At Jena and Auerstedt on the same day, Napoleon and Davout crushed the Prussian army. Within weeks, Prussia was brought to its knees. The Grande Armée's reputation reached its zenith.
Forces at play
Outcome: Crushing French victory
France
- Napoléon
- Lannes
- Augereau
~96 000 hommes
Prusse · Saxe
- Hohenlohe
- Rüchel
~38 000 (Iéna) + 27 000 (Auerstedt)
Battle coordinates
Jena
Coordonnées 50.9285°, 11.5892°
Battle narrative
Context
Prussia, humiliated after Austerlitz, joined the Fourth Coalition. Napoleon crossed the Thuringian Forest and surprised the Prussians, who believed French retreat was imminent.
Forces
France: About 96,000 at Jena (Napoleon, Lannes, Augereau). Davout faced 27,000 Prussians at Auerstedt with only 27,000 men.
Prussia: About 38,000 at Jena under Hohenlohe. Brunswick's main army was at Auerstedt.
Course of the battle
On the morning of 14 October, the fog lifted. Lannes broke through the Prussian centre. Augereau outflanked on the left. The Prussians, poorly deployed, were crushed. Napoleon wrote to Josephine: "I have crushed the Prussian army." The same day, Davout withstood superior forces at Auerstedt and eventually defeated Brunswick.
Consequences
Berlin fell on 27 October. Prussia lost half its territory. The myth of Frederick II collapsed. Napoleon entered Poland.
Go further
Recommended books to dig deeper (affiliate links)
Napoleon — A magisterial biography
An exhaustive biography of the Emperor, the fruit of rigorous research.
≈ £14.99Napoleon's Army
Organization, tactics and daily life of the Grande Armée soldiers.
≈ £18.00Austerlitz 1805
The detailed account of the Battle of the Three Emperors.
≈ £12.99As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases.
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