Treaty of Paris (24 February 1812)

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The Treaty of Paris of 24 February 1812 between

war on France and issued his famous proclamation "To My People".[1]

According to

East German historiography, the Franco-Prussian alliance strengthened the hand of the monarchy and nobility against social and national movements. In the end, however, the action of the masses—disarming retreating French troops; collecting money, food and clothes for Russian prisoners; clashing with French troops—were definitive in ending it.[2]

Background

By 1811 both France and Russia were preparing for war. Early in the year a Russian approach to Prussia for an alliance was rejected, but the prospect of French soldiers using Prussia as a launching point for an invasion of Russia changed Frederick William's mind.

Prussian foreign minister, Karl August von Hardenberg, tried to convince the king to sign a public alliance with Russia, but the king refused,[4] remarking that, "all of this reminds me of 1805 and 1806, when the Tsar's court was seized with the same excitement. I am afraid that the final result will again be an ill-conceived war that brings misfortune to Russia's friends instead of delivering them from the yoke that oppresses them."[5] After the tsar's stern warning and the Austrian rejection, Hardenberg again proposed an alliance to France.[4] In January 1812, General Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher resigned his commission, refusing to fight for France.[5]

Treaty and effect

The treaty of alliance was signed at Paris on 24 February 1812.

Treaty of Tilsit of 9 July 1807—capped its strength at 42,000 men.[6] Prussia was also promised small territorial compensation at Russia's expense.[7] With French troops massing on the border, Frederick William ratified the treaty on 5 March.[5] Had he not, France would have certainly invaded Prussia.[4] The Franco-Austrian alliance signed March was much less demanding of the Austrians, who went behind Napoleon's back to inform the Russians that they intended to avoid combat as much as possible.[3]

Following the ratification, over 300 officers—a quarter of the Prussian officer corps—resigned their commissions, most going into exile in Russia, some to Spain or England.

sixth coalition" funded by Britain.[5]

Prussia in the Russian campaign

In the initial phase of the invasion of Russia, the Prussian contingent was led by

Austrian foreign minister, Klemens von Metternich, proposed an Austro-Prussian agreement to force the French back behind the Rhine, but the Prussian government was still committed to the French alliance at that time.[10]

In

Pierre Augereau at the time.[14]

On 6 January 1813, the king informed Bülow, who had withdrawn his men from Königsberg towards

Alexander Chernyshov. The Russians merely arrested three officers and let the rest go. By the time Bülow learned of the incident on 14 January, the Cossacks were camped in the streets of Osche in a tense standoff with the Prussians, who were in the barns and stables. When Bülow threatened to attack, Chernyshov released the Prussians, who arrived at Neu-Stettin on 17 January.[16]

As knowledge of the magnitude of Napoleon's defeat grew, Berlin sought to revive Metternich's proposal of October. On 12 January, Karl Friedrich von dem Knesebeck arrived in Vienna to negotiate an Austro-Prussian neutrality agreement that was designed to force a Franco-Russian peace. Knesebeck was instructed to get Austrian approval for a Russo-Prussian agreement and a Prussian exit from the war in the event that the Austrians were unwilling at that moment to abandon Napoleon.[10] Metternich was unwilling to sign anything, but he gave his word that Austria approved of a Russo-Prussian truce.[15] On 4 February, in a sign of the desperation felt in Berlin, Friedrich Ancillon, Frederick William's counsellor, proposed that Prussia mediate between France and Russia, in return for which the former would receive control of the Confederation of the Rhine and the latter would be ceded East Prussia.[17]

On 21 January, Frederick William fled Berlin for

Breslau, arriving four days later. This did not dampen Napoleon's hopes that the Prussians would uphold their treaty and defend their border from Russia, although there were signs that the Prussian army was increasingly controlled by rebels. On 29 January, Hardenberg promised Napoleon that a new Prussian corps would be formed immediately under the command of Bülow.[18]

Notes

  1. ^ Rowe 2013, pp. 140–41.
  2. ^ Dorpalen 1969, p. 506.
  3. ^ a b c d Adams 2006, pp. 271–72.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Koch 2014, p. 193.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Leggiere 2002, pp. 24–25.
  6. ^ Schmidt 2003, p. 5.
  7. ^ Dorpalen 1969, p. 504.
  8. ^ a b Rowe 2003, p. 226.
  9. ^ Koch 2014, p. 194.
  10. ^ a b Leggiere 2002, p. 31.
  11. ^ a b Leggiere 2002, pp. 28–29.
  12. ^ Leggiere 2002, p. 27.
  13. ^ Koch 2014, p. 196.
  14. ^ a b Leggiere 2002, pp. 33–34.
  15. ^ a b Leggiere 2002, p. 32.
  16. ^ Leggiere 2002, pp. 35–36.
  17. ^ Leggiere 2002, p. 30.
  18. ^ Leggiere 2002, pp. 39–40.

Sources

  • Adams, Michael (2006). Napoleon and Russia. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
  • Dorpalen, Andreas (1969). "The German Struggle against Napoleon: The East German View". The Journal of Modern History. 41 (4): 485–516.
    S2CID 144549538
    .
  • Koch, Hannsjoachim W. (2014) [1978]. A History of Prussia. Oxford: Routledge.
  • Leggiere, Michael V. (2002). Napoleon and Berlin: The Franco-Prussian War in North Germany, 1813. University of Oklahoma Press.
  • Rowe, Michael (2003). From Reich to State: The Rhineland in the Revolutionary Age, 1780–1830. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Rowe, Michael (2013). "The French Revolution, Napoleon, and Nationalism in Europe". In Breuilly, John (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of the History of Nationalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 127–48.
  • Schmidt, Oliver H. (2003). Prussian Regular Infantryman, 1808–15. Oxford: Osprey.
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