At the beginning of the 9th century, events took place in Europe, as a result of which, in 1807, the Peace of Tilsit was concluded between Napoleon Bonaparte and the Russian Emperor Alexander I, which influenced the entire further course of history.

Having proclaimed himself the French emperor in 1804, Napoleon nurtured ideas for the conquest of Europe. In contrast to his plans, a third coalition was created between Austria, Great Britain, Russia, the Kingdom of Naples, Portugal and Sweden. Under Austerlitz, the coalition forces were defeated, and Austria concluded an alliance agreement with Bonaparte. Russia, as part of the fourth coalition, which included Prussia and Great Britain, continued military operations against Napoleonic troops. In the battle of Friedland in the winter of 1807, the Russian army was defeated by the French and forced to retreat. Napoleon achieved his goal and was able to impose on Emperor Alexander the shameful and unprofitable Peace of Tilsit in all respects.

Signing a contract

The meeting of the two emperors took place in the town of Tilsit. Nowadays it is the city of Sovetsk in the Kaliningrad region. On June 25, 1807, a raft was built to meet the emperors, on which a face-to-face meeting took place, which had very serious, but, unfortunately, negative consequences for the Russian Empire. After that, several more meetings took place between the heads of state, and Alexander even attended the review of the French troops. On July 7, 1807, the Peace of Tilsit was signed. From that moment on, the redrawing of the map of Europe began, which, by and large, was the beginning of the end of the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Terms of agreement (assignment)

The Tilsit peace put the Russian Empire in a very disadvantageous position. According to this agreement, the emperor was forced to make the following concessions:

• join the blockade of its ally - Great Britain;
• to recognize all of his conquests for Napoleon;
• help France in the conduct of wars;
• withdraw troops from Moldova;
• to recognize the relatives of Napoleon as kings (Neapolitan, Dutch and Westphalian);
• recognize the education of a dependent on France

The Peace of Tilsit in 1807 completely isolated Great Britain, which found itself in a continental blockade, and Napoleon had no rivals left to carry out his ambitious plans.

Terms of the contract (compensation)

It should be noted that, concluding the Peace of Tilsit in 1807, Emperor Alexander I achieved several concessions from Bonaparte. Russia received the Bialystok Department as compensation. Danzig at this time becomes a free city, and a relative of Emperor Alexander, the Prussian king Frederick William III, gets back the old Prussia, Silesia and Pomerania.

Peace of Tilsit, aftermath

The progressive strata of Russian society perceived the terms of this peace treaty as a slap in the face, and they did not call Napoleon otherwise than a usurper. It took another five years for the Russians to face each other honestly and openly. Only a year was able to provide this opportunity.

The peace of Tilsit, the consequences of which the Russian economy experienced, was, in fact, catastrophic. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Russian Empire supplied grain, hemp, timber and much more to the European market. Due to the blockade of Great Britain, which accounted for the lion's share of Russian exports, the economy of the Russian Empire suffered colossal damage. Merchants and landowners suffered greatly. England caused a decline in Russian trade almost twofold, and its treasury significantly "thinned". Prussia suffered the most from the Tilsit Peace Treaty. She lost half of her land and paid contributions to France until the end of the 19th century.

After the defeat of the Fourth anti-French coalition, Petersburg again had to choose a foreign policy strategy. Several parties were formed in Alexander's entourage. So, his "young friends" - Chartoryisky, Novosiltsev, Stroganov, advocated strengthening the alliance with Britain. All of their foreign policy projects took into account the position of London. Many relatives of the emperor, especially his mother, Empress Dowager Maria Feodorovna, as well as Foreign Minister A. Ya. Budberg, commander-in-chief of the troops in the western direction of Bennigsen, believed that it was necessary to preserve and strengthen the alliance with Prussia. Still others, Minister of Commerce N. P. Rumyantsev, Ambassador to Austria A. B. Kurakin and M. M. Speransky, believed that Russia needed to return "free hands" without tying itself to allied relations. They quite reasonably believed that it was necessary to abandon attempts to establish a balance in Europe by armed means, spoke in favor of the need to establish friendly relations with France (fortunately, Paris has repeatedly tried to establish more constructive relations with St. Petersburg) and pursue a tougher policy towards Britain. They saw the main task of the Russian government in commercial and industrial prosperity, and for this they needed peace and a decrease in the role of British goods in Russian trade.

