britain And The French Wars 1793-1815 Flashcards
What were the main battleships called in the navy in the late 18th century
Ships of the line
How many guns were carried by ships of the line
70 guns
How many guns did the frigates carry
28-36 guns
What was the main function of frigates
Patrolling, scouting or conveying merchantmen
What was the purpose of sloops and gunboats
They were used on convoy and blockade duty
What is a closed blockade
Where the main fleet sailed near the enemy port
What is an open blockade
Where the main fleet was in a home port and frigates patrolled the coast of the enemy, informing the main fleet of enemy ships were put to sea
From what year was the Royal Navy obliged to perform daily gunnery practice
1745
How many sailors would man a 32 pound gun
7 sailors
What was the gun captain responsible for
Aiming and firing
How much did each gun wiegh
3 tons
How long did it take the Royal Navy to deliver a broadside in battle
1 minute 30 seconds (much quicker than most enemies)
What allowed midshipmen to fast-tracked to officers (like Nelson)
If the midshipmen has family influence in the navy and came from the professional middle class
Why did British officers born in 1750’s and 1760’s have more experience than the french officers
They fought in the American war of independence
Following the American war of independence, the French Revolution led to most of the officers being guillotined this officers in the french war lacked the crucial experience.
How many men were in the Royal Navy in 1793
120,000 men
How many men were in the Royal Navy in 1812
140,000 men
How many vessels did the navy have in 1812
1000
Why did the navy initiate impressment
Britain did not have conscription, therefore their was a lack of men in wartime.
What did the impressment service have the power to do
Force seafarers aged between 15 and 55 to join the Royal Navy
What was the purpose of press gangs
Round up suitable men around ports in the night. Often drunks and common criminals
How much of the Royal Navy was made up of pressed men in 1805
Half
What was the quota system
Each British colony was required to supply a certain number of volunteers (based on it population and number of seaports)
We’re most sailors in the Royal Navy British during the french wars
No,
for example, HMS Caledonia has seeds, Frenchmen, Portuguese, North American’s, West Indians, Brazilians, Germans, Italians, Africans and Russians (YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW ALL THE ETHNICITIES)
How much were naval seamen paid a month
£1.12 1/5
When was the last wage increase for seamen at the start of the french war In 1793
1652
What was a sailor awarded if they captured an enemy ship
Prize money (essentially a bonus)
What were the naval reforms introduced by William Pitt
Dockyards were more closley supervised to eliminate waste and corruption
Massive stocks of timber and rope were built
New docks were constructed in Portsmouth and Plymouth
What replaces slow matches in gunnery
Gunlocks
What is the advantage of a gunlock
Allowed the captain to stand back from the gun, aim and then yank some rope which allowed the gun to be fired faster and more accurate than with slowmatches
What french port did the Royal Navy sieve in 1793 under admiral Hood
The port of Toulon
How many enemy ships were sank on the glorious first of June 1794
Seven enemy ships
How many french men were killed or taken prisoner on the glorious first of June
7000
How many casualties did the British sustain
1200 casualties
Why was the battle of the glorious first of June not a total success for Britain
The Grain ships succeeded in reaching France which stopped a famine
What was the ratio of British to Spanish ships in the battle of cape st Vincent 1797
1:2
Who became a hero and was brought to the spotlight following the major British success in the battle of cape st Vincent
Nelson
What did nelson refers to his captains as
“Band of brothers”
What was the impact of the victory at the battle of the Nile
The Royal Navy has gained controlled of the Mediterranean
Napoleon and his army was trapped in Egypt
Austria, Russia, Naples and turkey joined Britain in the new coalition
What caused the Baltic threat in 1800
Star Paul if Russia put pressure on Denmark, Sweden and Prussia to join the league of Armed Neutrality that would challenge the British arrogance of the high seas
Why was the league of armed neutrality are real threat to the Royal Navy
The Baltic powers had nearly 100 ships between them
Most of the naval stores of timber, pitch,tar and hemp were in the Baltic which the league could prevent Britain accesssing
What was the size of nelsons fleet at the battle for Copenhagen
11 ships of the line
5 frigates
4 sloops
7 bomb vessels (small ships that carried mortars)
What date did the siege on Copenhagen begin?
