Battle of Friedland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Friedland |
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| Part of the War of the Fourth Coalition | |||||||
 Napoleon at the Battle of Friedland (1807). The Emperor is depicted giving instructions to General Nicolas Oudinot. Between them is depicted General Etienne de Nansouty and behind the Emperor, on his right is Marshal Michel Ney. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 French Empire Kingdom of Saxony |
 Russian Empire |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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| Strength | |||||||
| 80,000 (65,000 engaged) 118 cannons |
46,000–60,000 120 cannons |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 8,000–10,000 | 20,000–40,000 killed, wounded and captured 80 guns |
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The Battle of Friedland took place on June 14, 1807. It was a huge fight during the Napoleonic Wars. The French army, led by Napoleon I, fought against the Russian army, led by Count von Bennigsen. Napoleon and his French forces won a major victory. They defeated a large part of the Russian army. The Russians had to retreat in a messy way across the Alle River. This battle happened near the town of Pravdinsk in what is now Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia.
This battle was very important because an earlier battle, the Battle of Eylau, didn't have a clear winner. The Battle of Friedland started when General Bennigsen thought he saw a small group of French soldiers. These soldiers were led by Marshal Lannes. Bennigsen believed he could easily defeat them before Napoleon's main army arrived. So, he ordered his entire army to cross the Alle River.
However, Marshal Lannes was very clever. He managed to hold his ground against the Russian attacks. He kept fighting until Napoleon could bring more French troops to the battlefield. Bennigsen could have pulled his Russian forces back across the river. But he decided to stay and fight, even though his army was in a tough spot. By late afternoon, Napoleon had gathered about 80,000 soldiers. He saw that the Russians were trapped with the river behind them. Napoleon then ordered a huge attack on the Russian left side.
The French attack pushed the Russian army back. They were forced against the river. The Russians couldn't hold on and broke apart. Many tried to escape across the Alle River, and some drowned. The Russian army lost a huge number of soldiers at Friedland. They lost over 40% of their men.
Napoleon's big win convinced the Russian leaders that they needed to make peace. The Battle of Friedland basically ended the War of the Fourth Coalition. The Russian Emperor, Alexander I, had to agree to peace talks with Napoleon. These talks led to the Treaties of Tilsit. In these treaties, Russia agreed to join the Continental System. This system was a blockade against Great Britain. Also, Prussia lost almost half of its land. This land became the new Kingdom of Westphalia, ruled by Napoleon's brother, Jérôme. The treaties also gave France control of the Ionian Islands. These islands were important for controlling the Mediterranean Sea. Many historians believe that the agreements made at Tilsit were the peak of Napoleon's power. At this time, no other major country in Europe was challenging France's control.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
Before Friedland, Europe was already in a big war called the War of the Third Coalition in 1805. After France won the Battle of Austerlitz in December 1805, Prussia decided to go to war in 1806. They wanted to get back their strong position in Central Europe.
The Prussian Campaign: Prussia Joins the Fight
Tensions between France and Prussia grew after the Battle of Austerlitz. Napoleon wanted Prussia to join his Continental System. This system stopped trade with Great Britain. It hurt German businesses. Napoleon also upset Prussia by offering Hanover to Britain.
Prussia started getting its army ready on August 9, 1806. They told France to move its troops west of the Rhine River by October 8, or they would go to war. Napoleon wanted to defeat the Prussian armies quickly before the Russians could arrive.
About 180,000 French soldiers crossed the Franconian forest on October 2, 1806. They marched in a special formation to be ready for attacks from any direction. On October 14, the French won a huge double-battle at Jena-Auerstedt. After this, the French chased the Prussian army. By the end of the campaign, Prussia had lost many soldiers and cannons. Most of its army was gone. Russia now had to face France alone.