In general, all three parties were in favor of peace with France. But if the "young friends" of the emperor wanted to use the truce for a respite, to strengthen the alliance with Britain and other enemies of Paris, in order to continue the fight against the French (besides, they were against a separate agreement between Russia and France, without the participation of Britain), then other groups believed that that it is time to end the protracted war with France, it is more profitable for Russia not to participate in the old conflict between Paris and London. And an alliance with Paris could bring tangible benefits to St. Petersburg.

The problems that arose in Russian-English relations also pushed towards peace with France. The calculations of Alexander the First on full-fledged military and financial assistance to Britain did not materialize. So, in 1806, London provided Russia with only 300 thousand pounds out of the 800 thousand. All attempts by Russian diplomacy to obtain payment of the remaining amount were rejected. Russia had to finance the war itself. In January 1807, the question arose of extending a new Russian-English trade agreement - the previous one was concluded in 1797 and its validity period ended. In negotiations with the British Ambassador Stuart, Russian Foreign Minister Budberg wanted to change the terms of the treaty in favor of St. Petersburg, the previous agreement gave the British great advantages. Naturally, the British did not want to change the favorable terms, and the negotiations reached an impasse.

As a result, it became obvious that it was very foolish to continue the war with France. Prussia was defeated, Austria was not going to oppose France, England was guided primarily by personal interests, not general ones, Russia was at war with Persia and the Ottoman Empire, the troops suffered a number of setbacks at the front, there was a threat of international isolation, a negative situation was also in the field of finance. As a result, Alexander I, despite his personal hostility to Napoleon, was forced to make peace with France.

Tilsit

The French emperor also showed a willingness to negotiate. After the defeat of the Russian army at Friedland, the French army was inactive and did not cross the borders of Russia. The negotiations went through several stages. At first, Petersburg announced that it was ready for negotiations if Napoleon accepts the condition on the preservation of the territorial integrity of Russia. And she offered to negotiate not separately, but with the participation of all parties to the conflict. Paris did not lay claim to Russian territory, Napoleon himself spoke in favor of peace negotiations, but was against the participation of other powers, especially England. On June 9 (21), 1807, an armistice was signed. Attempts by the British to prevent Russia from concluding a truce were unsuccessful.

On June 13 (25), two emperors, Alexander and Napoleon, met on the Neman River. The question of peace was beyond doubt, France and Russia were tired of the bloody war. Now it was necessary to agree on the degree of rapprochement between the two great powers (Napoleon wanted a real union, and Alexander wanted to preserve "free hands") and the amount of mutual concessions. This was not a negotiation between the defeated side and the triumphant winner. Alexander agreed to break off relations with Britain and recognize changes in Europe, but demanded that France should not interfere in Russian-Turkish relations and preserve the Prussian statehood, headed by Friedrich Wilhelm. Napoleon wanted a real military-political alliance with Russia in order to consolidate the rule of France in Western Europe, the success of military campaigns, making them long-term and complete the campaign in the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, he needed an alliance with St. Petersburg in order to fight Britain - at least Russia's joining the continental blockade, or better, the full participation of the Russians in the fight against the British.

It was the question of the alliance between Russia and France that caused the most controversy in Tilsite. Alexander was for peace, but did not see a future for an alliance with France. The Russian emperor did not want to fight with England and participate in the continental blockade (abandon trade relations with Britain), which would damage the country's economy. In addition, the alliance with France strengthened the possibility of Paris' interference in Russian-Turkish relations.

Alexander initially managed to separate the issue of concluding peace from the problem of creating an alliance of the two powers. But then the negotiations became more complicated - Napoleon proposed to divide the European possessions of the Ottoman Empire between Russia and France and destroy Prussia. Alexander said that Russia is not interested in the division of Turkish possessions, but offers a compromise - the division of spheres of influence in the Balkan Peninsula, with the participation of Austria. In relation to Prussia, Alexander was adamant - the Prussian statehood, albeit in a truncated form, should be preserved. Napoleon made a concession with regard to Prussia, but demanded to separate from it the Polish regions, which Berlin received during the Second and Third Partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the end of the 18th century. The French emperor wanted to restore Polish statehood, albeit in a very curtailed form and under the protectorate of Paris.

As a result, Alexander realized that Napoleon would not accept Russia's terms on Prussia and Turkey, without allied relations, and agreed to a secret alliance with France. As a result, two treaties were signed: an open peace treaty and a secret agreement.