2 April 1801
What made the siege of Copenhagen significant of Nelson’s leadership
He disobeyed the orders of Parker to surrender by declaring “i really do see no signal” and managed to forced the prince of Denmark to sign a truce
How what the damage to the naval capacity of Denmark following the siege on Copenhagen
2 ships were sunk
1 ship exploded
12 were taken by the British
How may have the siege of Copenhagen not been very significant of nelsons leadership?
Tsar Paul if russia was assassinated.
he successor, tsar Alexander 1 had no wish to fight a war with Britain.
The Baltic threat had been settled in Britain’s favour, partly due to nelson.
What did Britain and France sign in March 1802
The peace of Amiens
What was the outcome of Britain signing the peace of Amiens
It ended hostilities between Britain and France until 1803
What naval reforms did st Vincent introduce during the peace of Amiens
He cancelled shipbuilding contracts and dismissed 100’s of dock workers in an attempt to end corruption and save money.
What was the negative outcomes of st Vincent’s reforms to the navy
In 1803 when napoleon began gathering an army of 100,000 men to invade Britain, fleets were short of men, ships and supplies
What significant naval event happend in 1804 which posed a genuine threat to the sercurity of Britain
Spain allied with France
Between them they had 102 battleships
How many battleships did the Royal Navy have in 1804
83
What was the size of Nelsons fleet at the battle of trafalgar in 1805
27 battleships
170,000 men
2148 guns
What was the size of Villanueve’s fleet at the battle of trafalgar in 1805
33 battleships
30,000 men
2568 guns
What did the battle of trafalgar not have an impact on
Did not prevent a french invasion (had been postponed prior to the battle)
Did not have an impact on the war of the third coalition
What was the positive outcome of Britain’s decisive victory in the battle of trafalgar
Britain would rule the waves for the reminder of the french war
The Royal Navy would go unchallenged by the french from 1806-12
The Royal Navy could focus its efforts on supplying the army in its efforts to take back Europe
What did napoleon introduce in 1806
The Berlin decrees
What was the aim of the Berlin decrees
To destroy Britain economically by forbidding Europe to trade with Britain
What was the outcome of the treaty of Tilsit 1807
Russia would no longer trade with Britain
What was the cause of the war of 1812
American merchants were angered that Britain had blockaded Europe as they had profited off the napoleonic wars
How many warships did the USA have in 1812
14 small warships
What was the outcome of the war of 1812
By 1813, Britain had successfully blockaded most American ports
What party was prime minster William Pitt (during the french wars) a member of?
The Conservative party
What was the position of the Whig party leaders in the french wars
They favoured appeasing France and making peace
What caused 60 Whig politicians to move to the position of the government and continue war with France
The French Revolution
What was the consequence of the French Revolution in the UK parliament
The Whig party would not get a majority for 40 years
Why did Pitt resign
Pitt attempted to relax the laws which excluded catholics from the armed forces but king George 3 opposed the notion
Who was the successor of William Pitt and what did he do in significance of the french wars
Henry addington
Sign the peace of Amiens agreement in 1802
Who succeeded addington following the failures of the st Vincent naval reforms of 1802
William Pitt returned to office in 1804
When did William pitt die
In January 1806
What was the major problem with the government in the early 1800’s
It was very corrupt and inefficient as the scale and complexity of the war put a strain on government bureaucracy
How many goods and services became taxed to fund the war effort
21 inc. salt, spirits and thread
How much income did the spirit tax yield
£51 million
In what year was the first graduated income tax introduce
1799
How much did one have to earn before they were taxed on the new income tax from 1799 onwards
£60 a year
How much had been raised by 1855 through the income tax
£155 million
What other important institution helped fund the french wars
The city of London
What part of the french war did Meyer Rothschild finance
The advance through Spain and France in 1813-14 where entire villages/towns were rapped, tortured, executed and burnt to the ground by British troops
What year was Hansard introduced
1811
What was the government expenditure in 1811
£85 million
At what annual rate did Britain’s economy grow during the years 1783 to 1802
6%
What canal built in 1806 joined the midlands to London
The grand junction canal
What was the consequence for the canal network development
Reduced the cost of transporting bulk goods
