Peace of Tilsit what a war. Peace of Tilsit

Peace of Tilsit in 1807 was one of the episodes Napoleonic Wars in Europe, a page of the glorious victories of the French army that preceded the Battle of Borodino and the famous retreat from empty and burnt Moscow.

Fourth Coalition War

In the fall of 1806, Napoleon with his armies opposed two powerful players in the European arena - Great Britain and Prussia. England was blockaded for a long time, although the French never landed on the island. But Prussia soon enough suffered a crushing defeat. Already on October 12, 1806, Napoleon entered Berlin. This outcome forced the Russian sovereign, Alexander I, as an ally of the Germans, to launch a war against the French. The Russo-French War began in December 1806 and lasted for six months. The Russian armies in Poland and East Prussia resisted quite successfully. So, in the winter of 1807, at the Battle of Eylau, Napoleon for the first time in his practice failed to win. The battle ended in a draw. However, the problem for the Russian armies came from the south in the form of a second front. At this time, another Russian-Turkish war began, forcing the withdrawal of part of the military formations from the western theater of military operations. As a result, on June 14 of the same year, in the battle of Friedland, the army of the commander Leonty Benningsen was defeated by the outnumbered French troops. This battle clearly showed that Alexander I would not be able to wage two simultaneous wars. As a result of this situation, the Peace of Tilsit was imposed, in which Napoleon was able to dictate his terms to Russia. In response to the fulfillment of his conditions, he promised to deprive the Ottoman Empire of assistance in the war with Russia.

Peace of Tilsit: aftermath

As a result of this treaty, Russia was forced to agree with all the territorial conquests and wishes of France. On the territory of Poland, the Duchy of Warsaw was formed, dependent on Paris. Prussia was deprived of a number of territories in favor of Poland. In fairness, it should be noted that these were lands with a Polish population, previously captured by the Prussians. Russia itself was forced to abandon the lands seized from Turkey in Moldavia and Wallachia and recognize the rule of the crown of France over the Ionian Islands. Also, the Peace of Tilsit actually imposed an alliance with Napoleon on Alexander I. According to this treaty, he was to join the continental blockade of the English island and recognize the Rhine Union. In addition, the Peace of Tilsit implied mutual assistance between Russia and France in any offensive or defensive war... This fettered the Russian Empire hand and foot.

Further development of the situation

In Russian public opinion, the Peace of Tilsit was perceived as humiliating to the dignity of the state. According to the later expression of Alexander Pushkin, at his mention "every Russian should turn pale." Therefore, the Peace of Tilsit never received a humble fulfillment, and after the victory in Russian-French war In 1812, his provisions completely lost their significance.

The meeting of Emperors Alexander I and Napoleon I took place on June 25, 1807 on a raft on the Neman River near the Prussian city of Tilsit. It led to the conclusion of a peace treaty between the two countries. According to this document, Russia recognized all the conquests of Napoleon. She entered into an alliance with France and pledged to go to war with England in the event that she would pursue the same course. In the meantime, Russia has joined the "continental blockade" of Great Britain. Prussia, at the request of Alexander, retained formal independence, but in fact turned into a state dependent on France. From part of the Prussian and then Austrian territories, Napoleon created the Duchy of Warsaw completely subordinate to himself. The secret clauses of the treaty gave Russia freedom of action against Turkey and Iran, as well as against Sweden.

Despite a number of clauses of the treaty favorable to Russia, Napoleon was more satisfied with the terms of the Peace of Tilsit. French dominance in Europe was consolidated. Alexander's accession to the "continental blockade" hurt not only England, but also Russia itself, which suffered great economic damage. Napoleon's encouragement of the war of Russia against Sweden incapacitated another of his opponents.

A sharp turn in foreign policy led our country to international isolation, as well as to a fall in the authority of Alexander himself. Most of the members of the Secret Committee then resigned and even left Russia. In St. Petersburg, rumors were circulating about the possibility of another palace coup in favor of the Emperor's sister Catherine Pavlovna. All this made the signed peace fragile.

True, the secret agreements in Tilsit opened up for Alexander the possibility of a safe end to the protracted struggle with Turkey and Iran, as well as the imminent war with Sweden. These directions have become the main ones in the foreign policy of Russia.

