 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A mile is the name of a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... km redirects here. ... Government Russia District Subdivision Russia Northwestern Federal District Kaliningrad Oblast Mayor Yuri Savenko (2005) Geographical characteristics Area  - City 215. ... Combatants Allies: • Great Britain/United Kingdom, • Prussia, • Austria, • Sweden, • Russia, • and Others • France • Denmark-Norway • Poland Casualties Full list The Napoleonic Wars consisted of a series of wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule over France. ... In the Napoleonic Wars, the Fourth Coalition was an alliance organized against Napoleons Empire of France in 1806–1807. ... The First French Empire, commonly known as the French Empire or the Napoleonic Empire, covers the period of the domination of France and much of continental Europe by Napoleon I of France. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français... Levin August Gottlieb Theophil (Russian: Leonty Leontyevich), count von Bennigsen (February 10, 1745 - December 3, 1826) was a Russian general. ...

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. France signed a separate treaty with Prussia two days later to ostracize her from the main negotations. 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.^[3] 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, Jerome. Tilsit is traditionally regarded as the high watermark of Napoleon's empire.^[4] July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by Napoleon I of France in the town of Tilsit in July, 1807. ... Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 Prussia (German: ; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Lithuanian: ; Polish: ; Old Prussian: PrÅ«sa) was, most recently, a historic state originating in East Prussia, an area which for centuries had substantial influence on German and European history. ... Aleksander I Pavlovich Romanov (Russian: Александр I Павлович) (December 23, 1777–December 1, 1825), was Emperor of Russia from March 23, 1801–December 1, 1825 and King of Poland from 1815–1825, as well as the first Grand Duke of Finland. ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Söğüt (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Constantinople (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanl... Map of Croatia with Dalmatia highlighted Dalmatia (Croatian: Dalmacija Serbian: Далмација) is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, in modern Croatia, spreading between the island of Rab in the northwest and the Gulf of Kotor (Boka Kotorska) in the southeast. ... // Headline text This article is about the group of islands west of Greece. ... The Continental System was a foreign-policy cornerstone of Napoleon I of France in his struggle against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during the Napoleonic Wars. ... The Elbe River (Czech Labe, Sorbian/Lusatian Łobjo, Polish Łaba, German Elbe) is one of the major waterways of central Europe. ... The Kingdom of Westphalia is a historical state in present-day Germany that existed from 1807-1813. ... Jérôme Bonaparte Jérôme Bonaparte, King of Westphalia (November 15, 1784 - June 24, 1860) was the youngest brother of Napoleon, who made him King of Westphalia (1807-1813). ...

Prelude

Before Friedland, Europe had been embroiled in the War of the Third Coalition in 1805. Following the French victory at Austerlitz, Prussia went to war in 1806 to recover her position as the eminent power of Central Europe. In the Napoleonic Wars, the Third Coalition against Napoléon emerged in 1805, and consisted of an alliance of Britain, Austria, Russia, Naples, and Sweden against France. ... 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants First French Empire Russian Empire Austrian Empire Commanders Napoleon I Alexander I Strength 67,000[1] 73,000[2] Casualties 1,305 dead 6,940 wounded 573 captured about 9,000 total 1 standard lost[3] 15,000 dead or wounded 12,000 captured about 27,000 total 180... 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Regions of Europe Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ...

The Prussian Campaign

Franco-Prussian tensions gradually increased after Austerlitz. Napoleon insisted that Prussia join his economic blockade against Britain, which adversely affected the German merchant class, 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.^[5] 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.^[6] Johann Philipp Palm (17 November 1768–26 August 1806), German bookseller, a victim of the tyranny of Napoleon I of France over the former Holy Roman Empire. ... Hanover (German: Hannover []), on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ... The Rhine canyon (Ruinaulta) in Graubünden in Switzerland Length 1. ...

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.^[8] On October 14, the French won decisively at the large double-battle of Jena-Auerstadt. A famous pursuit followed, and by the end of the campaign, the Prussians had lost 25,000 killed and wounded, 140,000 prisoners, and more than 2,000 cannon.^[9] A few Prussian units managed to cross the Oder into Poland, but the vast majority of the Prussian army had been lost. 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.^[10] The Frankenwald is a mid-altitude mountain range in Northern Bavaria, Germany. ... Combatants First French Empire Prussia Commanders Napoleon I, Louis Nicolas Davout Duke of Brunswick, Prince Hohenlohe Strength 90,000 (Jena); 27,000 (Auerstedt) 38,000 (Jena); 63,000 (Auerstedt) Casualties 5,000 dead and wounded (Jena); 7,000 killed, wounded, or missing (Auerstedt) 25,000 dead, wounded, or captured (Jena... The Oder River (Czech/Polish: Odra, German: Oder, Ancient Latin: Viadua, Viadrus, Medieval Latin: Odera, Oddera) is a river in Central Europe. ... Davout, Marshal of France Louis Nicolas dAvout (May 10, 1770 – June 1, 1823), better known as Davout, duc dAuerstädt, prince dEckmühl, and a marshal of France. ... Warsaw (Polish: , (?), in full The Capital City of Warsaw, Polish: Miasto StoÅ‚eczne Warszawa) is the capital of Poland and its largest city. ... Pierre François Charles Augereau, duc de Castiglione Pierre François Charles Augereau, duc de Castiglione (October 21, 1757 – June 12, 1816) was marshal of France, a hero of both the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. ... Bydgoszcz (Polish pronunciation: (?), German: Bromberg, Latin: Bydgostia) is a city in northern Poland, on the Brda and Vistula rivers, with a population of 369,151 (2004). ... Kalisz (pronounce: [kaliʃ]) is a city in central Poland with 109,800 inhabitants (1995). ...

