Treaties of Tilsit The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by Napoleon I of France in the town of Tilsit in July , 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland . The first was signed on 7 July , between Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Napoleon I of France , when they met on a raft in the middle of the Neman River . The second was signed with Prussia on 9 July . The treaties ended the War of the Fourth Coalition at the expense of the Prussian king , who had already agreed to a truce on 25 June after the Grande Armée had pursued him to the easternmost frontier of his realm , and in Tilsit ceded about half of his pre - war territories . From those territories , Napoleon had created French client states which were formalized and recognized at Tilsit : the Kingdom of Westphalia , the Duchy of Warsaw and the Free City of Danzig ; the other ceded territories were awarded to further French clients and to Russia . Napoleon not only cemented his control of Central Europe , but also had Russia and the truncated Prussia ally with him against his two remaining enemies , Great Britain and Sweden , triggering the Anglo - Russian and Finnish War . Tilsit also freed French forces for the Peninsular War . Central Europe became a battlefield again in 1809 , when Austria and Great Britain engaged France in the War of the Fifth Coalition . Franco - Russian treaty ( 7 July ) . The treaty ended war between Imperial Russia and the French Empire and began an alliance between the two empires that rendered the rest of continental Europe almost powerless . The two countries secretly agreed to aid each other in disputes — France pledged to aid Russia against Ottoman Turkey , while Russia agreed to join the Continental System against the British Empire . Napoleon also convinced Alexander to enter into the Anglo - Russian War , and to instigate the Finnish War against Sweden to force Sweden to join the Continental System . More specifically , the tsar agreed to evacuate Wallachia and Moldavia , which had been occupied by Russian forces as part of the Russo - Turkish War , 1806 - 1812 . The Ionian Islands and Cattaro ( Kotor ) , which had been captured by Russian admirals Ushakov and Senyavin , were to be handed over to the French . In recompense , Napoleon guaranteed the sovereignty of the Duchy of Oldenburg and several other small states ruled by the tsar ' s German relatives . Franco - Prussian treaty ( 9 July ) . The treaty with Prussia stripped the country of about half its territory : Cottbus passed to Saxony , the left bank of the Elbe was awarded to the newly created Kingdom of Westphalia , Białystok was given to Russia ( which led to the creation of the Belostok Oblast ) , and the rest of the Polish lands in Prussian possession since the Second and Third Partitions became the quasi - independent Duchy of Warsaw . Prussia was to reduce the army to 40 , 000 and on 9 March 1808 France fixed its tribute to be levied from Prussia at 154 , 500 , 000 Francs ( = Prussian dollar 41 . 73 mio . ) , deducting 53 , 500 , 000 which had been raised so far during the ongoing French occupation , the sum was lowered in two steps to altogether 120 million Francs by 1 November 1808 . Talleyrand had advised Napoleon to pursue milder terms ; the treaties marked an important stage in his estrangement from the emperor . Until 1812 the French occupants requisitioned in money and kind from various corporations and persons , especially by billetting soldiers on cities , further contributions additionally amounting to between 146 to 309 million Francs , according to different calculations . The Prussian government indebtedness soared between 1806 and 1815 by thaler 200 million to altogether 180 . 09 million interest - bearing debts , 11 . 24 million non - interest - bearing unconsolidated treasury notes and another 25 . 9 million former provincial debts assumed by the royal government . Whereas the cities ' debts , especially those of Berlin often billetted on , were not assumed by the Prussian government . Since the creditors deemed Prussia to be over - indebted in 1817 the 4 - per cent state bonds were traded at the bourses with a disagio of 27 to 29 per cent , in 1818 even with a discountor of 35 per cent , causing the effective interest to rise to 6 . 15 per cent . At restructuring part of the debts in 1818 by a £ 5 million loan ( = thaler 30 million ) at 5 % at the London financial market the Prussian government had to accept a disagio of 28⅓ % , thus paying an annual effective rate of 6 . 98 % . When the Treaty was being formulated , it was noted by an observer that the Prussian king was pacing on the bank of the Neman river ; Napoleon had to " but raise his hand , and Prussia would cease to exist . " ( McKay ) Hence , many observers in Prussia and Russia viewed the treaty as unequal and as a national humiliation . The Russian soldiers refused to follow Napoleon ' s commands , as the Lisbon Incident demonstrated to all Europe . Napoleon ' s plans to marry the tsar ' s sister were stymied by Russian royalty . Cooperation between Russia and France eventually broke down in 1810 when the tsar began to allow neutral ships to land in Russian ports . In 1812 , Napoleon crossed the Neman river and invaded Russia , ending any vestige of alliance . Territorial and population losses suffered by Prussia . The Prussian state was diminished by nearly one half under the terms of the treaty of Tilsit from 5 , 700 Prussian square miles to 2 , 800 ( ) . Instead of 9 . 75 million inhabitants , no more than 4 . 5 million remained within the new boundaries of Prussia . The state revenue , which formerly amounted to forty million dollars per annum , was decreased in a still greater proportion ; since the ceded provinces were the richest and most fertile , and on whose improvement many millions had been expended . Almost all that Prussia had gained by the partitions of Poland ( 1772 – 1795 ) was taken from her . Saxony , a former confederate of Prussia , was the recipient of these provinces ; and Russia , the more powerful of her erstwhile allies , gained territory with a population of 200 , 000 . The following is a tabulation of the territorial and population losses that Prussia suffered ( without the Prussian acquisitions since 1772 ) under the terms of Tilsit treaty : Notes and references .