VALUE: The Peace of Tilsit ended Russia's participation in the Russian-Prussian-French war of 1806-07, was concluded on June 25 (July 7) 1807 in Tilsit (now Sovetsk, Kaliningrad region) as a result of personal negotiations between Alexander I and Napoleon I. Russia agreed to create Grand Duchy of Warsaw and joined the Continental Blockade. A separate act formalized the offensive and defensive Russian-French alliance. Negative consequences: Alexander I pledged to conclude an armistice with Turkey and withdraw troops from the Danube principalities (Moldavia and Wallachia), transfer the Bay of Kotor on the Adriatic Sea to the French, recognized the sovereignty of France over the Ionian Islands. Russia agreed to the creation of the Duchy of Warsaw on its western borders, which Napoleon planned to use as a springboard for an attack on Russia in the future. Russia also broke off diplomatic relations with England and had to join the Continental Blockade of England (a system of economic and political measures carried out by France against England), which was disadvantageous for her. The Tilsit peace was extremely disadvantageous for Russia from the point of view of political and economic. Russian foreign trade was largely associated with the export of its goods (metal, timber, hemp, tar, flax, bread, etc.) and the import of British goods (textiles, luxury goods, etc.). France practically did not need Russian imports. The conclusion of peace and an alliance with Napoleon was negatively perceived by Russian public opinion, not only because the Russian landowners began to suffer losses from the termination of trade with England, but also because of the humiliation of its conditions for the prestige of the empire. Alexander I, realizing this, actually violated the conditions of peace, establishing economic relations with England through the mediation of third countries. On the positive side: An offensive and defensive alliance between the two countries. Russia received as compensation the Bialystok department, from which the Bialystok region was formed. Russia received Finland belonging to Sweden.

Causes of the Patriotic War of 1812.

From France

After 1807 Great Britain remained the main and, in fact, the only enemy of Napoleon. Great Britain seized the French colonies in America and India and obstructed French trade. Considering that England dominated the sea, the only real weapon of Napoleon in the fight against her was the continental blockade [P 9], the effectiveness of which depended on the desire of other European states to comply with the sanctions. Napoleon insistently demanded that Alexander I more consistently implement the continental blockade, but ran into Russia's unwillingness to break off relations with its main trading partner.

In 1810, the Russian government introduced free trade with neutral countries, which allowed Russia to trade with Great Britain through intermediaries, and adopted a barrage tariff that raised customs rates, mainly on imported French goods. This angered the French government.

Napoleon, not being a hereditary monarch, wanted to confirm the legitimacy of his coronation through marriage with a representative of one of the great monarchical houses of Europe. In 1808, a proposal was made to the Russian reigning house for a marriage between Napoleon and the sister of Alexander I, Grand Duchess Catherine. The offer was rejected under the pretext of Catherine's engagement to the Prince of Saxe-Coburg. In 1810, Napoleon was denied a second time, this time regarding a marriage with another Grand Duchess - 14-year-old Anna (later Queen of the Netherlands). In the same 1810, Napoleon married Princess Marie-Louise of Austria, daughter of the Austrian Emperor Franz I. According to the historian E. V. Tarle, "Austrian marriage" for Napoleon " was the largest support for the rear, in case you have to fight with Russia again". Alexander I's double refusal to Napoleon and Napoleon's marriage to an Austrian princess caused a crisis of confidence in Russian-French relations and sharply worsened them.

In 1811, Napoleon told his ambassador in Warsaw, Abbot de Pradt: “ In five years, I will be the ruler of the whole world. Only Russia remains - I will crush it ...» .

From Russia

The consequences of the continental blockade, to which Russia joined under the terms of the Tilsit Peace of 1807, suffered Russian landowners and merchants, and, as a result, the state finances of Russia. If before the conclusion of the Treaty of Tilsit in 1801-1806 Russia exported annually 2.2 million quarters of bread, then after - in 1807-1810 - exports amounted to 600 thousand quarters. The reduction in exports led to a sharp drop in the price of bread. A pood of bread, which in 1804 cost 40 kopecks in silver, was sold for 22 kopecks in 1810. At the same time, the export of gold in exchange for luxury goods supplied from France accelerated. All this led to a decrease in the value of the ruble and the depreciation of Russian paper money. The Russian government was forced to take measures to protect the country's economy. In 1810, it introduced free trade with neutral countries (which allowed Russia to trade with Great Britain through intermediaries) and increased customs rates on imported luxury goods and wine, that is, just on French exports.