Eylau: A Bloody Stalemate
When the French arrived in Poland, the local people welcomed them. The Russian general Bennigsen was worried that French forces would cut off his army. So, he left Warsaw and moved his troops to the other side of the Vistula. On November 28, 1806, French troops entered Warsaw. The French chased the Russians, and a big battle happened near Pułtusk on December 26. The outcome was unclear. But Bennigsen told the Tsar he had defeated 60,000 French troops. Because of this, he was given command of all Russian armies in Poland.
Later, Marshal Ney spread out his French forces to find food. Bennigsen saw a chance to attack a small group of French soldiers. But he changed his mind when he realized Napoleon was trying to trap his army. The Russians pulled back towards Allenstein and then to Eylau.
On February 7, the Russians fought for control of Eylau. On February 8, the battle continued. Both sides had many soldiers. Napoleon hoped to keep Bennigsen's army busy. This would allow other French troops to attack the Russians from the sides. It was a very tough fight, made worse by a snowstorm. The French were in trouble until a huge charge by 10,700 French cavalry soldiers helped them. Even with more French troops arriving, the battle was still very hard. Bennigsen eventually retreated. Both sides lost about 25,000 soldiers. This battle was not a clear win for either side. It meant the war would continue.
Heilsberg: The Last Stop Before Friedland
After several months of resting, Napoleon moved his army again. He learned that the Russians were at their base in Heilsberg, by the Alle River. Napoleon decided to attack. He thought he was only fighting the back part of the Russian army. But he actually ran into the entire Russian army, which had over 50,000 men and 150 cannons.
The French attacked many times, but they couldn't move the Russians. The Russians were fighting from strong defenses built to stop river crossings. French losses were high, about 10,000 soldiers. The Russians lost about 6,000. The Russians eventually left Heilsberg because their position was too difficult. Napoleon chased them again. The French headed towards Königsberg to get more supplies. On June 13, Marshal Lannes's advance group saw many Russian troops at Friedland. Both sides fought for the rest of the day without a clear winner. Bennigsen believed he had enough time to cross the Alle River the next day. He planned to destroy Lannes's small group and then retreat before Napoleon's main army arrived.
The Battle of Friedland: A Decisive Victory
Bennigsen's main army started to enter Friedland on the night of June 13. This happened after Russian forces pushed back French cavalry. Napoleon's army was marching towards Friedland, but his troops were spread out. So, the first part of the battle was unplanned. Lannes knew Napoleon was coming with more troops. He sent messengers for help and fought a clever delaying action. He kept Bennigsen's army busy. Lannes had only about 26,000 men. But he made Bennigsen send more and more troops across the Alle to try and defeat him.
Lannes bravely held his ground. He moved his troops to stop Russian advances. The French fought the Russians in the Sortlack Wood and in front of Posthenen early on June 14. Lannes kept Bennigsen busy until the French had gathered 80,000 troops on the west side of the river. Both sides used their cavalry to prepare their battle lines. A race for Heinrichsdorf ended with the French cavalry winning. Bennigsen was now trapped. He had placed all his temporary bridges near Friedland, which was a narrow point. This meant his troops were stuck on the west bank.
Meanwhile, Lannes fought hard to hold Bennigsen. Napoleon worried the Russians might escape again. But by 6 a.m., Bennigsen had almost 50,000 men across the river. They were forming up west of Friedland. Their infantry (foot soldiers) were in two lines. They stretched between the Heinrichsdorf-Friedland road and the river. Artillery (cannons) were also there. Cavalry (horse soldiers) and Cossacks extended the line to the wood. Some Cossacks even reached Schwonau. The left side also had cavalry and cannons across the Alle river. A heavy fight happened in the Sortlack Wood.
