The complex trilateral relations between Russia, England and France in the first half of the 19th century led first to the war between the Russians and the British, in which Petersburg was supported by Paris. A few years later, the situation changed dramatically - and now France was at war with Russia, and the British were allies of the Russians. True, St. Petersburg never received any real help from London.
Consequences of the continental blockade
After Russia, having signed the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807, joined France and declared a continental blockade of England, relations between the British and the Russians were severed. Pledged under this shameful treaty to help the French in any wars, Russia could not stand aside when such a conflict arose between England and Denmark - the British attacked a country that also supported the anti-British continental blockade.
The war between Russia and Britain resulted in a series of local skirmishes, the sides did not fight frontal battles against each other. One of the most significant campaigns of this period was the Russian-Swedish War (the Swedes sided with Britain) 1808 - 1809. Sweden lost it, and Russia eventually grew into Finland.
Senyavin's confrontation
A significant event of the Russian-English war was the "great standing" in the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, of the squadron of Admiral Dmitry Senyavin. Since November 1807, ten military ships under the command of Dmitry Nikolaevich were in the port of Lisbon, where the ships entered, thoroughly battered by the storm. The squadron was heading to the Baltic Sea.
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By that time, Napoleon occupied Portugal, access to the sea, in turn, was blocked by the British. Bearing in mind the conditions of the Tilsit Peace, the French for several months unsuccessfully persuaded the Russian sailors to come out on their side. The Russian Emperor Alexander I also ordered Senyavin to take into account Napoleonic interests, although he did not want to escalate the conflict with the British.
Napoleon tried to influence Senyavin in various ways. But the subtle diplomacy of the Russian admiral prevailed every time. In August 1808, when the threat of the occupation of Lisbon by the British increased, the French turned to Senyavin for the last time for help. And he refused them again.
After the capital of Portugal was occupied by the British, they began to win over the Russian admiral to their side. Being in a state of war with Russia, England could easily capture our sailors, and take the fleet as war trophies. Just like that, without a fight, Admiral Senyavin was not going to surrender. A series of lengthy diplomatic negotiations began again. In the end, Dmitry Nikolaevich achieved a neutral and, in his own way, unprecedented decision: all 10 ships of the squadron go to England, but this is not captivity; until London and St. Petersburg make peace, the flotilla is in Britain. The crews of Russian ships were able to return to Russia only a year later. And England returned the ships themselves only in 1813. On his return to his homeland, Senyavin, despite his former military services, fell into disgrace.
Fighting in the Baltic and the East
The British fleet, together with the Swedes allies, tried to inflict damage on the Russian Empire in the Baltic Sea, shelling coastal facilities and attacking military and merchant ships. Petersburg seriously strengthened its defense from the sea. When Sweden was defeated in the Russo-Swedish War, the British fleet withdrew from the Baltic. Between 1810 and 1811, Britain and Russia did not engage in active hostilities.
The British were interested in Turkey and Persia, and in principle, the possibility of Russian expansion in the South and East. Numerous attempts by the British to oust Russia from the Transcaucasus were unsuccessful. As well as the intrigues of the British aimed at encouraging the Russians to leave the Balkans. Turkey and Russia sought to conclude a peace treaty, while the British were interested in continuing the war between these states. In the end, the peace treaty was signed.
Why this war ended with Napoleon's attack on Russia
For England, this strange war with Russia was hopeless, and in July 1812 the countries concluded a peace treaty. By that time, Napoleon's army had been advancing on Russian territory for several weeks. Earlier, Bonaparte failed to agree with the British on the conclusion of peace, the recognition of British colonial rule in exchange for the withdrawal of British troops from Spain and Portugal. The British did not agree to recognize the dominant role of France among other European states. Napoleon, who was untied by the Peace of Tilsit to conquer all of Europe, lacked only "crush Russia", as he himself admitted a year before the start of the six-month Patriotic War of 1812.
The Russian-British peace treaty was at the same time allied in the fight against France. England, like the United States in the Great Patriotic War, took a wait-and-see attitude and the Russian Empire did not wait for significant military-economic aid from the British. Britain hoped that a protracted military campaign would drain the forces of both sides, and then she, England, would become the first contender for dominance in Europe.
