You’ve probably walked down Avenue d’Iéna in Paris several times… but do you know where its name comes from?
It refers to a spectacular battle won by Napoleon I on October 14, 1806: the Battle of Jena.
That morning, a thick fog covered the hills of Germany and disoriented the Prussian troops. Napoleon took advantage of this confusion to reposition his soldiers and launch surprise attacks against the Prussian army led by Prince Hohenlohe.
At the same time, just a few kilometers away, another decisive battle was taking place: the Battle of Auerstaedt. Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout faced a Prussian army twice the size of his own, commanded by Charles William Ferdinand of Brunswick… and he also managed to defeat them.
In a single day, the Prussian army was crushed on two fronts. This victory opened the road to Berlin for Napoleon and marked one of the most impressive military campaigns in his history.
Next time you walk down Avenue d’Iéna in Paris, you’ll know that its name comes from a battle that changed the balance of Europe.
Leave a Reply