French troops arrived at Heinrichsdorf and pushed the Cossacks out of Schwonau. Lannes continued to hold his position. By noon, Napoleon arrived with 40,000 more French soldiers. Napoleon quickly gave orders. Ney's troops would attack between Postlienen and the Sortlack Wood. Lannes would be on Ney's left, forming the center. Mortier would be at Heinrichsdorf, on the left side. General Victor's troops and the Imperial Guard were kept in reserve. Large groups of cavalry were gathered at Heinrichsdorf. The main attack would be on the Russian left side. Napoleon saw that this part of the Russian army was squeezed between the river and a mill-stream.
Napoleon spent the afternoon getting his newly arrived troops ready. French cannons fired to cover their movements. At 5 o'clock, everything was ready. Ney, with strong cannon fire, quickly took the Sortlack Wood. The attack moved towards the Alle River. Marshal Ney's division pushed part of the Russian left into the river. A fierce charge by Russian cavalry was stopped by French cavalry.
Soon, the Russians were crowded together by the river. They became an easy target for French cannons. Ney's attack slowed down. Russian cavalry charged and pushed Ney's troops back for a moment. It looked like the battle might not have a clear winner, just like Eylau. But the French moved quickly. A division of infantry advanced fast. French cavalry pushed the Russian horse soldiers back into the crowded Russian infantry near the river. Finally, General Sénarmont moved many cannons very close. The cannons fired case-shot (small metal balls). This caused terrible damage to the Russian lines. The Russian defense quickly fell apart. Ney's tired infantry chased the broken Russian regiments into the streets of Friedland.
Meanwhile, Lannes and Mortier had kept the Russian center and right busy. Their cannons caused heavy losses. When Friedland itself started burning, the two marshals launched their infantry attack. More fresh French troops arrived. Dupont's division crossed the mill-stream and attacked the left side of the Russian center. The Russians fought hard, but the French slowly pushed them back. The battle was soon over.
The Russians lost many soldiers during their messy retreat across the river. Many soldiers drowned. Farther north, the Russian troops who were still organized retreated using another road. French cavalry on the left side were ordered to chase them, but they didn't. French forces lost about 10,000 soldiers. The Russians lost at least 20,000 soldiers.
Results of the Battle
On June 19, Emperor Alexander sent a messenger to ask for a ceasefire with the French. Napoleon told the messenger that the Vistula River was the natural border between French and Russian influence in Europe. Based on this, the two emperors started peace talks in the town of Tilsit. They met on a famous raft on the River Niemen. Alexander's first words to Napoleon were probably planned: "I hate the English as much as you do." Napoleon reportedly replied, "Then we have already made peace." The two emperors spent several days watching each other's armies, giving out medals, and talking about many different things.
Even though the talks at Tilsit had a lot of fancy ceremonies, they were also about tough politics. Alexander was pressured by his brother, Duke Constantine, to make peace with Napoleon. Because Napoleon had just won a big victory, he offered Russia fairly easy terms. He asked Russia to join the Continental System. He also asked them to remove their troops from Wallachia and Moldavia. And he wanted them to give the Ionian Islands to France.
However, Napoleon gave very harsh peace terms to Prussia. This was despite Queen Louise of Prussia asking him to be kinder. Napoleon took away half of Prussia's land. He created a new kingdom called Westphalia, which was 1,100 square miles big. He then made his younger brother, Jérôme, the new king of this kingdom. Prussia's harsh treatment at Tilsit caused a deep and bitter anger. This anger grew as the Napoleonic Era continued.
Also, Alexander's show of friendship with Napoleon made Napoleon misjudge Alexander's true intentions. Alexander would break many parts of the treaty in the next few years. Despite these problems, Tilsit finally gave Napoleon a break from war. He was able to return to France, which he hadn't seen in over 300 days. His arrival was met with huge celebrations in Paris.
The War of the Fourth Coalition was now over.
- The Peninsular War began later in the same year, on November 19, 1807.
- The War of the Fifth Coalition began in 1809.
- The River Niemen was crossed during the French Invasion of Russia in 1812.
Popular Culture
The battle is mentioned as an important event in Leo Tolstoy's famous book War and Peace.
See also
