Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw ( ; ; ; ) was a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit . The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon ' s allies , King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony . Following Napoleon ' s failed invasion of Russia , the duchy was occupied by Prussian and Russian troops until 1815 , when it was formally partitioned between the two countries at the Congress of Vienna . History . The area of the duchy had already been liberated by a popular uprising that had escalated from anti - conscription rioting in 1806 . One of the first tasks for the new government included providing food to the French army fighting the Russians in East Prussia . The Duchy of Warsaw was officially created by French Emperor Napoleon I , as part of the Treaty of Tilsit with Prussia . Its creation met the support of both local republicans in partitioned Poland , and the large Polish diaspora in France , who openly supported Napoleon as the only man capable of restoring Polish sovereignty after the Partitions of Poland of late 18th century . Although it was created as a satellite state ( and was only a duchy , rather than a kingdom ) , it was commonly hoped and believed that with time the nation would be able to regain its former status , not to mention its former borders . The newly ( re ) created state was formally an independent duchy , allied to France , and in a personal union with the Kingdom of Saxony . King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony was compelled by Napoleon to make his new realm a constitutional monarchy , with a parliament ( the Sejm of the Duchy of Warsaw ) . However , the duchy was never allowed to develop as a truly independent state ; Frederick Augustus ' rule was subordinated to the requirements of the French " raison d ' état " , who largely treated the state as a source of resources . The most important person in the duchy was in fact the French ambassador , based in the duchy ' s capital , Warsaw . Significantly , the duchy lacked its own diplomatic representation abroad . In 1809 , a short war with Austria started . Although the Duchy of Warsaw won the Battle of Raszyn , Austrian troops entered Warsaw , but Duchy and French forces then outflanked their enemy and captured Kraków , Lwów and much of the areas annexed by Austria in the Partitions of Poland . After the Battle of Wagram , the ensuing Treaty of Schönbrunn allowed for a significant expansion of the Duchy ' s territory southwards with the regaining of once - Polish and Lithuanian lands . Napoleon ' s campaign against Russia . As a result of Napoleon ' s campaign in 1812 against Russia , the Poles expected that the Duchy would be upgraded to the status of a Kingdom and that during Napoleon ' s invasion of Russia , they would be joined by the liberated territories of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , Poland ' s historic partner in the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth . However , Napoleon did not want to make a permanent decision that would tie his hands before his anticipated peace settlement with Russia . Nevertheless he proclaimed the attack on Russia as a " second Polish war . " That peace settlement was not to be , however . Napoleon ' s " Grande Armée " , including a substantial contingent of Polish troops , set out with the purpose of bringing the Russian Empire to its knees , but his military ambitions were frustrated by his failure to supply the army in Russia and Russia ' s refusal to surrender after the capture of Moscow ; few returned from the march back . The failed campaign against Russia proved to be a major turning point in Napoleon ' s fortunes . After Napoleon ' s defeat in the east , most of the territory of the Duchy of Warsaw was retaken by Russia in January 1813 during their advance on France and its allies . The rest of the Duchy was restored to Prussia . Although several isolated fortresses held out for more than a year , the existence of the state in anything but name came to an end . Alexander I of Russia created a Provisional Highest Council of the Duchy of Warsaw to govern the area through his generals . The Congress of Vienna , and the Fourth Partition . Although many European states and ex - rulers were represented at the so - called Congress of Vienna in 1815 , the decision - making was largely in the hands of the major powers . It was perhaps inevitable , therefore , that both Prussia and Russia would effectively partition Poland between them ; Austria was to more - or - less retain its gains of the First Partition of 1772 . Russia demanded to gain all territories of Duchy of Warsaw . It kept all its gains from the three previous partitions , together with Białystok and the surrounding territory that it had obtained in 1807 . Its demands for the whole Duchy of Warsaw were denied by other European powers . Prussia regained territory it had first gained in the First Partition , but had had to give up to the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 . It also regained as the " Grand Duchy of Posen " ( i . e . Poznań ) some of the territory it had conquered in the Second Partition , and had again had to give up in 1807 . This territory formed an area approximately 29 , 000 km² in size . The city of Kraków and some surrounding territory , previously part of the Duchy of Warsaw , were established as a semi - independent Free City of Kraków , under the " protection " of its