Anglo–Russian War (1807–1812)

The Anglo-Russian War (1807-1812) (between the United Kingdom and Russia) took place 1807-1812, during the Napoleonic Wars. As part of the terms of the Treaty of Tilsit, Russia was obliged to close off her maritime trade with Great Britain, as part of Napoleon's continuing efforts to establish the Continental System, strengthening economic ties between the different countries in Europe under French domination; the ultimate aim being that the closure of one of Britain's most important markets would strangle her economically into submission.

This meant that Russia would effectively declare war on Great Britain which she did, albeit reluctantly, in November 1807. Although she invaded Sweden in 1808, which then held quite a close allegiance with Great Britain, it is likely that Russia would have done this without the Treaty of Tilsit, since she had grievances to settle with Sweden. The Treaty of Tilsit, in reality, was deeply unpopular within the Russian court, and she had only signed out of the realization that, after the Battle of Friedland on the 14th June 1807, Napoleon could easily cross the River Niemen (then the Russian border) and wage war directly against the Russian Empire. Tilsit, where the treaty was signed, was in very close proximity to the Russian border. Therefore, having been forced against a wall by Napoleon, Russia prosecuted the war to no great degree, just restricting herself to the bare requirement that she close off trade. Great Britain, understanding her position, did not reciprocate the declaration with a military response.

Alexander I declared war on the United Kingdom after the British attack on Denmark in September, 1807. In October 1807 a Russian fleet under admiral Dmitry Senyavin, returning from the Mediterranean, was interned by British forces at Lisbon, Portugal and detained in Portsmouth, England, until 1809.

British men-of-war supported the Swedish fleet during the Finnish War and had victories over the Russians in the Gulf of Finland in July 1808 and August 1809. However, the success of Russian army on the land forced Sweden to sign peace treaties with Russia in 1809 and France in 1810 and join the Continental Blockade against Britain.

In the wider context, by 1811, it became clear that Napoleon was not keeping to his side of the terms of the Treaty of Tilsit, including an arrangement that Russia would wage war against Turkey, and Napoleon promised that French assistance would be forthcoming. However, after a prolonged campaign, it became clear that the French would offer no support, for they had declined to do so for the entirety of the war. These growing tensions led Napoleon to make the decision to invade Russia, after Napoleon had soundly beaten the Austrians only a few months earlier.

Franco-Russian relations became progressively worse after 1810, and the Russian war with the UK effectively came to the end. In April 1812 Britain, Russia and Sweden signed secret agreements against Napoleon. After Napoleon’s invasion in Russia, a final peace treaty was signed.

References and notes

Further reading

* "The Napoleonic Wars", Osprey Publishing

External links

* [http://www.neva.ru/EXPO96/book/chap7-1.html The Coalition Wars]