Terms of the peace agreement

Russia recognized all the conquests of France. Paris achieved recognition by St. Petersburg of Joseph Bonaparte - King of Naples, Ludwig Bonaparte - King of the Netherlands, Jerome Bonaparte - King of Westphalia. And also the recognition of the Rhine Union.

Russia agreed that Prussia would lose land on the left bank of the Elbe and that areas would be allocated from it for the creation of the Duchy of Warsaw. The city of Gdansk was declared a free agreement. The Bialystok district departed to Russia.

Petersburg agreed to become a mediator in the Anglo-French negotiations.

France became a mediator in negotiations between Russia and Turkey.

Russia pledged to transfer the Ionian Islands and the Cattaro Bay to France.

In addition, the union treaty provided for joint actions of the two powers against any hostile third power. Petersburg should have, if England refuses to make peace with France, join the continental blockade. In the event of a joint war with the Ottoman Empire, Paris and Petersburg agreed to divide its possessions, except for Istanbul and Rumelia.

It is clear that this agreement was not beneficial to Russia, but at the same time the agreement was not shameful. Thus, the treaty did not prohibit trade with England through neutral countries. And Russia was supposed to enter the war against a third power after the elaboration of a special convention. Until 1812, the parties did not even begin to develop such an agreement. Thus, the question of military interaction between France and Russia remained open and provided room for maneuver.

Alexander himself believed that this peace treaty and alliance only gave Russia time to resume the struggle later. Russia retained its foreign policy independence, gained time to prepare for a new war, to search for allies. In addition, the Russian emperor believed that Napoleon's empire should face serious internal difficulties in the near future. At the same time, Alexander's inner circle changed - the emperor's "young friends" were pushed aside, N. Rumyantsev was appointed Foreign Minister, he was a supporter of rapprochement with France and limiting the role of England. At the same time, the role of M.M.Speransky grew. True, the Russian public, already accustomed to the loud victories of the Russian, was extremely unhappy. The feeling of resentment in metropolitan circles was so great that 14 years later, Alexander Pushkin wrote: "Tilsit! ... with this offensive sound / Now the Ross will not turn pale."

Consequences of the Peace of Tilsit for Europe

This world somewhat stabilized the situation in Europe, which before it was the scene of a fierce war. Austria was neutral. Prussia was occupied by the French and completely demoralized, surviving as a state only by the good will of Russia. At the same time, various transformations were underway in a number of countries. In Russia, there were reforms of the administrative system - their developer was Speransky. In Prussia, the transformation of the system was associated with the name of von Stein. In Austria, I. Stadium and Archduke Karl carried out military reform.

The French Revolution dealt a blow to the European political system. Europe entered the 19th century with the thunder of Napoleonic cannons. Russia at that time already occupied one of the leading places on the European continent, the states of which tried to prevent the establishment of French domination there. International relations at the beginning of the 19th century were weighed down by the burden of complex contradictions between the European powers, which were rooted in the past century.

III COALITION

In 1802, Napoleon declared himself consul for life, and in 1804 - Emperor of France. At the same time, he continued the continuous seizure of new territories in Italy and Germany, striving for hegemony in Europe. In 1803, hostilities began again between England and France. Therefore, since 1803, Russian diplomacy began to develop a new foreign policy doctrine, moving on to the formation of an anti-Napoleonic coalition. Its creation accelerated after the execution on March 21, 1804 of the Duke of Enghien, a prince from the House of Bourbons, accused of organizing an attempt on Napoleon's life. This crime aroused indignation throughout Europe not only for its cruelty, but also because this action was a gross violation of international law - trampling on the sovereignty of Baden, on whose territory the duke was captured.

In April 1805, a Russian-British agreement was signed, to which Austria soon joined. This event served as the beginning of the formation of the third anti-Napoleonic coalition, which also included Sweden, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Naples.

