Siege of Graudenz

Significance

The siege of Graudenz, lasting from January to December 1807, was one of the longest sieges of the War of the Fourth Coalition. A Prussian garrison of roughly 4,500–5,709 men under General Courbière held the fortress against a French besieging force of approximately 7,000 for eleven months, outlasting the war itself. The garrison did not capitulate even after the Peace of Tilsit formally ended hostilities between France and Prussia. The French ultimately abandoned the siege not through military reduction of the fortress but because the post-Tilsit border settlement between Prussia and the newly created Duchy of Warsaw left Graudenz within Prussian territory, rendering continued operations politically moot. The siege thus stands as an example of a garrison action that achieved its purpose through endurance rather than relief, and the fortress remained Prussian until Polish independence after the First World War.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (5)