Peace of Tilsit: Napoleon, Prussia, and Russia Redraw Europe
The two emperors met on a raft in the middle of the Neman River—neutral ground, since neither would step onto the other's territory. Napoleon and Alexander I negotiated for two weeks in July 1807 while Prussia's Frederick William III waited on the riverbank, literally excluded from decisions about his own country's fate. Prussia lost half its territory and 5 million subjects. Russia switched sides entirely, joining Napoleon's Continental System against Britain. The alliance lasted five years before Napoleon invaded Russia with 600,000 men. Sometimes the most elaborate diplomacy just postpones the inevitable war.
July 7, 1807
219 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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