In 1807, Napoleon created the Grand Duchy of Warsaw from the Polish lands, which, according to the second and third partitions of Poland, were part of Prussia and Austria. Napoleon supported the dreams of the Duchy of Warsaw to re-create an independent Poland to its borders former Speech The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which was possible to do only after the separation from Russia of part of its territory. In 1810, Napoleon took possession of the Duke of Oldenburg, a relative of Alexander I, which caused indignation in St. Petersburg. Alexander I demanded that the Duchy of Warsaw be transferred as compensation for the taken away possessions to the Duke of Oldenburg, or that it be liquidated as independent education.

Contrary to the terms of the Tilsit Agreement, Napoleon continued to occupy the territory of Prussia with his troops, Alexander I demanded to withdraw them from there.

From the end of 1810 in European diplomatic circles began to discuss coming war between French and Russian empires... By the fall of 1811, the Russian ambassador to Paris, Prince Kurakin, reported to St. Petersburg on the signs of an imminent war.

the only real reason for the war was Napoleon's desire to crush Britain. The fact is that Napoleon was afraid to attack England, since the Anglo-Saxons were traditionally stronger on the water. Forcing the English Channel, it seemed to Napoleon and his advisers, was about to fail. Several years before the war with Russia, the Englishmen inflicted a painful defeat on the French fleet off the coast of Egypt. Naoleon then withdrew.
That's why. the new plan to conquer Britain was a total blockade. It was for this purpose that Napoleon captured almost all the countries of Europe (and where he did not do this, he established full political control over the leadership). Russia became the only major player in Europe not under the rule of the French emperor.
Napoleon offered Emperor Alexander to voluntarily enter the blockade of Britain. However, the political paths did not lead to anything (Napoleon was treated as an upstart, a barbarian, a "philistine in the nobility", and, in addition, Britain managed to conclude long-term political and trade agreements with Russia ). Napoleon decided to force Russia to join the blockade of Britain. That is why he went to war against Russia. They say that Napoleon (he was still a truly gifted person) realized all the danger (and even failure) of the undertaken adventure immediately after he crossed state border... during his offensive on Moscow, he impetuously wrote letters to Emperor Alexander with proposals for peace ... There was no answer ... What happened next - everyone knows.

Causes:
1. the desire of Napoleon I to establish world hegemony;
2. aggravation of contradictions between Russia and France;
3. Russia's loss of its former influence in the Center. Europe;
4. growing personal hostility between Alexander I and Napoleon I;
5. the growth of dissatisfaction of the Russian nobility with the results of the external. the tsar's politics;
6. plans of Russia to restore monarchical regimes in the countries seized by Napoleon I.
7. Creation of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw - a springboard for diplomatic pressure on Russia.

After the defeat of the Fourth anti-French coalition, Petersburg again had to choose a foreign policy strategy. Several parties formed in Alexander's entourage. So, his "young friends" - Chartoryisky, Novosiltsev, Stroganov, advocated strengthening the alliance with Britain. All of their foreign policy projects took into account the position of London. Many relatives of the emperor, especially his mother, Empress Dowager Maria Feodorovna, as well as Foreign Minister A. Ya. Budberg, commander-in-chief of the troops in the western direction of Bennigsen, believed that it was necessary to preserve and strengthen the alliance with Prussia. Still others, Minister of Commerce N. P. Rumyantsev, Ambassador to Austria A. B. Kurakin and M. M. Speransky, believed that Russia needed to return "free hands" without tying itself to allied relations. They quite reasonably believed that it was necessary to abandon attempts to establish a balance in Europe by armed means, spoke in favor of the need to establish friendly relations with France (since Paris has repeatedly tried to establish more constructive relations with St. Petersburg) and pursue a tougher policy towards Britain. The main task Russian government they saw in commercial and industrial prosperity, and for this they needed peace and a decrease in the role of British goods in Russian trade.

In general, all three parties were in favor of peace with France. But if the "young friends" of the emperor wanted to use the truce to breathe, strengthen the alliance with Britain and other enemies of Paris, in order to continue the fight against the French (besides, they were against a separate agreement between Russia and France, without the participation of Britain), then other groups believed that that it is time to end the protracted war with France, it is more profitable for Russia not to participate in the old conflict between Paris and London. And an alliance with Paris could bring tangible benefits to St. Petersburg.