three powerful neighbours . The city ' s territory measured some 1164 km² , and had a population of about 88 , 000 people . The city was eventually annexed by Austria in 1846 . Finally , the bulk of the former Duchy of Warsaw , measuring some 128 , 000 km in area , was re - established as what is commonly referred to as the " Congress Kingdom " of Poland , in personal union with the Russian Empire . De facto a Russian puppet state it maintained its separate status only until 1831 , when it was effectively annexed to the Russian Empire . Legacy . Superficially , the Duchy of Warsaw was just one of various states set up during Napoleon ' s dominance over the European continent , lasting only a few years and passing with his fall . However , its establishment a little over a decade after the Second and Third Partitions had appeared to wipe Poland off the map meant that Poles had their hopes rekindled of a resurrected Polish state . Even with Napoleon ' s defeat a Polish state continued in some form until the increasingly autocratic Russian state eliminated Poland once again as a separate entity . Altogether , this meant that an identifiable Polish state was in existence for at least a quarter of a century . At the 200th anniversary of the creation of this iteration of the Polish state , numerous commemorative events dedicated to that event were held in Polish capital of Warsaw . In addition the Polish ministry of defense asked the honour of holding a joint parade of Polish and French soldiers to which President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed . Government . Constitution . The Constitution of the Duchy of Warsaw could be considered liberal for its time . It provided for a bicameral Sejm consisting of a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies . A Council of Ministers functioned as the executive body of the Duchy . Serfdom was abolished and all classes were to be equal before the law . While Roman Catholicism was the state religion , religious tolerance was also guaranteed by the constitution . Administrative divisions . The administrative division s of Duchy of Warsaw were based on departments , each headed by a prefect . This organization was based on the French model , as the entire Duchy was in fact created by Napoleon and based on French ideas , although departments were divided into Polish powiat s ( counties ) . There were 6 initial departments , after 1809 ( after Napoleon ' s defeat of the Austrians and the Treaty of Schönbrunn ) increased to 10 ( as the Duchy territory increased ) . Each department was named after its capital city . In January 1807 : The above 6 departments were divided into 60 powiat s . Added in 1809 : Military and Economic Demands . The duchy ' s armed forces were completely under French control via its war minister , Prince Józef Poniatowski , who was also a Marshal of France . In fact , the duchy was heavily militarized , bordered as it was by Prussia , the Austrian Empire , and Russia , and it was to be a significant source for troops in various campaigns of Napoleon . The standing army ( the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw ) was of a considerable size when compared to the duchy ' s number of inhabitants . Initially consisting of 30 , 000 of regular soldiers ( made up of both cavalry and infantry ) , its numbers were to rise to over 60 , 000 in 1810 , and by the time of Napoleon ' s campaign in Russia in 1812 , its army totaled almost 120 , 000 troops ( out of a total population of some 4 . 3 million people ) . The heavy drain on its resources by forced military recruitment , combined with a drop in exports of grain , caused significant problems for the duchy ' s economy . To make matters worse , in 1808 the French Empire imposed on the duchy an agreement at Bayonne to buy from France the debts owed to it by Prussia . The debt , amounting to more than 43 million franc s in gold , was bought at a discounted rate of 21 million francs . However , although the duchy made its payments in installments to France over a four - year period , Prussia failed to pay it , causing the Polish economy to suffer heavily . Indeed , to this day the phrase " sum of Bayonne " is a synonym in Polish for a huge amount of money . All these problems resulted in both inflation and over - taxation . To counter the threat of bankruptcy , the authorities intensified the development and modernisation of agriculture . Also , a protectionist policy was introduced to protect industry . Geography and demographics . According to the Treaties of Tilsit , the area of the duchy covered roughly the areas of the 2nd and 3rd Prussian partitions , with the exception of Danzig ( Gdańsk ) , which became the Free City of Danzig under joint French and Saxon " protection " , and of the district around Białystok , which became part of Russia . The Prussian territory was made up of territory from the former Prussian provinces of New East Prussia , Southern Prussia , New Silesia , and West Prussia . In addition , the new state was given the area along the Noteć river and the Land of Chełmno . Altogether , the duchy had an initial area of around 104 , 000 km² , with a population of approximately 2 , 600 , 000 . The bulk of its inhabitants were Poles . Following the annexation in 1809 of Austrian Galicia and the areas of Zamość and Kraków , the duchy ' s area increased significantly , to around 155 , 000 km² , and the population also substantially increased , to roughly 4 , 300 , 000 .