In August 1805, at the head of the Russian army, he moved to Austria. However, on October 8 (20), 1805, General Mack's Austrian army surrendered in Ulm, and soon Napoleon's troops occupied Vienna. All this put the Russian troops in an extremely difficult situation. In this situation, the 5-thousandth corps of P.I. Bagration, who managed to detain Murat's 30-thousandth army near Shengraben on November 4 (16), 1805. Thus, Napoleon's attempt to crush the Russian army was unsuccessful, since M.I. Kutuzov managed to avoid a major battle with a series of skillful maneuvers. He proposed to withdraw the Russian-Austrian troops to the east and to gather sufficient forces for the successful conduct of hostilities. However, the opinion of the Austrian General Staff, supported by Alexander I, triumphed - to conduct a general battle. On November 20 (December 2), 1805, a battle at Austerlitz took place between the Russian-Austrian and French troops, which ended in a French victory. Immediately after Austerlitz, Austria was forced to sign the humiliating Peace of Pressburg, and Russia was forced to cease hostilities and recall the expeditionary force.

"WE ARE NOT ON THE TSARITSIN'S MEADOW"

Thanks to the courage of the P.I. Bagration at Shengraben, Russian-Austrian troops took up well-fortified positions in the Olshan area. Napoleon did not dare to attack these positions, resorting to cunning. He spread rumors about the deplorable state of his army and in every possible way showed the inability to conduct further hostilities. The trick was a success. Alexander I, fearing to miss Napoleon, ordered Kutuzov to go on the offensive. After the start of the Austerlitz battle, the emperor said to Kutuzov: “Why aren't you attacking? We are not Tsaritsyn Lugu, where the parade does not begin until all the regiments arrive. " Kutuzov replied: "Sovereign, this is why I am not attacking because we are not on Tsaritsyn's Meadow." Nevertheless, Kutuzov had to carry out the imperial order, which led to the defeat of the Russian-Austrian troops.

IV COALITION

By the fall of 1806, the need to create a new anti-Napoleonic coalition became obvious for the Petersburg ruling circles, especially since Prussia was heading for confrontation with Napoleon at that time. In July 1806, the Rhine Union of German States was created, in which Bavaria played the main role. Napoleon became the protector of this association. Thus, the calculations of the Prussian government on the assistance of Napoleon in strengthening its positions in Germany collapsed. Thus, at the end of 1806, a new, IV anti-Napoleonic coalition was formed, consisting of Russia, England, Prussia and Sweden.

Military operations were unfolding rapidly. On October 14, 1806, Napoleon defeated the Prussian army at Jena and Auerstedt, and French troops took Berlin. The war was moved to the territory of East Prussia. On November 21, 1806, in Berlin, Napoleon declared a continental blockade of England - a ban on all countries subject to France from conducting trade and maintaining diplomatic relations with the British Isles.

However, Napoleon failed to achieve the same lightning-fast defeat of the Russian army. In the bloody battle that took place on January 26-27, 1807 at Preussisch-Eylau, Russian troops under the command of L.L. Bennigsen managed to repel the onslaught of the French army, but on June 2, 1807, at Friedland, the Russian army was defeated and was forced to retreat beyond the Niemen. French troops went directly to the borders of Russia. Emperor Alexander I was forced to bow to peace, which was signed in Tilsit.

TILZI WORLD

The Russian-French negotiations took place in several stages. On June 21, 1807, an armistice was signed, ratified by Alexander on June 23. June 25 (July 7) 1807 on the river. The famous rendezvous of the emperors took place on the raft on the Neman, the purpose of which was to sign a peace treaty. The position of Alexander I was as follows: the refusal of Russia from the alliance with Great Britain and the recognition of the changes that took place in Europe during the Napoleonic wars. The Russian emperor sought Napoleon's non-interference in Russian-Ottoman relations and the preservation of the territorial integrity of Prussia, headed by Frederick William III. Napoleon's goal was to achieve the establishment of allied relations with Russia, which were necessary for the French emperor to complete his conquests in the Iberian Peninsula and to successfully fight Great Britain.

As a result of tense negotiations in Tilsit, two documents were signed: a peace treaty and a secret union treaty. Under the terms of the peace treaty, Russia agreed to the seizure of lands on the left bank of the Elbe from Prussia. From the Polish territories belonging to Prussia, the Duchy of Warsaw was formed under the protectorate of Napoleon. The city of Danzig (Gdansk) became a free city, and the Bialystok district was transferred to Russia. France assumed mediation in the settlement of Russian-Ottoman relations. The union treaty provided for joint actions of the powers against any hostile third power. Russia assumed the role of mediator in the settlement of Franco-British relations, and in case of Britain's refusal to conclude peace, the obligation to break off all relations with it and to join the continental blockade by the end of 1807.