The problems that arose in Russian-English relations also pushed towards peace with France. The calculations of Alexander the First for a full-fledged military and financial aid Britain did not materialize. So, in 1806, London provided Russia with only 300 thousand pounds out of the 800 thousand. All attempts by Russian diplomacy to obtain payment of the remaining amount were rejected. Russia had to finance the war itself. In January 1807, the question arose of extending a new Russian-English trade agreement - the previous one was concluded in 1797 and its validity period ended. In negotiations with the British Ambassador Stuart, Russian Foreign Minister Budberg wanted to change the terms of the treaty in favor of St. Petersburg, the previous agreement gave the British great advantages. Naturally, the British did not want to change the favorable terms, and the negotiations reached an impasse.

As a result, it became obvious that it was very foolish to continue the war with France. Prussia was defeated, Austria was not going to oppose France, England was guided primarily by personal interests, not general ones, Russia was at war with Persia and Ottoman Empire, at the front, the troops suffered a number of setbacks, there was a threat of international isolation, negative situation was in the field of finance. As a result, Alexander I, despite his personal hostility to Napoleon, was forced to make peace with France.

Tilsit

The French emperor also showed a willingness to negotiate. After the defeat of the Russian army at Friedland, the French army was inactive and did not cross the borders of Russia. The negotiations went through several stages. At first, St. Petersburg announced that it was ready for negotiations if Napoleon accepts the condition on the preservation of the territorial integrity of Russia. And she offered to negotiate not separately, but with the participation of all parties to the conflict. Paris did not lay claim to Russian territory, Napoleon himself spoke in favor of peace negotiations, but was against the participation of other powers in them, especially England. On June 9 (21), 1807, an armistice was signed. Attempts by the British to prevent Russia from concluding a truce were unsuccessful.

On June 13 (25), two emperors, Alexander and Napoleon, met on the Neman River. The question of peace was beyond doubt, France and Russia were tired of the bloody war. Now it was necessary to agree on the degree of rapprochement between the two great powers (Napoleon wanted a real union, and Alexander wanted to preserve "free hands") and the amount of mutual concessions. This was not a negotiation between the defeated side and the victorious winner. Alexander agreed to break off relations with Britain and recognize the changes in Europe, but demanded that France should not interfere in Russian-Turkish relations and preserve the Prussian statehood, headed by Friedrich Wilhelm. Napoleon wanted a real military-political alliance with Russia in order to consolidate the rule of France in Western Europe, the success of military campaigns, making them lasting and complete the campaign in the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, he needed an alliance with St. Petersburg in order to fight Britain - at least Russia's joining the continental blockade, or better, the full participation of the Russians in the fight against the British.

It was the question of the alliance between Russia and France that caused the most controversy in Tilsite. Alexander was in favor of peace, but did not see a future for an alliance with France. The Russian emperor did not want to fight with England and participate in the continental blockade (abandon trade relations with Britain), which would damage the country's economy. In addition, the alliance with France strengthened the possibility of Paris' interference in Russian-Turkish relations.

Alexander initially managed to separate the issue of concluding peace from the problem of creating an alliance of the two powers. But then the negotiations became more complicated - Napoleon proposed to divide the European possessions of the Ottoman Empire between Russia and France and destroy Prussia. Alexander said that Russia is not interested in the division of Turkish possessions, but offers a compromise - the division of spheres of influence in the Balkan Peninsula, with the participation of Austria. In relation to Prussia, Alexander was adamant - the Prussian statehood, albeit in a truncated form, should be preserved. Napoleon made a concession regarding Prussia, but demanded that the Polish regions be separated from it, which Berlin received during the Second and Third Partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the end of the 18th century. The French emperor wanted to restore Polish statehood, albeit in a very curtailed form and under the protectorate of Paris.

As a result, Alexander realized that Napoleon would not accept Russia's terms on Prussia and Turkey, without allied relations, and agreed to a secret alliance with France. As a result, two treaties were signed: an open peace treaty and a secret agreement.

Terms of the peace agreement

Russia recognized all the conquests of France. Paris achieved recognition by St. Petersburg of Joseph Bonaparte - King of Naples, Ludwig Bonaparte - King of the Netherlands, Jerome Bonaparte - King of Westphalia. And also the recognition of the Rhine Union.

Russia agreed that Prussia would lose land on the left bank of the Elbe and allocate areas from it for the creation of the Duchy of Warsaw. The city of Gdansk was declared a free agreement. The Bialystok District was withdrawn to Russia.

