June 14, 1807

Battle of Friedland

Napoleon defeats Bennigsen’s Russian army at Friedland

Sénarmont's gunners dragged their pieces forward until some of them stood about 60 paces from the Russian infantry.

Bennigsen crosses the Alle

During the early morning of 14 June 1807, General Levin von Bennigsen sent much of his Russian army across the Alle at Friedland to attack what he took to be Marshal Jean Lannes's isolated force, meaning to recross afterwards and continue toward Königsberg.

A Chandler-based order of battle gives Lannes and two cavalry divisions 21,900 men and 33 guns that morning, against about 46,000 Russians.

Lannes did not defeat that army. He held it in place long enough for Napoleon's dispersed corps to assemble.

Napoleon arrives around midday

Napoleon reached the field about midday, saw that the Russians were confined against the winding river and divided by the millstream, and ordered Ney to strike Bennigsen's left before the French centre and left went in. The Fondation Napoléon account has him pausing for lunch before dictating the orders.

Ney's attack, reinforced by General Sénarmont's aggressively advanced artillery and the rest of the army, drove the Russian left into Friedland and forced Bennigsen back across the Alle.

Roughly 75,000 to 80,000 French had accumulated around the field, though not all of them were engaged.

Eleven days to Tilsit

By evening the Russian army had been routed and had abandoned the field. Losses in the same Chandler-based estimate run to about 10,400 French and 18,000 Russians killed or wounded.

An unknown number of Russian soldiers drowned; the sources do not support a figure, and the retreat was not confined to a stampede over a few bridges — troops also used other crossings and fords.

Alexander I moved toward negotiations, an armistice was signed on 21 June, and Napoleon met him at Tilsit on 25 June; the battle produced the talks but did not itself sign the Treaties of Tilsit.

Sources

Researched 24 Aug 2026 5 sources not yet audited

How this was checked

Researched from the web into a fact sheet and rewritten from that sheet. This article has not yet had an independent model audit. How the pipeline works →

What the sources leave uncertain

Russian records used the Julian calendar, making the date 2 June Old Style; 14 June is the corresponding Gregorian date used in western accounts.
Strength and casualty estimates vary markedly. Some accounts give roughly 46,000 Russians and 18,000 killed or wounded; others give 50,000–60,000 present and more than 20,000 total casualties.
An unknown number of Russian soldiers drowned. Sources do not support a precise drowning total.