The Anglo-Swedish Alliance Against Napoleonic France

273 Pages·2004·0.86 MB·English

by  Christer Jorgensen (auth.)

The Anglo-Swedish Alliance
against Napoleonic France
Christer Jorgensen
The Anglo-Swedish Alliance against
Napoleonic France
Also by Christer Jorgensen
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The Anglo-Swedish
Alliance against
Napoleonic France
Christer Jorgensen
© Christer Jorgensen 2004
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2004 978-0-333-67239-6
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First published 2004 by
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PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave
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ISBN 978-1-349-39904-8 ISBN 978-0-230-28774-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230287747
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jorgensen,Christer,1967–
The Anglo-Swedish alliance against Napoleonic France/
Christer Jorgensen.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1.Sweden – Foreign relations – 1792–1809.2.Sweden – Foreign
relations – Great Britain.3.Sweden – Foreign relations – France.4.Great
Britain – Foreign relations – Sweden.5.Great Britain – Foreign relations –
1789–1820.6.France – Foreign relations – Sweden.7.France – Foreign
relations – 1789–1815.8.Napoleonic Wars,1800–1815.I.Title.
DL796.J67 2004
940.2(cid:2)72—dc22 2003062093
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04
This book is dedicated to my loving and supporting parents
Marianne and Ole Jorgensen
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Contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xiv
Note on Conventions xv
List of Abbreviations Used in the Notes xvi
Map 1 Europe in 1803 xx
Map 2 Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea and the Kingdoms of
Sweden–Finland and Denmark–Norway, 1805–8 xxi
Map 3 The West Indies showing Danish and Swedish Colonies xxii
1 The Legacy: Anglo-Swedish Relations during
the Eighteenth Century 1
1 Sweden from the Age of Liberty to Gustavus III 1
2 ‘Tranquillity of the North’: Britain’s Baltic interests
and northern policy, 1701–96 3
3 Contraband and convoys: the Anglo-Swedish conflict,
1797–1801 6
4 Between enemies and friends, 1801–3 9
5 The road to the Treaty of London
(September 1802–June 1803) 12
6 The fatal German visit and the renewal of the
Anglo-French War, 1803–4 14
2 The Road to War: The Creation of the Common
Cause against Napoleon, March 1804–October 1805 18
1 Murder most foul: the death of the Duke of Enghien and
the beginning of the ‘common cause’ against Napoleon
(March–July 1804) 18
2 The Anglo-Russian coalition 23
3 Dresden: the first Anglo-Swedish negotiations
(March–October 1804) 25
4 Building and burning diplomatic bridges: Sweden’s
worsening relations with France and Prussia as the
European crisis deepens (October 1804–April 1805) 28
vii
viii Contents
5 To the edge of war: the long hard road to the
Anglo-Swedish alliance (April–October 1805) 34
3 The Great Offensive: The Campaign of the Third
Coalition, October 1805–February 1806 41
1 The grand encirclement: the Allied war plans against
France 41
2 Victory at sea, defeat on land (October 1805) 43
3 Italian imbroglio: the Anglo-Russian expedition to
Calabria (November 1805–January 1806) 43
4 The Elbe expedition: the British landing and operations
in North Germany (November 1805–January 1806) 44
5 The Russo-Swedish expedition to Pomerania and
North Germany (October 1805–January 1806) 47
6 Austerlitz: the demise of the alliance
(October–December 1805) 51
7 The end of an era: the decline and fall of the Pittite
system (November 1805–January 1806) 52
4 Phoney War, Phoney Peace: The Anglo-Swedish ‘War’
with Prussia and the Anglo-Russian Peace
Negotiations with Napoleon, February–September 1806 54
1 A new diplomatic direction 54
2 France and Fox: the phoney peace 55
3 Phoney war 56
4 A blunder and a ‘miracle’: the battles of Buenos Aires
and Maida (July–August 1806) 70
5 A friend in need? Prussia, the Coalition Powers
and the pending war with France (August–October 1806) 72
5 The Watershed: Napoleon’s Campaigns against
Prussia and Russia, October 1806–March 1807 75
1 Napoleon crushes Prussia (October 1806) 75
2 Russia comes to the rescue 77
3 The old or the new world: Britain’s strategic
dilemmas (1806–7) 79
4 Defeatism and the great diversion: Gustavus IV’s
offensive plans and rising Swedish defeatism
(October 1806–March 1807) 81
5 The neutral nuisance: Denmark’s role and foreign
policy in the Napoleonic War 87
Contents ix
6 The Beginning of the End: Tilsit, the Battle of
Copenhagen, the Franco-Russian ‘Continental’
Coalition against Britain and Invasion Plans
against Sweden, March 1807–March 1808 90
1 The return to Europe: the Tories take office and
change Britain’s political course (March–April 1807) 90
2 The last victory: the Swedish offensive in Pomerania
(March–April 1807) 92
3 Tilsit 93
4 Too little and too late: the British expedition to
Pomerania (May–July 1807) 95
5 Canning’s coup: the British assault upon Copenhagen
(August–October 1807) 98
6 Sweden’s last stand: the fall of Pomerania and the
first plots against the king (August–September 1807) 102
7 Colonies and conquests: Gustavus IV’s plans and
hopes for conquests at the expense of Denmark and
overseas colonies (September–October 1807) 105
8 A world war: Napoleon’s plans to invade Sweden,
conquer Portugal and subjugate Spain 110
9 Before the storm: Sweden’s domestic and foreign
difficulties (October 1807–February 1808) 114
10 ‘In our hour of need’: Sweden calls for British assistance 120
7 Peninsular Priorities: The Anti-Climax of the
Common Cause, the Futile Expedition, the
Peninsular Campaign and the Finnish Front,
February–September 1808 126
1 The forgotten front: Finland and Sweden’s war against
Russia (February–April 1808) 126
2 Mistrust and misunderstandings: planning the
British expedition to Sweden and Sweden’s failed
invasion of Norway (March–April 1808) 130
3 The fall of Finland’s ‘Gibraltar’: May 1808 136
4 A savage war: the revolt of Spain and the beginning
of the Peninsular War (May–July 1808) 138
5 The futile expedition: General Moore’s military fiasco in
Sweden (May–July 1808) 139
6 Peninsular priorities: Sweden or Spain? Britain’s strategic
choices in a world war (April–August 1808) 145