On 14 October 1806, on the same day and a few miles apart, two battles destroyed the army of Prussia. At Jena Napoleon crushed a Prussian wing, while at Auerstedt his marshal Davout, badly outnumbered, beat the main Prussian army. Together they brought down the state built on the legend of Frederick the Great in a single afternoon.
A war begun too late
Prussia had stayed out of the war that ended at Austerlitz, then declared war in 1806 with an army still living on its old reputation. Napoleon moved first, marching his corps rapidly through the forests of Thuringia to fall on the Prussians before they were ready.
Two fields, one day
At Jena, Napoleon attacked what he believed was the main Prussian army and drove it from the field. In truth the larger force lay to the north, where Davout's single corps met it at Auerstedt. Outnumbered more than two to one, Davout held, counterattacked, and won one of the great victories of the era.
Two battles, one day. The army of Frederick the Great ceased to exist.
The pursuit
What followed was as decisive as the battles. French cavalry rode the broken Prussians into the ground, and fortress after fortress surrendered with barely a fight. Within weeks Napoleon entered Berlin.
What the day decided
Prussia was knocked out of the war and forced into a humiliating peace. From Berlin, Napoleon proclaimed the Continental System against British trade. The shock also drove Prussia to reform its army from the ground up, changes that would help bring Napoleon down less than a decade later.
Frequently asked questions
What made Jena-Auerstedt in 1806 so remarkable?
Jena-Auerstedt in 1806 destroyed the Prussian army in two battles fought on the same day a few miles apart. At Jena Napoleon crushed a Prussian wing, while at Auerstedt Marshal Davout, outnumbered more than two to one, held and beat the main Prussian army.
When and where was the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt fought, and between whom?
The twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt were fought on 14 October 1806 in Thuringia between Napoleon's France and Prussia, and together they brought down the Prussian state in a single afternoon.
Did Napoleon defeat the main Prussian army himself at Jena in 1806?
No. At Jena in 1806 Napoleon attacked what he believed was the main Prussian army but was in fact a wing, while the larger Prussian force lay to the north at Auerstedt, where Marshal Davout's single corps defeated it despite being outnumbered more than two to one.
Why did Prussia collapse so quickly in 1806?
In 1806 Prussia went to war with an army still living on the old reputation of Frederick the Great, and Napoleon moved first, marching rapidly through Thuringia to strike before the Prussians were ready. After Jena-Auerstedt French cavalry rode down the broken army, fortresses surrendered with barely a fight, and within weeks Napoleon entered Berlin.
What were the consequences of Jena-Auerstedt in 1806?
Jena-Auerstedt in 1806 knocked Prussia out of the war and forced a humiliating peace, and from Berlin Napoleon proclaimed the Continental System against British trade. The shock also drove Prussia to reform its army from the ground up, changes that helped bring Napoleon down less than a decade later.
Who won the Battle of Jena?
The Battle of Jena in 1806, fought on the same day as Auerstedt, was a decisive French victory under Napoleon over Prussia, and together the twin battles destroyed the Prussian army in a single afternoon.
Take command at Jena
Jena is one of 40 battles in Echoes of Battle, told scene by scene, with a real-time tactical mode in the works, and pinned to the ground where Prussia fell in a day.
