Questions about War of the Fourth Coalition
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What caused the War of the Fourth Coalition?
Prussia declared war on France on the 9th of October 1806 after discovering Napoleon had secretly promised to return Hanover to Britain while simultaneously pledging it to Prussia. Additional causes included Napoleon's formation of the Confederation of the Rhine in July 1806, the execution of German nationalist Johann Philipp Palm in August 1806, and the ejection of a Prussian garrison by Marshal Murat from territory he had just been granted.
What happened at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt?
On the 14th of October 1806, Napoleon defeated Prussian forces under Prince Friedrich Ludwig of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen at Jena, while Marshal Davout's single corps routed the main Prussian army under the Duke of Brunswick at Auerstedt despite being heavily outnumbered. The Duke of Brunswick was mortally wounded during the battle, and the Prussians suffered approximately 65,000 casualties plus 150,000 prisoners across the broader campaign.
How long did it take Napoleon to defeat Prussia in 1806?
Napoleon took 19 days from the start of the invasion to capture Berlin and effectively knock Prussia out of the war. French forces entered Berlin on the 27th of October 1806, following the destruction of the principal Prussian armies at Jena and Auerstedt on the 14th of October.
What were the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit?
The Treaties of Tilsit, concluded in July 1807, required Russia to join the Continental System and accept Napoleon's dominance over western and central Europe. Prussia lost territory west of the Elbe, which became the Kingdom of Westphalia under Jerome Bonaparte, and its holdings in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which became the Duchy of Warsaw under Frederick Augustus I of Saxony.
What was Napoleon's Continental System and why did he create it?
Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree on the 21st of November 1806, creating the Continental System to close all French-controlled European territory to British trade. The goal was to weaken the British economy by cutting off its commerce, but British merchants circumvented the blockade through smuggling, making the system largely ineffective.
How did the War of the Fourth Coalition lead to the Peninsular War?
After the Treaties of Tilsit left Napoleon master of continental Europe, he sought to close Portuguese ports to British trade. Spain's Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy signed the Treaty of Fontainebleau on the 27th of October 1807, allowing French armies through Spain to invade Portugal. General Junot's army served as a vanguard for a broader French occupation of Spain, which triggered the Spanish popular uprising and the Peninsular War.