During his 1812 Russian campaign, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte famously crossed Lithuania and spent some time socialising with the high society in Vilnius and Kaunas. The time is still remembered as the ‘French period’.
Napoleon died on this day 200 years ago, dethroned and exiled. However, he was at his peak of power when he entered Vilnius – and the Lithuanians, like the Poles, hoped the French emperor would liberate them from the Russian Empire that had swallowed the lands just two decades prior.
Not here to look at the Nemunas
Napoleon entered Vilnius, then occupied by the French, on June 28, 1812. He looked over the city from a hill near the Missionary Church, then rode his horse through Bokšto, Savičiaus, and Didžioji Streets, up to the top of Castle Hill.
Contemporaries testified that as soon as he arrived in Vilnius, Napoleon saw the Green Bridge set on fire by the retreating Cossacks. He ordered to extinguish the fire and rebuild the bridge, and told the workers to bring him beer, which he praised in Polish – “dobre piwo”.
According to Virgilijus Pugačiauskas from the Lithuanian Institute of History, local residents then swarmed into the streets and climbed up bell towers just to see the famous leader.
Despite this, the city's greeting to Napoleon was much more restrained than the celebrations in Poland. According to one of the generals, Napoleon even remarked that “these Poles aren’t like in Warsaw”.
“The situation here was different, since a lot of the Russian military was deployed in Lithuania, which remained there until the very last moment,” Pugačiauskas told LRT.lt. “People did not know how to act. That is why Napoleon’s reception was quite cold.”
In Vilnius, Napoleon showed interest in the history and fall of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and wondered why the Russian Empire did not defend this city. By fanning Polish–Lithuanian patriotism, he hoped it will assist him in his campaign on Moscow.
“Did you think that I came here just to look at the Nemunas?” he said to general Balashov, an envoy of the Russian tsar.
In his meeting with Jan Śniadecki, the rector of Vilnius University, Napoleon inquired about the land's history and its ability to supply his Grande Armée.
“In the first days of his stay, he still expected a confrontation with the Russian army, so he ordered to build fortifications in Vilnius,” according to Pugačiauskas.
Fiery eyes and swooning ladies
Napoleon spent more than two weeks in Vilnius, occupying the palace of the governor-general, located on present-day Daukanto Square. He would visit the city on horseback every day to check on his military units and some other works. This was the only chance for the locals to see the emperor.
“I hoped to see someone extraordinary, but, to be honest, there wasn’t much to look at. Quite simple in figure, even kind of ugly, doesn’t even compare to ones of our own,” one monk remarked. “When he turned his head to look at us, and accidentally looked at me, I have to admit, shivers went down my entire body. I will never forget the fiery eyes.”
Napoleon rode a small Arabian horse, wore the Jäger cavalry uniform with several badges, and a triangular hat.
“Through his sharp eyes and a barely noticeable nod, Napoleon sought to regard the crowd with favour, while everyone yelled ‘Long Live Napoleon!’,” wrote Pugačiauskas.
Very few of the Lithuanian nobility got to personally talk to Napoleon. A few balls were held in Vilnius in his honour. The most prominent women in the society, having been invited to the parties at Napoleon’s request, expressed disappointment with how straightforward he was with them, asking them how many children they had, how many were boys and how much they weighed.
According to Pugačiauskas, when Napoleon addressed one young and shy lady about how many children she had, the poor girl fainted.
In August, Napoleon celebrated his birthday in Vilnius. It was a grand ceremony at the palace of the Pac family on Didžioji Street. The square in front of the Bishops Palace was named after Napoleon.
Napoleon did not stay for too long at the ball; after talking to some officers and watching the guests dance, he returned to his residence.
“There was no sign of grandeur in Napoleon, neither from the outside, nor in his manners. I didn’t feel nervous being around him, like one would when being near a celebrity,” Pugačiauskas cites Countess Sophie Tyzenhaus. “I imagined him a genius, but what a surprise it was when I saw a small, round person who constantly swayed to both sides, had straight hair, and a face that was pretty, yet unexpressive.”
Hidden treasures
Celebrations to greet Napoleon were also held in other towns of the Grand Duchy: Hrodna, Raseiniai, Volkovysk, Lida, Novogrudok, Švenčionys and others. Later on, the French celebrated the occupation of Moscow, as well as the name-day of Empress Marie Louise.
Napoleon did not lose the opportunity to spread pro-French sentiment. He personally spoke to the editor of the local newspaper, Kurier Litewski, ordering him to restart the publication under French supervision. He also encouraged politicians, military officers and landowners to seek independence from the Russian Empire.
“We were happy to see the French emperor and Italian king Napoleon the Great in our capital, leading his undefeatable troops,” Kurier Litewski reported on Napoleon’s first day in Vilnius. “Once the emperor and the king appeared, brotherly love got intertwined with admiration. The air was filled with screams once everyone saw Napoleon the Great. Everyone yelled, long live the emperor and the king.”
Napoleon’s visit warranted more praise in periodicals, celebrations and Masses, people were reciting speeches about their misfortunes under the rule of the Russian Empire, and regarded Napoleon as “a hero”, “restorer of Poland”, the “immortal”, “undefeatable” “liberator”.
According to Pugačiauskas, Lithuanians saw Napoleon and his army as saviours, so they were somewhat surprised when French soldiers started looting. One of the first incidents took place in Kaunas, where Napoleon was residing in the Carmelite Monastery, and later in the home of Eckelis, a local.
According to writings from a Dominican monk, soldiers would forcefully enter homes and monasteries, take away cattle and horses, as well as anything they found edible.
Situation was similar in Vilnius, where soldiers would harass women, loot churches, manors, and cemeteries, including Verkių manor and Trinapolis monastery.
After his departure to Moscow, Napoleon never returned to Vilnius again. He briefly stayed in Kaunas on his way back to Paris. He had breakfast at an inn, and then traveled through Marijampolė towards Sejny.
Having regained control, the Russian Empire started censoring all information about Napoleon, claiming that the tsar had defeated him.
Today, the history of Napoleon's stay in Lithuania mostly evokes stories about hidden French treasures.
“There are also some roads and graves of the French, we have Napoleono Hill, Napoleono oak tree on a highway between Vilnius and Kaunas,” Pugačiauskas names some leftovers from the ‘French period’.
A few dozen French soldiers stayed on in the territory of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, starting their own families and joining local communities.
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