Theoretical state of war between Sweden and UK in Napoleonic times
The Anglo-Swedish War of 1810?1812
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Part of the
Napoleonic Wars
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Memorial plate to the Treaty of Orebro
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Belligerents
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United Kingdom
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Sweden
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Commanders and leaders
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N/A
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N/A
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Strength
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N/A
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N/A
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Casualties and losses
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None
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None
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During the
Napoleonic Wars
until 1810,
Sweden
and
Great Britain
were allies in the war against
Napoleon
. As a result of Sweden's defeat in the
Finnish War
and the
Pomeranian War
, and the following
Treaty of Fredrikshamn
and
Treaty of Paris
, Sweden declared war on Great Britain. The
bloodless war
, however, existed only on paper, and Britain was still not hindered in stationing ships at the Swedish island of
Hano
and trade with the
Baltic
states.
Background
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]
The Treaty of Paris, concluded on 6 January 1810, forced Sweden to join the
Continental System
, a trade embargo against Great Britain.
[1]
Since Great Britain was Sweden's biggest trade partner this caused economic difficulties, and trade continued to take place through smuggling. On 13 November that year,
France
delivered an ultimatum to the Swedish government demanding that within five days Sweden:
[
citation needed
]
- Declare war against Great Britain,
- Confiscate all British ships in Swedish ports,
- Seize all British products in Sweden.
France and its allies threatened to declare war against Sweden if it did not meet the French demands. On 17 November the same year, the Swedish government declared war against Great Britain.
[2]
The war
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No acts of war occurred during the conflict and Britain was even allowed to station boats in Hano, thus "occupying" the island. Sweden did not try to hinder this as Britain used the island to continue trading with Sweden.
Aftermath
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The elected crown prince of Sweden, Danish Prince
Charles August
, had died on 28 May 1810, and on 21 August 1810, the French
Marshal
Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte
was elected crown prince of Sweden. Although Bernadotte was only the crown prince and technically subservient to King
Charles XIII
, the king's deteriorating health and disinterest made the crown prince the
de facto
ruler of Sweden. Under Bernadotte's rule, Sweden's relationship with Napoleonic France deteriorated. When France occupied
Swedish Pomerania
and the island of
Rugen
in 1812, Sweden sought peace with Great Britain.
After long negotiations, the
Treaty of Orebro
was signed on 18 July 1812. On the same day and at the same place, Britain and Russia signed a peace treaty to end the
Anglo?Russian War (1807?1812)
.
[3]
See also
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Notes
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References
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Literature
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