The Russian public reacted negatively to the signing of the Tilsit agreements, and Alexander's policies were sharply criticized in aristocratic, diplomatic and military circles. Russian diplomacy failed to defend its positions to the end. In Tilsit, Alexander had to cede to Napoleon those lands that he had already conquered. However, each side was able to interpret its future obligations to each other rather broadly, which allowed the Russian government to retain the opportunity for diplomatic maneuver and made the resumption of the struggle a reality.

ERFURT DATE

The agreement reached in the city of Tilsit did not remove all the acuteness of the contradictions between the two countries. France used the alliance with Russia to expand its expansion in Europe. However, at that time, Napoleon was haunted by political setbacks closely associated with the struggle of Spain against his rule. This struggle also awakened in other European peoples the consciousness that Napoleonic aggression can be successfully resisted. Napoleon, on the other hand, concentrated all his forces and resources on keeping enslaved Europe in submission. In this regard, the need to demonstrate an alliance with Russia became more and more urgent for Napoleon.

On September 28, 1808, new negotiations between Napoleon and Alexander opened in Erfurt, which lasted until October 14. Wanting to impress Alexander, Napoleon invited numerous rulers to Erfurt, who recognized his suzerainty. The splendor and solemnity of the events, the brilliant parades of the imperial guard, numerous balls, theatrical performances by actors who had specially arrived from Paris were supposed to convince Europe of the strength of the union of the two emperors.

The Erfurt Convention confirmed the Treaty of Tilsit. France recognized the rights of Russia to Finland and the Danube principalities. Alexander I refused to actively participate in the Napoleonic wars against Austria and Great Britain. Napoleon, on the other hand, showed intransigence on the Polish and Prussian issues: he flatly refused to withdraw his troops from Prussia until the indemnity was paid in full, refused to take on the obligation not to contribute to the expansion of the territory of the Duchy of Warsaw. Thus, the Erfurt agreement was another political compromise that did not ease tensions in Russian-French relations.

After the signing of this treaty, Russia was forced to side with Napoleon in his war with Austria, which began in the spring of 1809. Although on the Russian side it was more like a demonstration of military power than actual participation in hostilities, Napoleon, after his victory in 1810, handed over to Russia the eastern part of Galicia (Tarnopol district).

THE RUSSIAN STATE SHOULD BE THE ALLY OF THE FRENCH PEOPLE

Another significant event took place in Erfurt. Former French Foreign Minister Talleyrand (he left this post in 1807 - immediately after the conclusion of the Treaty of Tilsit), who was a consultant to Napoleon at the congress, offered Alexander I secret cooperation. He was motivated not only by material considerations. During this period Talleyrand understood more and more clearly the doom of Napoleon's policy. In Erfurt Talleyrand told the Russian emperor: “You must save Europe, and you will be able to do this only if you resist Napoleon. The French people are civilized, the French sovereign is uncivilized; the Russian sovereign is civilized, and the Russian people are uncivilized. Consequently, the Russian sovereign must be an ally of the French people. "

Talleyrand's correspondence was strictly conspiratorial and was transmitted to Petersburg through K.V. Nesselrode was then a member of the Russian embassy in Paris. "My cousin Henri", "my friend", "Ta", "Anna Ivanovna", "our bookseller", "handsome Leander", "legal adviser" - these are the names Talleyrand was named in the secret correspondence between Nesselrode and St. Petersburg. Talleyrand's messages were very valuable: he notified that the composition of the French army was worse than it had been before, pointed out the need to end the war with the Ottoman Empire as soon as possible (contrary to Napoleon's advice), set out information about the immediate plans of the French emperor - an attack on Russia.

An inattentive, sometimes disdainful attitude to history does not allow people to see even those simple lessons that are on the surface.

Mahan A.T.

Peace of Tilsit is the name of a historical document that was signed on June 25 - July 9, 1807 by France and Russia. The treaty was ratified by the emperors of the states: Napoleon and Alexander 1. The historical significance of the Tilsit peace treaty can hardly be overestimated, since as a result, an alliance was concluded between the two strongest powers on the continent, and peace finally came to Europe. In today's article we will talk about the historical significance of Tilsit, as well as what consequences this treaty had for Russia and France.

