Challenges To The Empire Flashcards
What influence have Britain had since entering the revolutionary war in February 1793?
They had used this naval dominance to disrupt French trade, preventing goods entering or leaving France. In 1793, Parliament passed the ‘Prize Act’, which allowed British sailors to keep goods seized from French shipping and the French economy suffered as a result. Britain’s position as a strong trading nation meant that it had the resources to finance military coalitions against the French (as it had done with the Third Coalition of 1804 in particular), therefore undermining British commerce became a key part of French warfare.
How did Napoleon attempt to undermine British commerce?
After his plans to invade Britain were abandoned in 1805, the policy of targeting the British economy through trade was pursued with greater formality. In November 1806, Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree, which forbade all countries under French control (or the pays allies) from buying British goods and it declared that Britain and its oversees possessions would be blockaded.
How did Britain respond to the Berlin Decree?
In November 1807, Britain brought about the ‘Orders of Council’, which formalised and intensified the British blockade of France. This imposed the terms:
- Britain would not buy goods from France, its allies or any neutral countries that obeyed the French blockade.
- The Royal Navy would blockade the ports of France and its allies.
- All shipping coming from or heading towards a French-controlled port had to stop at a British port to be checked for contraband. Any ships that failed to comply could be seized.
How did Napoleon retaliate from Britain’s ‘Orders of the Council’?
With the Milan Decree of December 1807, which declared that:
- French warships were authorised to capture neutral ships sailing from any British port or country by British forces.
- Any ships that had allowed themselves to be searched by the British Royal Navy were liable to capture by the French.
What impact did the continental blockade have?
- Social unrest: the ‘continental system’ was one of Napoleons most unpopular policies throughout the Empire. Goods such as tea, coffee, sugar and tobacco became almost unobtainable (or prohibitively expensive) everyone in continental Europe, which provoked complaints and uprisings.
- Military considerations: the strains of maintaining the system also added to Napoleon’s commitments and military engagements.
- International relations: Portugal refused to obey, which provoked a damaging Napoleonic entry into Spain in 1808.
In 1810, Tsar Alexander I opted out of the continental system as a result of the severe damage that was being caused to Russia’s economy. This was part of the worsening relations between France and Russia which led to Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812. - Economic impact: a few areas were unaffected by the ban or even thrived during it. Alsace and Strasbourg did quite well by developing trade with Germany, Italy and Eastern Europe. French Belgium also thrived.
Ports and industrial cities in the west, e.g. La Havre and Rouen, were badly hit.
Allowed France to get Atlantic trade back.
France’s navy was not strong enough, smuggling thrived and gendarmeries indulged in illegal practices.
From 1793, British goods had been prohibited from entering France.
Between 1806 and 1807, French trade with Britain was banned, along with France’s allies and neutral countries.
British trade with North and South America made up for losses-so country was never ‘brought to its knees’.
What was Napoleon’s relationship like with Spain before the Peninsular War?
Since it’s defeat by the revolutionary armies in 1795, Spain had been largely an ally of France. Although it formed an alliance with Britain from 1805-1807, following its defeat at Trafalgar, Spain was again allied with France in 1807 when a Franco-Spanish force was created with the aim of taking control of Portugal. Portugal was significant because it was being used as an entry point for British goods.
How did Napoleon start to attack Portugal?
December 1807: the Franco-Spanish force took Lisbon and forced the Portuguese royal family to flee.
March 1808: Against a backdrop of internal political chaos and corruption, King Charles IV’s pro-British son, Ferdinand, attempted a political coup. Supported by 100,000 French troops who were in Spain under the pretext of reinforcing the Franco Spanish army in Portugal, Napoleon forced the abdication of Charles IV in favour of his son on 19th March.
2nd May 1808: rebellion in Madrid against French occupation. 150 French soldiers are killed. Joachim Murat, commander of the Imperial Guard and a cavalry of Mamluk warriors who had been brought from Egypt to serve in the Guard, crushed the rebellion. Rioters were trampled by troops.
6th May 1808: Napoleon forced the abdication of Ferdinand VII.
15th June 1808: Napoleon’s brother, Joseph, was proclaimed King of Spain.
What happened following Napoleon’s proclamation King of Spain?
Groups of Spaniards formed local resistance committees (juntas) and in July 1808, the Spanish Army of Andalusia defeated Napoleon’s forces of 22,000 men at the Battle of Bailén, and forced the French forces to retreat and abandon much of Spain.
What were the consequences of the rebellion of July 1808?
August 1808: Napoleon imposed his brother, Joseph, as King of Spain.
