On This Day

Emperor Napoleon I's French Grande Armee defeats the Russian Army at the Battle of Friedland in Prussia (modern Russian

Emperor Napoleon I's French Grande Armee defeats the Russian Army at the Battle of Friedland in Prussia (modern Russian Kaliningrad Oblast) ending War of the Fourth Coalition

The Battle of Friedland (14 June 1807) was a major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars between the armies of the French Empire and the Russian Empire led by Napoleon I and General Levin August von Bennigsen respectively. Napoleon and the French obtained a decisive victory that routed much of the Russian army, which retreated chaotically over the Alle river by the end of the fighting. The battlefield is located in modern-day Kaliningrad Oblast, near the town of Pravdinsk, Russia. The engagement at Friedland was a strategic necessity after the Battle of Eylau earlier in 1807 had failed to yield a decisive verdict for either side. The battle began when Bennigsen noticed the seemingly isolated reserve corps of Marshal Lannes at the town of Friedland.

Historical Significance

The Battle of Friedland (14 June 1807) was a major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars between the armies of the French Empire and the Russian Empire led by Napoleon I and General Levin August von Bennigsen respectively.

Key People

Napoleon Bonaparte

general and statesman

French general and statesman

Events Before

  1. Napoleon Bonaparte abolishes the French Republican calendar after 12 years of use

    The French Republican calendar (French: calendrier républicain français), also commonly called the French Revolutionary calendar (calendrier révolutionnaire français), was a calendar created and…

  2. Frontiersman Davy Crockett (20) weds Polly Finley in Tennessee

    Frontiersman Davy Crockett (20) weds Polly Finley in Tennessee

  3. German writer, artist and politician Johann Wolfgang von Goethe marries mistress Christiane Vulpius in Weimar

    Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language.

  4. Battle of Blaauwberg: British forces attack French vassal, the Batavian Republic near Cape Town, modern day South Africa

    Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa.

  5. Dutch forces in Capetown surrender to the British

    Dutch forces in Capetown surrender to the British

Events After

  1. African Benevolent Society (education) forms

    African Benevolent Society (education) forms

  2. Explorer William Clark (37) weds Julia Hancock in Fincastle, Virginia

    Explorer William Clark (37) weds Julia Hancock in Fincastle, Virginia

  3. Day depicted by Spanish painter Francisco Goya in his "The Third of May," which he paints in 1814

    Day depicted by Spanish painter Francisco Goya in his "The Third of May," which he paints in 1814

  4. Herman Daendels succeeds Albertus Wiese as Governor-General of Dutch-East Indies

    Herman Willem Daendels (21 October 1762 – 2 May 1818) was a Dutch military officer and colonial administrator who served as governor-general of the Dutch East Indies from 1808 to 1811.

  5. Organizational meeting held in Edinburgh leads to the founding of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a Scottish lear

    Organizational meeting held in Edinburgh leads to the founding of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a Scottish learned society

More from the 1800s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on June 14, 1807?
The Battle of Friedland (14 June 1807) was a major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars between the armies of the French Empire and the Russian Empire led by Napoleon I and General Levin August von Bennigsen respectively. Napoleon and the French obtained a decisive victory that routed much of the Russian army, which retreated chaotically over the Alle river by the end of the fighting. The battlefield is located in modern-day Kaliningrad Oblast, near the town of Pravdinsk, Russia.
Why is Emperor Napoleon I's French Grande Armee defeats the Russian Army at the Batt... significant?
The Battle of Friedland (14 June 1807) was a major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars between the armies of the French Empire and the Russian Empire led by Napoleon I and General Levin August von Bennigsen respectively.
Who was involved in Emperor Napoleon I's French Grande Armee defeats the Russian Army at the Batt...?
Key figures include Napoleon Bonaparte (general and statesman).

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