Prerequisites for the agreement

In 1807, a unique situation developed in Europe, since the entire continent was effectively taken over by France. Napoleon himself wrote in his autobiography that for the complete conquest of Europe it was necessary to destroy England. In the person of Russia, the French emperor saw his ally, saying that the whole world for France can only have one ally - Russia. Largely because of this, the Peace of Tilsit became possible. The fact is that in order to defeat England, Napoleon needed a complete continental blockade. It was simply impossible to win at sea, so it was decided to conclude a special treaty with Russia, creating a united front to fight England. Alexander 1 understood that his coalition with Prussia, England and Sweden had collapsed, as Napoleon won victory after victory, and the position of the allies became more and more precarious every day.

Negotiations between countries

On June 12, 1807, the French army, which was personally led by Emperor Napoleon 1, in the battle of Friedland, won a complete and unconditional victory over the Russian army, which was commanded by General Bennigsen. After that Bonaparte showed amazing generosity, not becoming to pursue the enemy, I invited him to make peace. He actually proved that an alliance is important to him, and he does not consider Emperor Alexander I as his enemy.

The situation was rather precarious, especially for Alexander, since his army was defeated. As a result, the Russian emperor put forward two conditions:

• The meeting must take place on an independent land, and not on the territory of France or on the territory of the country and its satellite.
• Russia does not recognize any claim to the geographic integrity of its side.

Napoleon assured the Russian ambassadors that both points would be fulfilled, thereby opening the way for a meeting with Alexander the first.

The negotiations were held on the Neman River. A raft was erected in the middle of the river, on which a tent was deployed, where the emperors of the two countries met. It happened on June 25, 1807 and became the basis for the signing of the Tilsit peace. Historical documents clearly indicate that Alexander I assured Bonaparte that England was their common enemy. After that, the French emperor said that in this case, the problem of concluding a peace agreement would not arise. A fragment of this speech is given literally in every history textbook, however, these same textbooks do not explain why France and Russia fought each other for 6 years, if they had a common enemy, and there were no disagreements among themselves ...

The fate of Prussia

Negotiations between Alexander 1 and Napoleon lasted a little less than 1 hour. All this time, the Emperor of Prussia was on the banks of the Neman River. He hoped that Napoleon would agree to accept him in order to discuss the fate of the German state. Bonaparte's position was that Prussia should have disappeared from the map of Europe. This is exactly what Alexander 1 suggested, he said about Prussia the following "this is a vile nation led by a vile monarch, a vile army in his submission. They have always betrayed everyone and does not deserve further existence." Only the participation of the Russian emperor helped to preserve Prussia as a state.

Terms of agreement

Negotiations between the powers came very quickly. We managed to come to an agreement very quickly on all points of the amicable agreements. Despite this, the stay in Tilsit was two weeks. During this time, the emperors of both countries were practically inseparable, thereby creating prospects for the future world. As a result of all these events, the Tilsit peace was signed, the conditions of which were:

• Recognition by Russia of all the conquests that Napoleon carried out in Europe.
• Russia was to join the continental blockade against England. In essence, this meant that Alexander severed all trade relations with foggy Albion. All British ships were banned from entering Russian ports.
• A military alliance was signed between France and Russia. Under the terms of this alliance, the countries were obliged to support each other in any war, both offensive and defensive.
• The Polish lands departed from Prussia. A new state was created on this territory - the Duchy of Warsaw, which was directly dependent on France.
• Russia officially recognized all the henchmen whom Bonaparte put on the throne of the European powers.
• France ceases to show any assistance to Turkey, and Russia, in response, must withdraw its troops from Moldova and Wallachia.
• Full recognition, by all parties to the agreements established earlier by the Rhine Union.

Historical meaning

Tilsit is undoubtedly a beneficial peace treaty for Russia. However, one cannot share the opinion of many historians who attribute this to the success of Russian diplomacy. In fact, Bonaparte himself did all the work for Alexander I, offering him extremely favorable conditions. As a result, both countries were in an advantageous position:

• Russia could now focus on fighting Turkey without fear of France intervening in the conflict.
• Napoleon was able to enjoy the European world for the first time. Now only England remained, for a war with which they began to prepare.

Peace of Tilsit existed until the summer of 1812, when the Patriotic War began.

Tilsit is a small town located on the territory of the modern Kaliningrad region, and is called Sovetsk.

The epic novel "War and Peace" is full of a large number of small but significant episodes that do not directly affect the development of the plot and do not play a decisive role in the fate of the main characters. These episodes acquire special significance for understanding the novel as a work that combines ideas about a person's personality, his role in history and about the universe as a whole.

