War of the Fourth Coalition facts for kids

Quick facts for kids War of the Fourth Coalition
Part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars
The French Army marches through Berlin in 1806.
Date October 1806 – July 1807 Location Saxony, Prussia, Poland, East Prussia, Wallachia, Moldavia Result Decisive French victory: Treaties of Tilsit Prussia loses half of its territory Creation of the Duchy of Warsaw Saxony joins the Confederation of the Rhine Franco-Russian alliance Creation of the Continental System Hostilities resume later in 1807 with the commencement of the Peninsular War and expanded in 1809 with the formation of a Fifth Coalition against France
Belligerents
Fourth Coalition:  Prussia  Russia  United Kingdom Saxony (until 11 December 1806)  Sweden Sicily	France Spain Confederation of the Rhine  Bavaria  Württemberg Saxony (after 11 December 1806)  Italy  Naples Etruria Holland Switzerland Polish Legions and rebels
Commanders and leaders
Frederick William III Queen Louise Charles William  † Fredrick Louis Prince Ferdinand  † Eugene Fredrick Ernst von Rüchel Von Blücher Count Tauentzien Ludwig Kalckreuth Anton Wilhelm Alexander I Bennigsen Dmitry Golitsyn Mikhail Kutuzov Pyotr Bagration Gustav IV Adolf Hans von Essen Lord Grenville Duke of Portland	Napoleon I Berthier Davout Jean Lannes Joachim Murat Nicholas Soult Michel Ney Pierre Augereau Edouard Mortier Jérôme Bonaparte Guillaume Brune Bernadotte Louis Bonaparte Beauharnais Józef Poniatowski Jan Henryk Dąbrowski
Strength
200,000 140,000 20,000 20,000 10,000 Total: 390,000	200,000 24,000 10,000 6,000 30,000 12,000–20,000 20,000–40,000 6,000 Total: 310,000
Casualties and losses
700,000 dead

The War of the Fourth Coalition was a big conflict that took place from 1806 to 1807. It was part of the larger Napoleonic Wars. In this war, a group of countries called the Fourth Coalition fought against Napoleon's French Empire. Napoleon and his allies won this war.

The main countries in the Fourth Coalition were Prussia, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, and Great Britain. Many of these countries had already fought against France in the Third Coalition. There was no real break in fighting between these two wars.

Why the War Started

On October 9, 1806, Prussia decided to join a new group against France. Prussia was worried because France was becoming very powerful. Napoleon had just defeated Austria. He also created the Confederation of the Rhine, which was a group of German states allied with France.

Prussia and Russia started getting their armies ready for a new fight. Prussian troops moved into Saxony. They were preparing to challenge Napoleon's growing power in Europe.

Key Battles and Events

The war began quickly. Napoleon's army was very strong and well-trained.

Battle of Jena-Auerstedt

On October 14, 1806, the French army fought the Prussian army. This happened at two places: Jena and Auerstedt. The French won a huge victory. They completely defeated the Prussian army.

After this battle, French forces took over much of Prussia. They even captured Berlin, the capital city. Napoleon then moved his army further east, towards Poland and Russia.

Battle of Eylau

On February 7-8, 1807, the French and Russian armies met at the Battle of Eylau. This was a very bloody battle. It was fought in a snowstorm. Neither side won clearly, and both armies suffered many losses.

Battle of Friedland

The fighting continued for several months. On June 14, 1807, the French army fought the Russians again at the Battle of Friedland. This time, the French won a decisive victory. This defeat forced Russia to seek peace.

The End of the War

In July 1807, France and Russia signed peace agreements. These agreements were called the Treaties of Tilsit. This officially ended the War of the Fourth Coalition.

After the war, Napoleon was in control of most of western and central Europe. Only a few countries, like Spain, Portugal, and Austria, remained independent. Even though the Fourth Coalition ended, Great Britain continued to fight against France.

The participants of the War of the Fourth Coalition. Blue: The Coalition and their colonies and allies. Green: The First French Empire, its protectorates, colonies and allies.

Images for kids

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  Officers of the élite Prussian Gardes du Corps sharpening their swords on the steps of the French embassy in Berlin in 1805. They wanted to start a war.

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  Queen Louise, who supported the war.

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  Map of the Jena-Auerstedt Campaign in October 1806.

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  The Siege of Danzig in 1807.

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  The scene after the Battle of Eylau.

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  Prussia (orange) and the territories it lost at Tilsit (other colours).

See also

In Spanish: Cuarta Coalición para niños