Depth Topic 1: Britain and the French Wars - Facing the French Threat on Land (1793-1815) Flashcards
When and why did Britain involve herself in a continental war with Revolutionary France?
British did not react when Revolutionary France declared was on Austria and Prussia as their economic interests were not threatened, such as being unable to trade which would make the economy unstable. However, when France invaded Austrian Netherlands and annexed the country, particularly the port of Antwerp where most trade entered Europe through, William Pitt the Younger insisted France retreat from Holland. France denied this request by refusing to withdraw and later declared war on the Dutch and the British, commencing the Revolutionary Wars on February 1st 1793.
Another factor that resulted in Britains involvement in war with Revolutionary France was the execution of Louis XVI by guillotine on January 21st 1793. Not only did committing regicide undermine the status quo of the monarchy and society’s staunch hierarchy and threaten Britains interests economically, Britain did not want a monarch overthrown in their country should this attitude spread across Europe to their island.
What is Coalition Warfare, and why was it so important to Britain in the wars against France?
The Coalitions involved Britain grouping together countries to aid their conflict against Revolutionary France, with Britain paying members of the Coalition to fight France on land whilst the Royal Navy engaged in naval warfare. Due to Britains inferior land army compared to Napoleon’s ‘Grande Armée’, they wanted to ensure France were kept occupied do they do not engage in the invasion of other counties to expand their empire.
What factors enabled Britain to afford to find Coalition Warfare to such a great extent?
In total, Britain spent £50 million on the Coalition, which was an astronomically large sum of money at this time. Due to the Royal Navy’s dominance on the seas, the British Empire was able to expand further which earned them more profit from new additions that they could use to fund the Coalitions. Additionally, Britain was the only country to go through an Industrial Revolution during this time, with the many factories making multitudes of trading opportunities for the country, with the profits then going towards paying for Coalition Warfare.
Why was Coalition Warfare so successful against Revolutionary and Napoleonic France?
Britain was able to maintain European hostility towards Revolutionary France and later Napoleon, giving the infamous leader no breathing space between battles and making the Revolutionary Wars very expensive, which was something France struggled with. Whilst Britain, thanks to their naval exploits, could afford this expense, France were unable to sustain this form of warfare during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
How efficient was the Duke of York as Commander of the British Army?
The Duke of York was an abyssmal Commander and was ridiculed by the famous nursery rhyme ‘The Grand Old Duke of York’ due to his ineffectiveness as leader. This was a reflection of the British Army’s lack of decent generals who were consistently unable to lead their sides to victory. An example of this was the Flanders Campaign of 1794, when Britain was pushed out of the region, losing battles in Ypres and Charleroi to Revolutionary France, once again proving the British Army’s military ineptitude.
How does the British Army’s failure in the Flanders Campaign link to the Royal Navy’s successes at sea?
In the same year as the Flanders Campaign, the Royal Navy faced the French fleet in the Glorious First of June, which was heavily dramatised by the government to disguise their losses on land by overtly celebrating the country’s naval hegemony. Despite both sides claiming victory in the battle, the British leaned on the successes of the Royal Navy by using this conflict as propaganda to conceal the dismal state of the British Army.
Explain the early life, meteoric rise to power and remarkable military genius of Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon rose up the ranks of the French Army at astronomical speed despite his youth, becoming an artillery general by April 1794 at the age of just 25. He was noticed by the government for his radical military ideas and supported the Jacobin movement in order to ascend to power. In 1796, he was given control of the French Army in Italy, using ‘divide and conquer’ tactics to secure victory as well as ‘legend status’ when he arrived back in France. Following his failure in the Battle of the Nile, Napoleon returned to his home country in 1799 to a bankrput, unpopular Directory, wich he capitalised on by staging a coup, finally overthrowing the Revolutionary government in November 1799 and declaring himself First Consul. Whilst there were two other Consuls, Napoleon made sure to recruit two puppet leaders in these roles, allowing him to eventually become Emperor of France.
How successful was the British Army in the years 1793-1807?