The conclusion of the peace treaty in Tilsit is also such an episode. In this episode, important ideological lines intersect, the motives of war, honesty, and justice are touched upon. The author allows us to see new details in the descriptions of two emperors - Alexander and Napoleon.

The Peace of Tilsit was the most important event in the development of international politics at the beginning of the 19th century, and the very meeting of the great emperors became epoch-making. We represent the atmosphere of solemnity and grandeur.

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But Tolstoy, in his characteristic manner, depicts everything without a majestic halo, truthfully and simply.

The author portrays the conclusion of the peace treaty of Tilsit through the perception of Nikolai Rostov, who arrived in order to deliver Denisov's petition for clemency to the emperor. Rostov drives at night, he does not want to be recognized, so he is wearing civilian clothes, he feels awkward and embarrassed, which increase even more when he sees everything that is happening. At first, with bewilderment, he discovers the French in Boris's apartment, but in the army they were still treated with contempt, hatred and even some fear. At the same time, Tolstoy does not support either Boris or Nikolai. The first quietly dines with former enemies, the second hates them fiercely, although, in fact, they are no longer enemies.

In this episode, the author makes us understand that excessive patriotism is not always justified. Yes, it is natural during a war, but you need to be able to communicate with people outside of hostilities. However, this idea is not absolute either, because the writer tells us about how Boris, Tolstoy's unloved hero, is easily in the same company with the French.

In this episode, images and their arrangement are of great importance. We see a contrast between the images of Rostov and Boris. Rostov asks for Denisov, as Boris had previously asked for himself from Prince Andrey. But now the roles have changed. Boris listens to Nikolai haughtily, as if he is a subordinate and reports on the events to his general. Rostov feels awkward, because they used to communicate quite friendly. Tolstoy puts Boris in an extremely unfavorable light in this scene.

In this episode, Nikolai Rostov becomes disillusioned with his ideals, his former convictions are crumbling. The hero represented the sovereign as an exceptional personality, no one is fairer and more magnanimous. But the author shows us and his hero the true face of the emperor, and Nicholas gradually changes his opinion about Alexander. The emperor turns out to be not at all such an impeccable monarch as he seemed to Nicholas and the people. Here the sovereign appears on the porch, and Nicholas is struck by his appearance, in which both greatness and meekness are read. However, Tolstoy very quickly reduces this image: the emperor is a phrase-monger. For him, saying a phrase is almost like creating a work of art. But this phrase has nothing to do with real life.

Nicholas admires the Russian emperor, and Boris admires Napoleon, who is shown in the novel to be more vulnerable than Alexander. In turn, Rostov is stronger than Boris.

Tolstoy systematically debunks the image of Napoleon. The French emperor does not hold well in the saddle, his external characteristic is unattractive: an unpleasant feigned smile on his lips, he is short and small white hands. The long tail of the retinue stretches behind Napoleon.

It is unpleasant for Rostov to observe how Bonaparte easily and freely communicates with Alexander, and the Russian emperor responds favorably to him. Nikolai cannot understand how a lawful sovereign and a criminal can peacefully communicate.

Lazarev, who was recognized as the bravest in this war, receives a reward. This seems unfair to Nikolai, because, in his opinion, Denisov may have been braver than Lazarev, and now he is serving a sentence. The whole scene of the conclusion of the Tilsit Peace Treaty is a contrast to the episodes of the war, as well as the previous chapters in the hospital, where we saw the whole truth of life, and realized how ugly it is. At the same time, we cannot say that a cardinal change is taking place in the soul of Nikolai Rostov. He sees what is happening, but does not try to assess it, to understand what he is feeling, he is frightened by his thoughts. And although he understands that the war with its cruelty, with the death of innocent people, severed hands and crippled destinies, Napoleon with his white hand and Alexander smiling at Bonaparte somehow do not fit together. So a drunken cry bursts out of Rostov's soul - a cry of despair, which is caused by deep disappointment in what he piously believed. But also to believe that there is no sovereign, there is no God, he does not agree. So Tolstoy introduces the motive of doubt, thanks to which the moral growth of a person is possible.

So, the episode of the conclusion of the Peace of Tilsit plays a significant role in the novel, since it shows the reverse side of the world, which is not subject to the consciousness of truth, but is filled with undisguised life truth. In such a world, a sincere, honest person feels uncomfortable. The author strove to show the real life of people and the human path in this life.

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