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 – one of his homeland rivers. The story of the calm waters brought to mind his childhood and teenage years. Mickiewicz was no exception. Many Polish writers have made reference to this river multiple times in their works. Who of those among us does not know, or at least has not heard of Eliza Orzeszkowa’s novel “On the Neman”? However, the Neman 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. Upon its waters, this specific arena previously played host to the rulers of two European powers.

Tour de l’Europe

The turn of the 18th and 19th centuries was the time of the Napoleonic era in Europe. A new empire had arisen from the ashes of post-revolutionary France, with thirty-year-old Corsican Napoleon Bonaparte at its head, after crowning himself as emperor of France in 1804. He needed very little time to spread his influence over practically the whole of Europe. Many stood against the French army- the British, the Prussians, the Austrians, the Russians, the Portugese, the Swedes, but no one managed, despite single triumphs, to halt the French pressure. In 1806 another, a fourth international coalition against France was formed. This time, as it turned out, the course of the fight was to decide the fate of Polish lands.

France – the empire counterattacks

The Prussians were the first to take up the 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. In Prussian minds there was no doubt that the time had come to deal with France. However, Napoleon’s forces and the Emperor himself were not particularly surprised by the Prussian decision to declare war and moved hastily towards Berlin. The Prussian army, surprised by the speed of action, was left with no chance. The two battles fought at Jena and Auerstedt proved crucial. On the 27^th of October 1806, Napoleon basked in the glory of victory as he rode into Berlin.

Direction – East

The defeat of Prussia was only the beginning of this story. Next in line to “settle the score with the French” was Russia, terrified by the prospect of losing its influence in Central and Eastern Europe. Once again Napoleon did not intend to wait for the opponent’s move – on the 1^st of 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. They were tasked with organising the Polish army. Meanwhile, Russian troops were gradually approaching from the east and managed to reach Warsaw (which at that time belonged to Prussia). Before going on the offensive, they were forced out of the Polish capital city. Napoleon himself entered triumphantly on the 27^th of November. The French advance was halted only by winter and the poor condition of the roads leading to military operations being suspended for a short time.

Already by the end of January, offensive operations were attempted by the Russian-Prussian forces, although they ended in failure. The decisive battles were the Battle of Eylau, which forced a joint Russian-Prussian withdrawal, and the June Battle of Friedland, which resulted in the final defeat of the Russians.

“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-lived, would finally come. It was signed on the 7^th of 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 emperors arrived there to sign the peace treaty. From where did such an uncommon idea to end the war come from? The Neman was a boundary river at that time and none of the monarchs wished to stand upon enemy land. Entering from the opposite bank would mean to humble oneself before the second ruler. That is why, in order to avoid misunderstandings, both gentlemen met in the middle of the river. To be fair it was both an interesting and clever solution.

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 other concessions, 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 fly in the ointment of this agreement. Napoleon agreed that the Białystok department, part of Prussia since 1795, would not be annexed to the Duchy, but instead handed over to Russia. Białystok, Drohicznyn, Bielsk Podlaski, Goniądz, Mariampol – these are just some of the cities that thus fell under the rule of Petersburg. And although in 1812 this area had fallen into French hands, whilst on their way to Moscow, 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.