by Napoleon

When Napoleon defeated Austria, Prussia, and Russia in a series of glorious battles in 1805-1807, the Poles believed they had found a liberator. Not long after Napoleon captured Warsaw, Poles flocked to support Napoleon's cause, including the Polish Lancer Regiment at the Battle of Somosierra.

In 1809, Napoleon I established the Duchy of Warsaw in central Poland, as a satellite state of France. After Napoleon's defeat, the Duchy of Warsaw was disbanded, and its western lands became the Duchy of Potsdam, under Prussian jurisdiction, and the neutral Republic of Krakow (also called the Free City of Krakow) was established in Krakow.