Petersburg agreed to become a mediator in the Anglo-French negotiations.

France became a mediator in negotiations between Russia and Turkey.

Russia pledged to transfer the Ionian Islands and the Cattaro Bay to France.

Besides, union treaty provided for joint actions of the two powers against any hostile third power. Petersburg should have, if England refuses to make peace with France, join the continental blockade. In the event of a joint war with the Ottoman Empire, Paris and Petersburg agreed to divide its possessions, except for Istanbul and Rumelia.

It is clear that this agreement was not beneficial to Russia, but at the same time the agreement was not shameful. So, the treaty did not prohibit trade with England through neutral countries... And Russia was supposed to enter the war against a third power after the elaboration of a special convention. Until 1812, the parties did not even begin to develop such an agreement. Thus, the question of military cooperation between France and Russia remained open and provided room for maneuver.

Alexander himself believed that this peace treaty and alliance only gave Russia time to resume the fight later. Russia retained its foreign policy independence, gained time to prepare for a new war, to search for allies. In addition, the Russian emperor believed that Napoleon's empire should face serious internal difficulties in the near future. At the same time, Alexander's inner circle changed - the emperor's "young friends" were pushed aside, N. Rumyantsev was appointed Foreign Minister, he was a supporter of rapprochement with France and limiting the role of England. At the same time, the role of M. M. Speransky grew. True, the Russian public, already accustomed to the loud victories of the Russian, was extremely unhappy. The feeling of resentment in metropolitan circles was so great that 14 years later, Alexander Pushkin wrote: "Tilsit! ... with this offensive sound / Now the Ross will not turn pale."

Consequences of the Peace of Tilsit for Europe

This world somewhat stabilized the situation in Europe, which before it was the arena of a fierce war. Austria was neutral. Prussia was occupied by the French and completely demoralized, surviving as a state only by the good will of Russia. At the same time, various transformations were underway in a number of countries. In Russia, there were reforms of the administrative system - their developer was Speransky. In Prussia, the transformation of the system was associated with the name of von Stein. In Austria, I. Stadium and Archduke Karl carried out military reform.

Having received news of her, he ordered Lobanov-Rostovsky to go to the French camp for peace negotiations.

Napoleon was in the Prussian town of Tilsite, on the banks of the Neman. On the opposite bank of the same river stood the Russian and the remnants of the Prussian army. Despite the Friedland defeat, Russia could very well continue to fight with France, but it was becoming more and more evident that European allies Russians in this and previous wars against the French behaved extremely selfishly. The Austrians did not help Suvorov in his Italian and especially Swiss campaigns, and they preferred to withdraw from the next war of the Third Coalition immediately after the Battle of Austerlitz. The main enemy of Napoleon in the West - England - generally preferred not to send armies to the land theater. Taking advantage of its naval predominance, it captured the French colonies, and only sent not very generous subsidies to the continental allies. Prussia turned out to be a very weak and indecisive partner.

Considering all this, Alexander I decided to abruptly change the course of his foreign policy, breaking off relations with former unfaithful "friends" and becoming close to a recent enemy - Bonaparte. Napoleon, who had a very respectful attitude to Russian power, gladly accepted a new diplomatic combination, the essence of which was that Russia and France concluded an alliance for joint dominance over the European continent .

On June 25, 1807, the Russian and French sovereigns met on a raft in the middle of the Neman and talked in private for about an hour in a covered pavilion. The next day they met in the city of Tilsit itself. Napoleon proposed that Russia take dominance over the east of Europe, leaving him with supremacy in the west. After the victory over Prussia, Bonaparte was going to revise the internal German borders and make most of the German states dependent on himself. Seeking the consent of Alexander I to this, he, in exchange, offered Russia to strengthen itself at the expense of Sweden (taking Finland away from her) and Turkey (with which the Russians had recently started another war).