The British Army was highly unsuccessful in many areas, but dominated in India and other imperial locations. The future Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, was commanding British troops in India and considered the Battle of Assaye in 1803 his greatest military victory due to being severely outnumbered but still succeeding.
Why was coalition warfare so important to Britain’s fight against Napoleon?
Britain could afford to fund the coalitions and ask European countries with large land armies to fight the French, whose ‘Grande Armee’ was far more superior than that of the British. Britain could also spend more money bettering their navy as they were an island nation, strengthening their naval powers to defeat the French on the seas whilst allied countries kept Napoleon’s army busy fighting on land.
How had Britain benefitted from Nelson’s naval successes?
Capturing ships meant oppositions’ strength was limited and Britain’s increased
Nelson boosted the morale of both his men and that of the entire British military (‘Nelson Touch’)
Britain were able to defend and maintain the Empire through its newly established naval supremacy and expanding its horizons
Global trade routes were maintained, which increased profits that would later fund coalition warfare
Britain were capable of capturing enemy colonies and protecting pre-exiting ones
National security was guaranteed as Britain is an island (enemies can only access them via ships) which removed possibility of invasion
British troops are free to move through the seas with ease and opposing forces cannot get supplies without British intervention or going through the Pyrenean Mountain range - treacherous)
Describe Napoleonic weaponry
The standard issue British gun was a ‘Brown Bess’ muzzle-loading smoothbore Land Pattern musket, with the 95th Regiment (Green Jackets) using pre-rifled muskets for sharpshooting.
12-pounder cannons with similar loadings to the ‘Brown Bess’ were also used by the British and pulled into battle by horses. These were positioned at the back of the battlefield and could not be fired if the infantry has already engaged with the enemy. This was standard in nearly all countries at the time and were particularly emphaisised by Napoleon due to his background as a trained artillery general.
What types of men did the British Army recruit, and why?
Infantry were comprised of what Wellington referred to as the ‘scum of the earth’ such as the poor, criminals who chose military service over a prison sentence and other destitute men who had little incentive to join. Calavry, on the other hand, attracted middle classmen as they had could afford to buy equipment required to be a member. Many officers used their status and bought their way into the role despite having limited skill in combat.
Explain the primary reasons why the British government chose the Iberian Peninsular to fight Napoleon’s forces
With Britain’s army failing on nearly all fronts besides India, the government had to wait for a moment before commencing battle. In 1808, Napoleon invaded Spain, forced the King to abdicate and placed his brother in the position. Following Britain’s declaration of war on Napoleon, he enforced European countries to stop them from trading with Britain, which would heavily reduce their influence and engage in the continal system. However, due to Portugal’s strong trading ties with Britain and Spain’s declining power meaning they had to keep trading for surival, they resisted and Napoleon invaded their countries. Spanish troops resisted as much as they could, engaging in ‘guerrilla’ tactics and Britain not only wished to help Portugal, but saw an ideal opportunity to level the playing field due to their naval supremacy. With the support of the Portuguese and Spanish civilians, which was a large levelling factor against the French when fighting them on land.
What events led to Arthur Wellesley being given command of the British Army in fresh plans for invasion of French-occupied Iberia?
Following the loss of the Battle of Corunna with Britain struggling to hold their own whilst retreating, the government had to plan their next move very carefully. General Sir John Moore also died during this battle, meaning a new leader had to be chosen to execute this plan, and after careful consideration, Wellesley was selected to gain a foothold in Portugal with 20,000 men.
Why did the British government choose Arthur Wellesley to command the British Army in the Iberian Campaign?
Wellesley was successful in his battles in India, fighting the Battle of Assaye whilst being outnumbered by triple the size of his army and winning convincingly. He had also been part of the Iberian Campaign for some time and therefore understood the situation in the area, and had leadership experience by commanding a regiment in the Flanders Campaign. Not only did Wellesley have miliatary and tactical prowess, he was also an aristocrat who ran in the same circles as members of the War Office, making him an ideal candidate at the time.
