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What did Napoleon and Tsar Alexander I agree to in the Treaties of Tilsit?
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Napoleonic Wars
Battle of Wagram, 6 July 1809, oil on canvas by Horace Vernet, 1836.
In the 1807 Treaties of Tilsit, Napoleon I and Tsar Alexander I established a formal alliance that effectively divided Europe into spheres of influence, leaving Austria and Prussia significantly weakened.1
Key agreements included:
- Territorial Changes: Alexander I accepted the creation of the Duchy of Warsaw from former Prussian lands and the establishment of the Kingdom of Westphalia.1
- Continental System: Alexander I pledged to join the Continental System against Britain if the British rejected Russian mediation.1
- Secret Provisions: Napoleon agreed to support Russia in "liberating" European Turkey if the Ottomans refused French mediation. Additionally, Russia was granted a free hand to conquer Finland from Sweden.1
This alliance, which solidified French hegemony in western and central Europe, eventually collapsed due to the economic strain of the blockade on Russia and geopolitical tensions regarding the Duchy of Warsaw.1