August 1808: Britain sent Arthur Wellesley (late Duke of Wellington) to aid the Spaniards. A British/Spanish army defeated the French at the Battle of Vimiero in Portugal. This gave the British the strategic advantage of control over a number of ports and bases to maintain pressure on the French.
November 1808: Napoleon placed himself in control of Spain.
4th December 1808: Napoleon entered Madrid with 80,000 troops.
How was the Peninsular War different to Napoleons previous military encounters?
In this war, the French had to adapt to two new types of conflict: the more traditional military campaigns of the Spanish, Portuguese and British forces and the guerilla (‘little war’) tactics used by Spanish peasants. Therefore, instead of swift large-scale pitched battles, the Peninsular War became a War of attrition, wherein each side tried to undermine the other by launching a series of small-scale operations over a long period of time.
What were the problems faced by Napoleon’s armies in the Peninsular War?
- Living off the land in Spain was problematic as there was a great deal of hostility towards the French army from the Spanish peasantry.
- Napoleon’s strategy of using an overwhelmingly large number of French troops was undermined by the guerilla warfare tactics employed by the peasants. These tactics meant that French troops faced surprise ambushes, night raids and vicious attacks on outposts.
- The French army were not used to fighting in mountainous and barren areas where communications were poor. The problems of sending messengers in these conditions and facing hostility from the local population meant that commanders in different areas found it difficult to keep in contact.
- Supply lines back in France were difficult given the hostility, nature of the terrain and size of the peninsula.
What happened in the Peninsular War in 1809?
January 1809: French forces gained control of northern Spain as a result of forcing the British Army, now under the control of Sir John Moore, to withdraw to Corunna on the north coast before being evacuated by the British navy. Although this was a defeat for the British, and was compounded by the death of Moore in battle, it had also frustrated Napoleon’s ambition to retake Portugal and southern Spain.
Having taken personal control only three months earlier, Napoleon was forced to leave Spain in January 1809 to deal with the threat of Austria, who were encouraged by French setbacks in Spain and were planning renewed attacks on France’s eastern borders.
How did the British consolidate the Peninsular War and take offensive action?
April 1809: Wellesley returned to Lisbon with 30,000 troops.
1809-1810: British troops set about building a series of forts and earthworks (the Lines of Torres Verdas) in order to defend Lisbon and to use as a base from which to mount further attacks.
21st June 1813: following four years of small-scale skirmishes and battles which secured strategic position rather than outright victory, Wellesley’s forces defeated the French at the Battle of Vitoria and entered Madrid, forcing Joseph to flee to France.
10th April 1814: Wellesley leads an invasion of France and defeats French forces at Toulouse.
What was the overall outcome for the Peninsular War?
- Cost: 250,000 French troops and a huge amount of money were poured into he Spanish Campaign. It became known as the ‘Spanish Ulcer’ because France was gradually worn down.
- Failure to expand: every victory received by Napoleon’s deputies (Jean-de-Dieu Soult and André Masséna) was countered, so there was no decisive breakthrough.
- Threat to France: not only did Wellesley enter Madrid and cause Joseph to flee, he also led an invasion of France, defeating French troops at Toulouse in 1814.
Why did Austria re-launch the war against France?
In February 1809, Austria took the decision to re-enter the war against the French, taking heart from the French setbacks in the Peninsular. They also felt they were in a stronger position. Since the defeat at Austerlitz, adopting the corps structure, developing conscription and experimenting with different tactics had reformed the Austrian Army. However, the army was still led by old-fashioned commanders who disliked change and military leaders who were largely unwilling to change plans without written orders.
What happened in the Austrian Campaign?
Napoleon had a flawless intelligence concerning the timing and location of attacks.
9 April 1809: Austrian army invaded French Bavaria, much sooner than Napoleon had expected. Although poor roads and freezing rain slowed the Austrian advance, the Bavarian forces gradually retreated.
21/22 April 1809: following a rapid trip from Paris, Napoleon’s forces defeated the Austrian Army at the Battke of Eckmül, Austrian forces suffered 12,000 casualties to the French 6000.
May 1809: Napoleon entered Vienna as victor for the second time in 4 years, but there were still opposition forces north of Danube.
16-17 May 1809: Battle of Essling, Napoleon was outnumbered and his forces lose 20,000 men before being forced to retreat to an island on the Danube. Napoleon begins to plan his next crossing of the Danube and starts to bring in more troops and guns.
5-6 July: 188,000 French troops are prepared for battle at Wagram. Hard-fought two-day battle which featured the extensive use of artillery on a battlefield of 300,000 men. This led to huge casualties and, even though Napoleon emerged as victor, his army lost around 34,000 men. The Austrian forces had been depleted by 43,000 men and they immediately sought peace.
