On the eve of the war

Foreign policy situation

Convention between Austria and Russia on the First Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (extract). Saint Petersburg. 1772. Photocopy. Printed document. Istoria gosudarstva i prava Rossii v dokumentakh i materialakh s drevneishikh vremen do 1930 goda. Minsk, 2005. P. 110-111. (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)
Manifesto by the General in Chief Krechetnikov on the annexation of lands to Russia by the Second Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (extract). Chief’s camp at Polonne. 1793. Photocopy. Printed document. Istoria gosudarstva i prava Rossii v dokumentakh i materialakh s drevneishikh vremen do 1930 goda. Minsk, 2005. P. 111-114. (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)
Convention between Russia, Prussia and Austria on the Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (extract). Saint Petersburg. 1795. Photocopy. Printed document. Istoria gosudarstva i prava Rossii v dokumentakh i materialakh s drevneishikh vremen do 1930 goda. Minsk, 2005. P. 115-116. (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)
Alexander I (1777-1825) – Russian emperor in 1801-1825, liberal reformer at the beginning of his rule, in 1805 organized the Coalition of European powers against France, in 1806 signed a piece treaty with France. Portrait by Borovikovsky. Photoreproduction. http://bibliotekar.ru/ (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)
Napoleon I Bonaparte (1769-1821) – Emperor of France from 1804 to 1815, waged aggressive wars, conquered most of continental Europe in quest for world dominance, in 1806 signed a peace treaty with Russia. Portrait by Vernet. Photoreproduction. Otechestvennaia voina i russkoe obshchestvo. Moscow, 1911. http://www.1812.ru (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)
Treaty of an offensive and defensive alliance between Russia and France signed as the result of personal negotiations between Alexander I and Napoleon I. Tilsit. 1807. Photocopy. Printed document. Istoria gosudarstva i prava Rossii v dokumentakh i materialakh s drevneishikh vremen do 1930 goda. Minsk, 2005. P. 222-224. (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)
Letter from Alexander I to his mother Empress Maria Feodorovna (excerpt on the neutralization of Napoleon by means of diplomacy). September 1808. Photocopy. Printed document. V. Sirotkin. Otechestvennaia voina 1812 goda. Moscow, 1988. P. 24. (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)
Report from the Foreign Minister of France, Duke of Cadore J.B. Champagny to the Emperor Napoleon of France entitled “An opinion on the affairs on the continent and a rapproachment between Russia and Great Britain” (excerpt). March 1810. Photocopy. Printed document. V. Sirotkin. Otechestvennaia voina 1812 goda. Moscow, 1988. P. 25. (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)
Account of making forged banknotes in Paris in 1810 narrated by the engraver Lal to the king of Naples Joseph Bonaparte. Photocopy. Printed document. Otechestvennaia voina 1812 g. Sb. dok. i materialov. Leningrad, Moscow, 1941. P. 12-13. (BGAMLI, library, № 3002)
A false Russian banknote with the wide use of which in the occupied provinces Napoleon figured to undermine Russia’s finances. Photocopy. Printed document. V. Sirotkin. Otechestvennaia voina 1812 goda. Moscow, 1988. P. 35. (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)
C.M. Talleyrand (1754-1838) – Foreign Minister of France in 1797-1807, opponent of the war against Russia, her paid secret informer who handed over to Alexander I a number of confidential documents, particularly in April 1810 the copies of Champagny’s report to Napoleon and the Franco-Austrian agreement of 1812.   Portrait. Photoreproduction. Library of Internet Project “1812 year”. http://www.1812.ru/ (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)
M.B. Barclay de Tolly (1761-1818) – General of Infantry, in 1810-1812 Russian Minister of War, in February-April 1810 he designed a defensive plan in the event of war against Napoleon, with the three variants of warfare according to the direction of enemy strike (Report “The Defence of Russia’s Western Frontiers”). Portrait by Dawe. Photoreproduction. Otechestvennaia voina 1812 g. Sb. dok. i materialov. Leningrad, Moscow, 1941. (BGAMLI, library, № 3002)
Conversation between Alexander I and the French ambassador at St. Petersburg A. de Caulaincourt (excerpt on the possible outcome of events in case of war with Napoleon). May 1811. Photocopy. Printed document. V. Sirotkin. Otechestvennaia voina 1812 goda. Moscow, 1988. P. 26. (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)
Conversation between Alexander I and the French ambassador at St. Petersburg A. de Caulaincourt (excerpt on the negative sides of Russia’s foreign policy). Paris. June 1811. Photocopy. Printed document. V. Sirotkin. Otechestvennaia voina 1812 goda. Moscow, 1988. P. 26. (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)
Report by A.I. Chernyshev, adjutant to Alexander I, military  attache and secret agent of Russia in France dispatched from Paris to the Foreign Minister of Russia N.P. Rumyantsev regarding Napoleon’s military preparations (excerpt). August 1811. Photocopy. Printed document. Otechestvennaia voina 1812 g. Sb. dok. i materialov. Leningrad, Moscow, 1941. P. 1-2. (BGAMLI, library, № 3002)
K.V. Nesselrode (1789-1862) –  finance councillor at the Russian ambassy to France from March 1810, political resident of Alexander I, whose intelligence activity allowed to uncover many details of Napoleon’s preparation for the 1812 campaign, foreign minister under Nicholas I. Portrait by Isabey. Photoreproduction. Otechestvennaia voina i russkoe obshchestvo 1812-1912. Moscow, 1911. http://www.1812.ru/ (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)
Memorandum by the adviser to Alexander I M.M. Speransky “On the probabilities of war with France after the treaty of Tilsit” (excerpt). Late December 1811 – early January 1812. Photocopy. Printed document. V. Sirotkin. Otechestvennaia voina 1812 goda. Moscow, 1988. P. 25. (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)
Letter from the Russian ambassador to Austria G.O. Stackelberg to the commander of the Russian 2nd Western Army P.I. Bagration concerning Napoleon’s spies sent to Russia. May 1812. Photocopy. Printed document. Otechestvennaia voina 1812 g. Sb. dok. i materialov. Leningrad, Moscow, 1941. P. 7-8. (BGAMLI, library, № 3002)
Diary of a contemporary of the events A. Chicherin (excerpt on the causes of the impending war with France). Photocopy. Printed document. V. Sirotkin. Otechestvennaia voina 1812 goda. Moscow, 1988. P. 26. (BelNITsED, collection of electronic copies of documents and materials on the history of the war of 1812)