Niemen, river of my youth, where are the waters
I once scooped with my infant hands
Waters which I later swam to its wild retreats
Seeking to cool my turbulent heart


Here Laura, looking with pride at her beauty’s shadow,
Liked to braid her hair and garland her temples
Here her image, portrayed in the lap of its silver waves,
I sometimes distorted with my ardent youthful tears


Niemen, river of my youth, where are those springs
And with them all the happiness and those hopes?
Where is the pleasant gaiety of childhood’s years?


Where are the tempestuous age’s lovable worries?
Where is my Laura? Where are my friends?
Everything has vanished, why not my tears!

Adam Mickiewicz, Niemen, River of My Youth, translated by Peter K. Gessner

This is how Adam Mickiewicz described the Neman – the river from his homeland. The story of the calm waters brought to mind his childhood and teenage years. Mickiewicz was no exception. Other Polish writers also referred to this river many times in their works. Who among us does not know, or at least has not heard, the novel by Eliza Orzeszkowa “On the Niemen”? However, the Niemen in Polish history is not only a poetic motif, a symbol of returning to the “land of childhood years”. It is also an arena of international politics. This specific arena formerly hosted the rulers of two European powers on its waters.

Tour de l’Europe

The turn of the 18th and 19th centuries was the Napoleonic era in Europe. A new empire was created on the ashes of the post-revolutionary France, with a thirty-year-old Corsican Napoleon Bonaparte at the head, who crowned himself as the emperor of France in 1804. He did not need much time to spread his influences over almost the whole Europe. Many stood against the French army- the Brits, the Prussians, the Austrians, the Russians, the Portugese, the Swedes , but no one managed, despite single triumphs, to stop the French intrusion. In 1806 another, the fourth international coalition against France was formed. This time, as it turned out, the course of the fight was to decide about further faith of Polish lands.

France – the empire counterattacks

The Prussians were the first to fight against Napoleon. This was the result of a British provocation – London informed Prussia that Napoleon had no intention of agreeing to their occupation of Hanover, which he was supposed to offer to the English. There was no doubt on the Spree River – the time had come to deal with France. However, the Napoleon’s forces and the Emperor himself were not particularly surprised by the Prussians’ decision to start the war and moved towards Berlin as fast as possible. The Prussian army, surprised by the speed of action, had no chance. The two battles fought at Jena and Auerstedt proved crucial. On 27 October 1806, Napoleon rode into Berlin in the glory of a victor.

Direction – East

The defeat of Prussia was only the beginning of this story. Next in line to “count the French bones” was Russia, terrified by the possibility of losing its influence in Central and Eastern Europe. This time again Napoleon did not intend to wait for the opponent’s move – on 1 November the French army entered Greater Poland. General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski and Józef Wybicki reached the lands of the former Republic of Poland as well. Their task was to organise Polish army. Meanwhile, Russian troops, were gradually approaching from the east and manager to reach Warsaw (then belonging to Prussia). Before they went on the offensive, they were forced out of the Polish capital city. Napoleon himslef entered it triumphantly on 27 November . The French advance was halted only by winter and the poor condition of the roads. Military operations were suspended for a short time.

Already at the end of January there were attempts at offensive action by the Russian-Prussian forces, although they ended in failure. The decisive battles were the Battle of Eylau, which forced the Russians and Prussians to withdraw, and the June Battle of Friedland, as a result of which the Russians were finally defeated.

“Long live Peace!”

“Vive le Paix” (“Long live Peace”) – these words were supposedly shouted by French soldiers after the Battle of Eylau. And indeed, peace, however short, would finally come. It was signed on 7 July 1807 in Tilsit. Napoleon and tsar Alexander I met on a raft. Yes: on a raft. It was docked in the middle of the river Neman. Both of the emperors arrived and met there to sign the peace treatery. Where did the idea for such an uncommon end of the war come from? The Neman was a boundary river at that time and none of the monarchs wanted to stand on his opponent’s land. Entering the opposite bank would mean to abase before the second ruler. That is why, in order to avoid misunderstandings, both gentlemen met in the middle of the river. It is an interesting and clever solution to be fair.

However, the most important question still remains unanswered: what were the terms of the peace? Under the Treaties of Tilsit (also known as Peace of Tilsit) Alexander I agreed, among others, to the creation of the Duchy of Warsaw and the Free City of Danzig and he joined the continental blockade aimed at Great Britain. It could be considered a success not only for the French, but also, and perhaps above all, for the Polish. However, there was a spoonful of tar in this barrel of honey. Napoleon agreed that the Białystok departament, a part of Prussia since 1795, would not be annexes to the Duchy, but it will be handed over to Russia. Białystok, Drohicznyn, Bielsk Podlaski, Goniądz, Mariampol – these are just some of the cities that thus came under the rule of Petersburg. And although in 1812, on the way to Moscow, this area fell into French hands, the French did not stay in the east for too long. In 1815, under the provisions of the Congress of Vienna, the Kingdom of Poland was established, but once again the Białystok district remained outside its eastern borders. Until 1915, the Białystok region was a territory directly incorporated into Russia and subordinated to it.