France / Poland, Gdańsk (Danzig), Napoleon I Bonaparte. 1807 medal commemorating the liberation of Gdańsk

Gdańsk surrendered on May 26, 1807, following a siege that had begun in mid-March. The army that captured the city, led by Marshal Lefebvre, consisted of 17,000 Napoleonic soldiers, including approximately 7,500 Poles. During the two-month siege of Gdańsk, there were more Poles, as those conscripted into the Prussian army were serving on the opposing side of the conflict. One of the reasons for the Prussian garrison’s surrender, aside from dwindling forces and a slim chance of relief, was the fact that over time many Poles chose to desert and defect to the French side. 
Napoleon reveled in his success, convinced that the capture of the heavily fortified Gdańsk had sealed the French victory in the war against Prussia, which was supported by Russian troops. In French hands, Gdańsk became an important strategic point, serving, among other things, as a Napoleonic fortress, headquarters, and granary for a large garrison; it was also a source of revenue.
As part of the Continental Blockade against the primary enemy, England, Gdańsk joined the three German cities of Hamburg, Bremen, and Lübeck, which had been occupied by the French in the fall of 1806.