Neman in the context of "Treaties of Tilsit"

The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812, was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the continental blockade of the United Kingdom. Widely studied, Napoleon's incursion into Russia remains a focal point in military history, recognized as among the most devastating military endeavors to ever unfold. In a span of fewer than six months, the campaign exacted a staggering toll, claiming the lives of nearly a million soldiers and civilians.

Beginning on 24 June 1812, the initial wave of the multinational Grande Armée crossed the Neman River, marking the entry from the Duchy of Warsaw into Russia. Employing extensive forced marches, Napoleon rapidly advanced his army of nearly half a million individuals through Western Russia, encompassing present-day Belarus, in a bid to dismantle the disparate Russian forces led by Barclay de Tolly and Pyotr Bagration totaling approximately 180,000–220,000 soldiers at that juncture. Despite losing half of his men within six weeks due to extreme weather conditions, diseases and scarcity of provisions, Napoleon emerged victorious in the Battle of Smolensk. However, the Russian Army, now commanded by Mikhail Kutuzov, opted for a strategic retreat, employing attrition warfare against Napoleon compelling the invaders to rely on an inadequate supply system, incapable of sustaining their vast army in the field.

Grodno Region, also known as Grodno Oblast or Hrodna Voblasts, is a region of Belarus. Its administrative centre and its namesake, Grodno, is the largest city in the whole region. As of 2024, it has a population of 992,556.

Located in western Belarus, it lies on the Neman River. The region borders the Minsk region to the east, the Brest region to the south, Poland (Podlaskie Voivodeship) to the west and the Vitebsk region and Lithuania (Alytus and Vilnius counties) to the north.

Attrition warfare represents an attempt to grind down an opponent's ability to make war by destroying their military resources by any means possible, including scorched earth, people's war, guerrilla warfare and all kind of battles apart from a decisive battle. Elements of this kind of warfare had already been used in the Peninsular war. The Russian attrition warfare against Napoleon began on 24 June 1812 when Napoleon's Grande Armée crossed the Neman River into Russia and ended on 14 December 1812 with the total defeat of the Grande Armée. A visual representation is given by the drawing of Charles Joseph Minard. The Trachenberg Plan was used in the Sixth Coalition in Germany 1813 and in France 1814. The Seventh Coalition defeated him at Waterloo in 1815 and exiled him to Saint Helena, where he died six years later.

Sovetsk (Russian: Сове́тск; German: Tilsit [ˈtɪlzɪt] ; Lithuanian: Tilžė; Polish: Tylża) is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the south bank of the Neman River which forms the border with Lithuania.

Founded in the medieval period and granted municipal rights in 1552, it is one of the historically most important towns of the oblast and the traditional capital of the region of Lithuania Minor. It was the place where two treaties were concluded, of great importance in the history of France, Poland, Lithuania, Germany and Russia. It is the place of origin of the Tilsit cheese.

Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 kilometres (190 mi) from Minsk, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the border with Poland, and 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the border with Lithuania. Grodno serves as the administrative center of Grodno Region and Grodno District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, the city has a population of 363,718.

The modern city of Grodno, founded in 1127, originated as a small fortress and trading outpost, on the extreme northern end of the deeply penetrated Slavic peninsula into the lands of the Baltic tribal union of the Yotvingians. It was also a home to the Dregoviches Slavic tribe. It was a significant city in Black Ruthenia and later part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which joined the Polish-Lithuanian Union in 1385. Grodno faced numerous invasions, most notably by the Teutonic Knights. The city was an important trade, commerce, and cultural center in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and one of its royal residences. The Kings of Poland and Grand Dukes of Lithuania allowed the creation of a Jewish commune in 1389, and the city received its charter in 1441. Grodno was the site of two battles during the Great Northern War.

Alytus (Lithuanian: [ɐlʲiːˈtʊs] ) is a city with municipal rights in southern Lithuania. It is the sixth-largest city in Lithuania and the 14th-largest city in the Baltic states, and also the capital of Alytus County. Being the historical centre of the Dzūkija region, it is connected to several major roads, linking it with the cities of Vilnius; Kaunas; Lazdijai, which is on the border with Poland; and Grodno, Belarus. In July 2024, its total population was counted as 50,996 people. The city lies on the banks of the Nemunas river.

For centuries, the city was divided into two separate entities. Even today, it consists of two parts still frequently referred to as Alytus I and Alytus II. The Alytus I half is smaller, and less developed than the Alytus II half, which forms the city centre with parks, microdistricts and industrial areas.