Free City of Danzig (Napoleonic)

The Republic of Danzig was erected by Napoleon, 1807-1814 existing State of the territory of Danzig and its surroundings, and the Hel Peninsula exclave included as a city state.

History

After the defeat of Frederick William III. against Napoleon I at the Battle of Jena and Auerstedt Prussia had to make peace treaty of 7 and July 9, 1807 France provided the acquired only with the Second Partition of Poland Danzig Territory Tilsit. This happened after a siege of the city by French troops from mid-March to 27 May 1807 the day of the handover.

On July 21, 1807 City of Danzig was proclaimed together with an adjacent area at the mouth of the Vistula to Gdansk Republic. According to Article 19 of the Peace of Tilsit Treaty Danzig was declared within a radius of two German miles from Napoleon I to the Free City under the protection of the kings of Prussia and Saxony. The Saxon King Friedrich August I was there at the same time Duke of the Duchy of Warsaw. In fact, the power lay with the French governor Jean Rapp. The purpose of the city was now essentially is to endure French billeting and raise inordinate contributions.

After the failure of Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, the Russian army closed in late January 1813 the fortress of Danzig. About 40,000 French soldiers were at this time in the city. After their departure on January 2, 1814, the Free City of Danzig was re-united later in the year with the Prussian province of West Prussia according to the provisions of the Vienna Congress.

Confines

The Gränztractat from December 6, 1807 rewrote the separation from Prussia. After that, the territory of the Free City of Danzig clasped about the later Prussian districts of Gdansk and Gdansk height lowlands. In the northeast it comprised the location for Polsk ( = Narmeln ) on the Vistula Spit, while in the West Sopot remained Prussian.

As Danzig was required to maintain, at their expense, a lighthouse at the tip of the Hel Peninsula and Rukokowa, included the southeastern portion of the peninsula for the territory of the Free City of Danzig.

Duke of Danzig

In addition to the Prussian and Saxon- Polish patron or the French governor and despite the Republican character of the Free City, there was the French Empire the associated with any real power in Gdansk title of Duke of Danzig ( duc de Dantzig ), Marshal François -Joseph Lefebvre had received. A Duchy of Danzig did not exist (except for 1215-1295 ).