Eylau

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. On November 28, 1806, French troops under Murat entered Warsaw. The French pursued the fleeing Russians and a significant battle developed around Pultusk on December 26th. 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.^[12] At this point, Marshal Ney began to extend his forces to procure food supplies. Bennigsen noticed a good opportunity to strike at an isolated French corps, but he abandoned his plans once he realized that Napoleon was maneuvering to trap his army.^[13] The Russians withdrew towards Allenstein, and later to Eylau. Vistula river basin Vistula (Polish Wisła), is the longest river in Poland. ... Joachim Murat, King of Naples, Marshal of France Murat portrait, by François Pascal Simon, Baron Gérard, c. ... The Battle of Pułtusk took place on December 26, 1806 near Pułtusk, Russians with 120 guns under General Bennigsen, and 35,000 French under Marshal Lannes. ... Michel Ney, Marshal of France. ... Olsztyn (pronounce: [:É”lʃtin], German Allenstein) is a city in northeast Poland, on the Lyna River (German Alle). ... Bagrationovsk (Russian: Багратионовск, German: Preußisch Eylau before 1946, Lithuanian: Yluva/PrÅ«sų Ylava, Polish: Pruska IÅ‚awa / IÅ‚awka) is a small town in the Kaliningrad Oblast in Russia, located some 37 km south of Kaliningrad, at 54°23′ N 20Â...

On February 7th, the Russians fought Soult's corps for possession of Eylau. Daybreak on February 8 saw 44,500 French troops on the field against 67,000 Russians.^[14] 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,^[15] 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. 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.^[16] More importantly, however, the lack of a decisive victory by either side meant that the war would go on. Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, duc de Dalmatie (March 29, 1769 – November 26, 1851) was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of France in 1804. ...

The battle

The Russians had on the 13th driven the French cavalry outposts from Friedland to the westward, and Bennigsen's main body began to occupy the town in the night. 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 thus, as usual, a pure encounter-battle. The corps of Marshal Lannes as general advanced guard was first engaged, in the Sortlack Wood and in front of Posthenen (2.30-3 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 favour of the French under Grouchy. Jean Lannes Jean Lannes, Duke of Montebello (April 11, 1769 – May 31, 1809), marshal of France, was born at Lectoure (Gers). ... Emmanuel, Marquis de Grouchy, Marshal of France Emmanuel, marquis de Grouchy (October 23, 1766 – May 29, 1847), marshal of France, was born in Paris. ...

Lannes in the meantime was fighting hard to hold Bennigsen, for Napoleon feared that the Russians meant to evade him again. Actually, by 6 AM. Bennigsen had nearly 50,000 men across the river and forming up west of Friedland. His infantry, in two lines, with artillery, extended between the Heinrichsdorf-Friedland road and the upper bends of the river. Beyond the right of the infantry, cavalry and Cossacks extended the line to the wood NE of Heinrichsdorf, and small bodies of Cossacks penetrated even to Schwonau. The left wing also had some cavalry and, beyond the Alle river, batteries were brought into action to cover it. A heavy and indecisive fire-fight raged in the Sortlack Wood between the Russian skirmishers and some of Lannes's troops. Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of Turkey. ... The Łyna (-Polish, Russian: Лава or Lava, German: Alle) is a river in northern Poland and the Kaliningrad oblast of Russia, a tributary of the Pregolya river, with a total length of 264 km (190 km in Poland - making it the 11th longest Polish river - and 74 km in Russia) and...

The head of Mortier's (French and Polish) corps appeared at Heinrichsdorf and the Cossacks were driven out of Schwonau. Lannes held his own, and by noon, when Napoleon arrived, 40,000 French troops were on the scene of action. His orders were brief: Neys 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. 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. Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier, Marshal of France Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier, duc de Trévise (February 13, 1768 – July 28, 1835), marshal of France under Napoléon, was born at Le Cateau-Cambrésis, and entered the army as a sub-lieutenant in 1791. ... Claude Victor-Perrin, duc de Belluno (7 December 1764 – 1 March 1841) was a marshal of France during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. ...

Napoleon salutes the cuirassiers of the 12th regiment charging into the field.

The course of the previous operations had been such that both armies had still large detachments out towards Königsberg. 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. A furious charge of cavalry against Marchand's left was repulsed by the dragoon division of Latour-Maubourg. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (905x611, 110 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Battle of Friedland ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (905x611, 110 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Battle of Friedland ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... Cuirassiers were mounted cavalry soldiers equipped with armor and firearms, first appearing in late 15th-century Europe. ... Former German name of the city of Kaliningrad. ... Michel Ney, Marshal of France. ... A light dragoon from the American Revolution French dragoon, 1745. ...

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 infantry division of Dupont advanced rapidly from Posthenen, the cavalry divisions drove back the Russian squadrons into the now congested masses of loot on the river bank, and finally the artillery general Sénarmont advanced a mass of guns to case-shot range. The Battle of Eylau, fought on February 7–8, 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive contest between the forces of Napoléon and a mostly Russian army under General Bennigsen. ... Pierre-Antoine, comte Dupont de lÉtang (1765-1840) was a French general of the 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 Alexander I of Russia [Czar Alexander I] to seek peace terms five days after the battle. The following negotiations led to the Treaty of Tilsit in July. The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by Napoleon I of France in the town of Tilsit in July, 1807. ...

Notes

Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne (July 19, 1769 - February 7, 1834), French diplomatist, was born at Sens. ... External links Wikimedia Commons has multimedia related to: Neman Categories: Belarus-related stubs | Rivers of Belarus | Rivers of Lithuania | Russian rivers ...

References

• Chandler, David G. The Campaigns of Napoleon. 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