Napoleon: "In agreement with Russia, we have nothing to fear"
25 June in 11 in the morning two boats set off from the opposite banks of the Neman. They agreed on a special raft. Napoleon told Alexander: “What are we fighting for?” It was a question that he asked himself a long time ago. Back in 1800, Napoleon said that only Russia could be the only ally of France. He sought this alliance, both under Paul and after his murder, it now seemed that all obstacles were in the past. Napoleon felt that after Tilsit he achieved everything that he lacked. The emperor expressed this feeling briefly and clearly: "In agreement with Russia, we have nothing to fear."
When Napoleon was defeated and was exiled to Saint Helena, he was asked what time he considered his happiest, the French commander said that it was Tilsit. It was really the zenith of the glory and power of Napoleon’s empire. 15 August - the birthday of the emperor - the whole of Paris applauded Napoleon, who brought the world of honor. The prestige of France was raised to an amazing height. French wins weapons were confirmed by an alliance with the mighty empire of the North. Confidence reigned that an alliance with the Russian Empire eliminates the likelihood of a new war in Europe for a long time.
During the 1807 campaign of the year, Napoleon had the opportunity to evaluate the strength of the Russian army. The emperor appreciated her highly. He had a low opinion of Bennigsen as a commander. But he remembered the resilience of the Russian regiments near Pultusk, in the battle of Eylau, and believed that the Russian army had great potential.
Tilsit led to the division of spheres of influence in Europe: Western and Central Europe - the area of French domination; Eastern Europe - Russia. The problem of the war went away. Austria and Prussia were defeated; West Germany (Rhine Union and Westphalia), Italy, the Kingdom of Naples, Holland were under the complete control of the French Empire. Spain Ball is an ally of Paris. Little Portugal, a former ally of Britain, could not cause significant trouble. Of course, there was the problem of England, but the French were already accustomed to the war with the British. This war did not require the recruitment of recruits, the mobilization of all the resources of the country. In addition, there was the likelihood of peace and with Britain, Russia assumed mediating functions.
In Russia, Tilsit was met with irritation. The anti-French opposition included the “old courtyard” of the empress-mother Maria Feodorovna, Catherine’s nobles, representatives of the noble aristocracy headed by Admiral Shishkov, Count Rostopchin and Karamzin. They did not even hide their views, believing that the agreement with France was shameful and humiliating for Russia. The emperor's “young friends” were against the alliance with France, the supporters of the reforms were the liberals of that time. Many of them belonged to the “English Party”, were supporters of the alliance with Britain. In resignation went Novosiltsev, Kochubey, in the direction left Stroganov, Chartoryi. In fact, it was then, the so-called. The Secret Committee ceased to exist. Dissatisfied were the representatives of not only the metropolitan aristocracy, but also the provincial nobility. By the first ambassador of France to the duke Savary reacted with hostility. He was not taken anywhere for several weeks, only Alexander showed kindness and attention.
Where does such hostility come from? First, the rupture with England affected the "purse" of the nobility. Britain was then Russia's main economic partner. France could not replace England either as a buyer or as a supplier of goods. It is necessary to take into account the factor of influence of Britain, among the aristocracy the “English party” was strong. Secondly, the conservatism of the nobility affected. In Russia, traditionally they were hostile to the “revolutionary” France, although in the country the monarchy was actually restored, only led by a new dynasty. In addition, part of the nobility feared that Napoleonic France would “infect” the Russian emperor with reformist sentiments. Tilsit and Speransky's projects were for conservatives links of one chain. Third, Russia traditionally focused on Vienna and Berlin. The Romanov dynasty from the time of the Anhalt-Zerbst princess Sophia-Frederica, who ascended to the Russian throne as Catherine II, became a German family and was connected by hundreds of threads to Prussia Hohenzollern, the Duke of Oldenburg, and the courts of the German princes. Fourth, the anti-French ideology of the first, second, third and fourth anti-French coalitions was still fresh in the memory. Most of the dignitaries, generals, officers for more than two decades were brought up in the spirit of hatred of the French Revolution and its offspring. Monarchy of the Habsburgs and the Hohenzollern were considered allies against France.