The Peace of Tilsit was concluded by both emperors on these terms on July 8, 1807. Negotiating the details of the treaty, Napoleon hoped to derive many benefits for France by the enchanting influence of his personality, but soon, not without surprise, he had to recognize the tsar's diplomatic skill. Alexander, with his affectionate smile, gentle speech, and amiable mannerisms, was far from being as accommodating as his new ally would have liked. "This is a real Byzantine Greek!" [that is, a cunning, sophisticated and dexterous person] - Napoleon said about him to his entourage. Bonaparte, as they say, at first was inclined to completely destroy Prussia, but Alexander persuaded to keep about half of the former possessions for her king. In token of respect for the Russian emperor(en considération de l "empereur de Russie) Napoleon left to the Prussian king old Prussia, Brandenburg, Pomerania and Silesia. Of the territories taken from Prussia, Napoleon gave the provinces on the left bank of the Elbe to his brother Jerome, and the former Polish provinces to the king of Saxon. All monarchs installed by Napoleon in Germany were recognized by Russia and Prussia.

The main point of the Tilsit Treaty then remained a secret: Russia and France undertook to help each other in any war, if one of the parties is requested to do so. Napoleon's main European rival, England, fell into almost complete diplomatic isolation. Russia and France pledged to force the rest of Europe to comply with anti-British trade continental blockade.

The Tilsit peace was very beneficial for Russia. Thanks to him, it became possible for Finland to join Russia in war with the Swedes 1808-1809 and the continuation of the struggle with the Turks, which later ended with the conquest of Bessarabia and the strengthening of our influence in the Balkans. But the fact that Alexander I concluded the Treaty of Tilsit after a military defeat, reconciling with the one who inflicted this defeat, made a painful impression on Russian society accustomed over the years of Catherine II and Paul to continuous victories. In Russia, many (both then and even now) were inclined to consider this world imposed, forced... The Tilsit treatise provoked strong patriotic opposition to Alexander in the highest Petersburg circles, although the large benefits he brought to Russia were further expanded during the Erfurt meeting of the two emperors in 1808. The Patriotic War of 1812, which was driven, rather, by the intransigence not of Napoleon, but of Alexander I, was subsequently viewed in Russia as an event that obliterated the "shameful" Tilsit peace. “Tilsit! At this offensive sound, Ross will not blush now, ”wrote Pushkin 14 years later. In our time, however, A. I. Solzhenitsyn points out in a more balanced way in his work "The Russian Question" by the End of the 20th Century ":

... offended by England for her indifference, Alexander threw himself into friendship with Napoleon - Peace of Tilsit (1807). It is impossible not to recognize this step as the most advantageous for Russia at that time - and to adhere to this line of neutral-favorable relations, disdaining the grumbling of the higher salons of St. would remain for Russia). - But even here Alexander did not want to remain inactive at all. No, the Peace of Tilsit and the outbreak of the Turkish war was not enough for Alexander: in the same 1807 he declared war on England; Napoleon "offered Finland" to take from Sweden - and Alexander entered (1808) in Finland and took it away from Sweden - but why? another intolerable burden on Russian shoulders. And he did not want a truce with Turkey at the cost of the withdrawal of troops from Moldova and Wallachia, again Russian troops in Bucharest. (Napoleon "offered" Russia and Moldavia-Wallachia, and, incidentally, Turkey, to be divided together with France, to open the way for Napoleon to India), and after the coup in Constantinople he was even more eager to attack Turkey. - But without all these rampant seizures - why not hold on to the Tilsit world, which is so advantageous for Russia, stay alone from the European dump and strengthen and recover internally? No matter how Napoleon expanded in Europe (however,

One of the most important historical documents signed by Russia is the Peace of Tilsit. It was signed on July 9, 1807 between France and Russia, and was ratified by the emperors of both states: Napoleon and Alexander I. Historical meaning This treaty is difficult to overestimate for the reason that as a result, the two strongest powers on the continent were able to conclude an alliance with each other, and peace finally came in Europe itself.

Prerequisites for the emergence of the agreement

As of 1807, the situation in Europe looked very interesting - almost the entire continent was completely captured French troops... In his autobiography, Napoleon wrote that the destruction of England is a prerequisite for the complete conquest of Europe. As for Russia, here he saw rather his ally than the enemy. It is likely that this was the key reason for the creation of the Tilsit world, why it even received its right to exist. Of course, everything is not limited to this, in fact, Napoleon himself had long hatched a plan for the destruction of England, and he would not have been able to defeat the enemy at sea. Thus, Napoleon decided to create a peace treaty with Russia, which would create a united front for the conduct of hostilities with England. Alexander I, in turn, was well aware that his coalition with Prussia, England and Sweden had collapsed, as Napoleon won victory after victory, and the position of the allies was becoming more and more precarious every day.

