Britain and the French Wars 1793-1815 Flashcards
When was the Naval War with the USA? What happened?
In 1812-1814
The British ended up blockading most American ports
Casualties at Waterloo?
Napoleon: 25,000
Wellington: 15,000
Blucher: 7,000
Battle of Talavera 27-28th July 1809 numbers on each side?
Wellington - 20,000
^ with 30,000 Spanish
French - 50,000
Who won the battle of Talavera?
Wellington - his first victory for the British
How many battleships did the British take at Trafalgar?
18 enemy ships
When did Spain and Holland join the French side?
1796
How many steam engines were operating in London by 1805?
112 steam engines
When did Wellington win a series of battles in the Pyrenees?
In July 1813
What were 5 reasons for British success not related to the military?
- Government leadership
- reforms improving bureaucracy
- popular support
- funding from taxation
- the British economy
When was the Battle of Cape St Vincent?
1797
When did Wellington cross to France?
November 1813
Did the government or private sector manufacture more ships and weapons during the war years?
The private sector
When was the Peninsular War?
1808 - 1814
Why was Napoleon defeated at Waterloo?
Wellington’s army stood firm
The Prussians Napoleon thought were defeated joined the fight
When was the Battle of Busaco? What happened?
27th September 1810,
Wellington fought a successful defensive battle against French Marshal Massena (with 65,000 men) who had advanced into Portugal, he then retreated
When was the Naval Mutiny?
April to mid-June 1797
When did French Marshal Massena retreat to Spain?
March 1811
he lost 25,000 men
Why did trade decline between 1810-1812?
poor harvests
war with the USA
Where did the East India Company take exported goods to?
India and the Far East
Lines of Torres Vedras. How many French men were lost due to this.
defensive lines ordered by Wellington in 1809,
used in 1810-11 to fight Massena’s force in Portugal
Caused Massena to retreat back to Spain after losing 25,000 men
How did the City of London help the war?
top financiers provided loans to fund military campaigns and to subsidise the allies
When did Napoleon abdicate for the first time?
April 1814
What type of trade flourished between 1808 and 1810?
trade with new overseas markets in South America and the Caribbean
What is the name of the government body which encouraged improvements in breeding and crop rotation?
The Board of Agriculture and Internal Improvement
What policy did Napoleon introduce to limit British trade and when?
The Continental system was introduced in 1807
What was the impact of Trafalgar? (for the Navy) - 4 reasons
- went unchallenged by France after 1805
- could convey supplies and troops to the peninsular war
- frigates terrorised coastlines and tied up enemy forces
- the Navy seized French and Dutch colonies
Why was the canal network important to the Napoleonic Wars?
it reduced the cost of transporting bulky goods
What was a result of the Battle of Camperdown
The Navy’s reputation was restored after the mutiny as Admiral Duncan’s North Sea fleet had destroyed a Dutch fleet
How much did Corn output in Britain increase by between 1970-1810?
By over 1/5th
Battle of Talavera dates? Who won?
27th-28th July 1809
Wellesley won with 20,000 (+30,000 Spanish) against 50,000 French
When was the French Revolutionary War?
1793 - 1802
How many guns did ships of the line carry?
over 70
What were the reasons for British success in the Peninsular War? (4 reasons)
- Wellington never lost a battle
- the British Army was smaller but stronger than the French
- Spanish and Portuguese forces resisted stubbornly and fought well under British command
- The Royal Navy helped by conveying supplies and troops
How many men were in the British Army by 1813?
250,000
When was the Treaty of Amiens signed? What was it’s purpose?
March 1802
To end the war between UK, Spanish Empire and France after the war of the second coalition.
Who seized Toulon in 1793?
Admiral Hood
(he was forced out soon after)
How did Napoleon plan to invade Britain?
By sending Villenueve to distract Nelson in the Caribbean, then turn around and invade Britain while he was away.
Who mutinied first in the 1797 Naval Mutiny and why?
Sailors at Spithead, the dispute was over pay, food quality and brutal officers.
- wages were raised in response
How did the naval mutiny of 1797 end?
- more moderate sailors took control
- 29 mutineers were executed
What were 3 military reasons for British success?
- The Navy
- The Army
- Foreign support
What is an open blockade?
the main fleet is at home whilst frigates patrolled the enemy port, and informed the main fleet if the enemy put to sea
What happened at the battle of the Nile 1798?
Nelson met the French at the mouth of the Nile and won against the French
- only 2 out of 13 French ships escaped
What happened at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797?
Admiral Jervis with captains Nelson and Collingwood fought a battle against a Spanish fleet almost twice the size of theirs and won
Who did Britain ban trade with in 1807?