There was even a risk that Alexander could repeat the fate of Paul. According to the Swedish ambassador Steding, discontent with Alexander’s tilzi course had gone so far that the court circles heard a rumor about the elimination of the monarch and the ascension to the throne of the new empress, Catherine III (Emperor’s sister, Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna). Were aware of this information in Paris. Napoleon, in a letter to Savary of September 16, wrote: “The British send the Devil to the continent. They say that the Russian emperor will be killed ... ". Savary informed Alexander that the sovereign was preparing an assassination, and recommended that the Russian emperor conduct a “purge” in the ministries. It should be noted that Anne Jean-Marie Rene Savary duke de Rovigo was an expert in such matters, he was a confidant of Bonaparte, performing various “delicate” and secret assignments, headed the secret police bureau.
I must say that Alexander remembered the terrible night of 11 in March of 1801, all his life, when he had to step over his father's corpse and take the crown of the monarch from the assassins. Alexander could not remember how his grandmother, Empress Catherine II, came to power. She began her reign with the night murder of the legitimate emperor and the consort of Peter III. He knew that the great-grandmother, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, ascended the throne, stepping over the corpse of the legitimate monarch. Alexander had something to fear, his entire pedigree was covered in blood. It was fear that made him a flexible politician and diplomat.
It was not for nothing that the figure that Alexander wanted to replace, Ekaterina Pavlovna, was named. The emperor's sister was Catherine II’s beloved granddaughter, distinguished by erudition, flexible mind, attractiveness. She, like her brother, perfectly mastered the art of hiding her thoughts under a charming smile and trusting facial expression. Catherine became the universal favorite. Gradually, she led the old-noble, "pro-Russian" party. This party defended the principles of conservatism, great power - the need to dominate Europe and sharply negatively evaluated the pro-French course of Russia. After Catherine married Prince George of Oldenburg in 1809, he was appointed Tver, Novgorod and Yaroslavl governor-general, she moved to Tver, where the political center of the "conservative party" was created.
But Alexander was not as simple as Paul, it was difficult to take him by surprise. The degree of awareness of the emperor was very high. Even in the years of external enthusiasm for the ideas of liberalism, where words prevailed over deeds, Alexander quietly, but very persistently adjusted the apparatus of the secret police. The emperor skillfully hid, disguised his true intentions, confused his possible adversaries. At the same time, he acted. He told Savary that he was worried about the commander of the western army: “... Bennigsen; he is a traitor in a certain sense and is able to stand at the head of a party acting against me. " Apparently, Alexander meant, speaking of the "traitor", that the general was one of the active conspirators who killed Paul. The emperor replaced Bennigsen by F. Buxgevden. At the Foreign Office, Budberg, hostile to France, was replaced by a supporter of the Russian-French rapprochement — Count P. P. Rumyantsev. He got close to M. M. Speransky. The Anglophiles of the Secret Committee have completely lost their influence. Permutations were made in a number of departments and institutions.
Napoleon tried not only to preserve, but also to strengthen the alliance with Russia. In the directives to Savary, he said: "... If I can strengthen the alliance with this country and give it a long-term character, do not regret anything for that." It was a holistic foreign policy concept. It must be said that the French emperor was later able to critically evaluate his previous decisions, but never reconsidered his ideas of union with Russia, confirming the correctness of the course towards rapprochement with St. Petersburg in the memories dictated on St. Helena. One of the main provisions of this concept was the idea that there are no fundamental contradictions between France and Russia, there is no basis for irreparable conflicts. Such a conflict was only with England.
During this period, Napoleon’s policy toward Russia was interfered with by Charles Talleyrand, the master of political intrigue. He was a supporter of an alliance with Austria, and since 1808, he received money from Vienna.
Gradually, step by step, the contradictions between Russia and France began to grow. The times of hope were passing, hard working days were advancing. Napoleon’s promise to soldiers in 1807 that this was the last war was not fulfilled. France was joined by Tuscany, the Roman region, in 1810, Holland and the Hanseatic cities of Germany. In 1808, the war began in Portugal, and then in Spain. Alexander dreamed of Constantinople, the idea of dividing the possessions of the Ottoman Empire was one of the most pressing and seductive topics in the negotiations between France and Russia. But the radical decision was never made, Napoleon himself had secret views of Istanbul and the straits.
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