Negotiation

On June 12, 1807, the French army, under the personal leadership of Napoleon, won a complete and unconditional victory over the Russian troops. Despite his victory, Napoleon decided to abandon the pursuit of his enemy, which only proved once again that an alliance with Russia is of much greater importance to him than enmity. Napoleon offered peace, which convinced Alexander the First that France did not regard Russia as its own enemy.
In general, the position of Russia at that time was extremely precarious. The last defeat of Alexander's army played a primary role in this. As a result, he decided to put forward only two conditions of his own:

The meeting with France should take place on no-man's, independent land. Not on the territory of France, Russia and their satellites.

Russia does not recognize any claim to the geographic integrity of its side.

Napoleon nevertheless convinced the Russian ambassadors that both points put forward by Alexander would be fully implemented, without exception. Thus, he was the first to open the way for a meeting with the Russian emperor.
It was decided to hold negotiations between Russia and France on the Neman River, and in the middle of it. A special raft was set up there, where a tent was deployed. It was there that both emperors of the greatest states met. The negotiations took place on June 25, 1807, and they became the basis for the signing of the Tilsit Peace Treaty.

Judging by historical documents, one can find references to Alexander, where he assures Bonaparte that from the moment of the creation of the peace agreement, England for both countries will be the only common enemy. Napoleon, in turn, noted that in this case, no problems would arise in terms of creating a peace agreement between Russia and France.
Many history textbooks assert this. Nevertheless, none of them indicate the reasons why France and Russia were at war with each other for a long six years., Despite the fact that they had a common enemy and it seems that all agreements were respected, without any or disagreements.

The fate of Prussia

The negotiations themselves between the two emperors of the most powerful and powerful states at that time lasted no more than one hour. During this time, the Emperor of Prussia stood and waited on the banks of the river. He hoped and hoped that the emperor of France would agree to accept him in order for them to jointly discuss further destiny the German state. Despite this, Bonaparte was firm in his intention - Prussia should by all means disappear from the face of the map of Europe. Actually, Napoleon suggested to Alexander, motivating by the fact that: “This is a vile nation, led by a vile monarch, in his submission is a vile army. They have always betrayed everyone and does not deserve further existence. " Russia's participation in the war helped preserve Prussia as a state.

Terms of the peace agreement

As it was said, negotiations between the emperors of the two powers took place very quickly. Despite the fact that they lasted only one hour, they managed to agree on everything. The stay of the emperors in Tilsitt lasted two whole weeks. Oddly enough, the emperors for this period of time were almost inseparable, like friends who have known each other since childhood. Of course, in this way they tried to create prospects for signing the peace. Actually, the Peace of Tilsit was signed. His conditions were:

Russia recognizes all territories conquered by Napoleon in Europe.

Russian troops join the continental blockade against England. This meant that Alexander completely breaks off all trade and other agreements with England and prohibits entry sea ​​vessels on the territory owned by Russia.

A military alliance is signed between France and Russia, under the terms of which each power is obliged to support the other in the event of the outbreak of any military action. For example, during offensive or defensive actions.

The Polish lands departed from Prussia. A new state was created on this territory - the Duchy of Warsaw, which was directly dependent on France.

Russia without fail recognizes all the henchmen who were installed by Napoleon on the throne of various European powers.

France ceases to provide any assistance to Turkey, and Russia, in response, is obliged to withdraw its troops from the territory of Moldova and Wallachia.

Absolute recognition, by all parties to the agreements, created earlier by the Rhine Union.

Significance of the Peace of Tilsit

This is an extremely beneficial agreement for both countries. Nevertheless, one cannot share the opinion of many different historians who attribute this to the success of Russian diplomacy. Many believe that Napoleon, having offered to conclude such an agreement, actually did all the necessary work for Alexander himself, offering him extremely favorable and good conditions. Both countries were in an advantageous position. So, for example, Russia now did not have to worry about the fact that France would interfere in its confrontation with Turkey, respectively, we could better focus on this. Napoleon, in turn, could fully enjoy the peace that reigns in Europe. There was only one warring side - England and France began to actively prepare to fight it.

The Peace of Tilsit turned out to be extremely beneficial for the emperors of both countries, which they were undoubtedly happy about. Nevertheless, despite its positive "impact", the Peace of Tilsit did not last so long - until 1812, when the Patriotic War began.