Ports who complied with Napoleon’s Berlin Decrees. They also searched neutral ships suspected of helping the enemy.
Who fought and how at Quatre Bras, during the battle of Waterloo 1815?
The British and French were in a drawn out battle
How did the East India Company bring in money for the government?
high duties on Asian imports - particularly tea
On what day did Napoleon attack at Waterloo?
June 18th 1815
What did the East India Company bring back to Britain?
materials such as saltpetre - which was used to make gunpowder
How did the private sector help the government during the war?
by working on government contracts to produce warships, weapons and gunpowder
What is a closed blockade?
the main fleet sailed near to the enemy port
What encouraged investment in farming?
high prices
Why was overseas trade so important to Britain?
customs duties made up a large part of government income
What happened at the Battle of Copenhagen April 1801?
Admiral Parker w Nelson second in command went to deal with the Danish threat. Nelson ignored Parker’s signal to retreat and successfully forced the Danish Crown Prince to sign a treaty after sinking 3 ships and capturing 12
How much did cotton production increase between 1793-1813?
Threefold increase
What happened at the Glorious First of June 1794?
- British ships under Lord Howe attacked a French fleet escorting an American grain convoy
- 7 ships were captured or sunk
When was the Battle of Waterloo?
June 1815
How did Nelson split the fleet at Trafalgar?
1 division led by himself in the HMS Victory
1 division led by Collingwood
two columns
How many men died of disease in the Caribbean during the French revolutionary war?
40,000 between 1793-1802
(they were trying to take colonies from the Spanish, French and Dutch
What happened from 1793-1797?
The Naval War
How many guns did frigates carry?
28-36
What major canal was operational in 1805?
the Grand Junction Canal
When was the battle of Ligny? What happened?
June 16th 1815
Napoleon with 120,000 men defeated a Prussian force under Marshal Blucher
When was the glorious first of June?
1794
How much more were cotton textiles worth in 1815 than in 1793?
they were worth 6x more
Who were the allied powers against France in 1815?
Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria
How large was the National Debt by 1815?
£1 billion
How many men were in the British Army in 1793?
40,000
How many battleships did the French and Spanish have between them in 1804 - How many did the Royal Navy have?
They had 102,
The Royal Navy had 83
When and why did the Continental system start to collapse?
After Napoleon’s defeat in Russia in 1813
When was the Battle of Trafalgar?
October 21st 1805
When was the Battle of Camperdown?
October 1797
When was the Battle of Salamanca and who won?
22nd July 1812
Wellington’s Anglo-Portugese force defeated the French force
Why did the Army and Navy have a bad rap in 1793?
They had lost the American War of Independence (1775-83)
the Army ran on commissions
What type of land was cultivated in Britain during the war?
common land and wasteland
How much did Britain’s economy grow per year between 1793 and 1802?
6% per year
How large was the French/ Spanish force at Trafalgar?
33 ships
30,000 men
2568 guns
What were frigates always in action doing?
Patrolling,
Scouting,
Conveying merchantmen
Who mutinied after the sailors at Spithead in 1797?
the petty officers on May 7th
the sailors at Nore 5 days later, joined by the North Sea Fleet
How large was Nelson’s force at Trafalgar?
27 ships
17,000 men
2148 guns
What happened at Fuentes de Onoro, Cuidad Rodrigo and Badajoz - and when?
Wellington led British successes - in 1811 and early 1812
What happened with Villenueve in 1805?
Nelson finished his chase and went home in April
A British fleet in July attacked Villenueve’s fleet - they escaped and went to Cadiz
Where was Napoleon exiled to in 1814
the island of Elba
How much did iron and steel manufacturing output increase between 1793-1813?
Fourfold increase
When was the Battle of the Nile?
1798 (1st August)
How did Nelson die?
He was shot by a French sharpshooter at the Battle of Trafalgar
When was the Battle of Vitoria?
21st June 1813
What ships were used to transport troops abroad?
the East India Company’s ships
When was the Battle of Copenhagen?
1801 (2nd April)
Why did Napoleon abdicate for the first time in April 1814?
Prussian, Russian and Austrian forces had entered Paris
When did Spain and Portugal revolt from France?
1808
Wellington’s tactics at the Battle of Salamanca July 1812?
Faked a retreat, when pursued by the French under Marshal Marmont he was already in position and decisiviely defeated the French army.
French losses at Salamanca and Vitoria?
Salamanca (July 1812) 13,000
Vitoria (June 1813) 8,000
When did Wellington replace Sir John Moore as commander of the British forces in the Peninsular War?
April 1809
