Anglo-Russian war. Strange Anglo-Russian War

Russia's accession to the continental system after the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807 led to a breakdown in relations between St. Petersburg and London. And after England attacked Denmark (the Danes also decided to join the continental blockade), France and Russia went to war with Britain. There were no significant military actions between Russia and Britain, but in 1808 Sweden entered the war on the side of England. During the Russian-Swedish war of 1808-1809. The Swedes were defeated. Finland was included in Russia.

The epic of Senyavin's squadron

The British fleet operated in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean and Baltic Seas. Thus, the squadron of Dmitry Nikolaevich Senyavin, consisting of 9 battleships and 1 frigate, after the conclusion of the Slobodzeya Truce with the Turks on August 12 (24), 1807, went from the Mediterranean Sea to the Baltic Sea, and the war found Russian ships in Lisbon (they took refuge in the port in early November from -for storms). The situation was extremely difficult: Junot’s French army invaded Portugal - the Portuguese squadron left Lisbon, taking the Portuguese prince regent, the royal family and the government to Brazil (then a colony of Portugal); The British blocked the city from the sea. The British admiral had 13 battleships, 11 frigates and 5 small craft. By the end of November 1807, Portuguese territory was completely occupied by French troops. General Junot received the title of Duke d'Abrantes and entered Lisbon. The Russian squadron found itself between two fires. Both forces had the opportunity to destroy the Russian squadron. The order of Alexander I obliged Senyavin to comply with the interests of Napoleon, at the same time the Russian emperor did not want to enter into an open war with England. And France would benefit if the Russians entered into a direct battle with the British.

Senyavin asked the tsar for instructions, but did not receive them. Napoleon wanted the Russian admiral to henceforth receive orders not from Russia, but from France, from the Russian ambassador in Paris, Count Tolstoy, who would simply forward Senyavin the instructions of the French emperor. At the beginning of 1808, Dubachevsky, who was the Russian representative in Lisbon, received instructions mandatory for all Russian military personnel. They said that the actions of the military should correspond to the friendly disposition that Russia currently enjoys with France. On March 1, 1808, an even clearer imperial decree followed to the three commanders of the Russian Naval Forces located in foreign lands, including D. Senyavin. It spoke of placing naval forces outside Russia at the disposal of the French emperor to harm the enemy. The French were notified of this order.

Start people's war The Spaniards against French rule sharply worsened the position of General Junot and his army in Portugal. In addition, the British saw in Lisbon and Portugal in general a long-awaited springboard for landing significant troops on the Iberian Peninsula. It is clear that the Russian squadron could not bring a turning point in the struggle between France and England for the peninsula. But the symbol of the joint struggle of the two powers against Britain was important. Guerrilla warfare In Spain, the war was becoming more and more heated, and reports were coming from Vienna about the military preparations of the Austrians. There was a possibility that, having seen the fact of a real military alliance between Russia and France, Vienna would refrain from war with Napoleon. Therefore, the pressure on Senyavin from the Duke d'Abrantes intensified day by day. But Senyavin still did not want to destroy his squadron in order to make a political demonstration pleasing to the French emperor. It must be said that Admiral Senyavin was extremely hostile to the Treaty of Tilsit and sudden "friendship" of Russia with France. He continued to ignore the proposals of Napoleon and Junot. He was convinced that the alliance of Napoleon with Alexander was a short-lived construction, and refused to help the French emperor and Junot. It is clear that he tried to do this in a diplomatic manner, finding pretexts for the squadron's inaction.

In July 1808, Junot several times ordered Senyavin to land forces ashore to fight the British landings, and to send the fleet to attack the weakened British fleet (some of the ships covered the landings). Senyavin rejected all these proposals. He refused to land Russian sailors to protect Lisbon. On August 4, Junot withdrew almost all his forces from the capital of Portugal and went to Torres Vedras. On August 9, 1808, a battle took place near the town of Vemieiro, and the French troops suffered a complete defeat. Junot, after the battle in which he lost more than 4 thousand people, returned to Lisbon. On August 12, Divisional General Kellerman came to the Russian admiral from Junot; he notified Senyavin of the planned truce between Junot and the commander-in-chief of the British forces. But the negotiations ended unsuccessfully. On August 13, Senyavin received a letter from Junot, which proposed that the entire crew of the squadron join the French forces (a similar proposal had been made earlier) and prevent the British from occupying Lisbon and the forts. Senyavin again refused, emphasizing that he did not have the authority to fight with the Portuguese and Spaniards who had sided with the British. On August 16, Senyavin received the last letter from the French general, in which he instructed the Russian admiral to directly negotiate with the British about the fate of the Russian squadron. The British occupied Lisbon.

The British were aware of Senyavin's skirmishes with the French and already in July entered into relations with the admiral. They wanted to induce Senyavin to come over to their side and deal a heavy blow to the Russian-French alliance. Even if Alexander had subsequently disavowed Senyavin’s actions, the opinion would still have been established on the Iberian Peninsula that the Russians were enemies, not allies, of the French emperor. On July 16, Admiral Senyavin received “through a certain Portuguese” a letter from the British admiral with an offer to send his representatives for negotiations. On July 18, the representatives who traveled from the Russian squadron to the British - collegiate adviser Zass and flag officer Makarov - returned to their squadron. They reported that the British were notifying Senyavin about hostile actions against Russia that had begun on the part of the French and about the detention in French ports of all Russian ships that had entered there. And also the beginning of peace negotiations between Russia and Sweden and England. But Senyavin refused to enter into direct negotiations.

After the departure of the French forces, it was necessary to think about the problem, lest the British military declare the squadron their war booty, and the Russian admiral with all the crews of the ships - prisoners of war. After all, England at that moment was formally at war with the Russian Empire. Senyavin reported to the British that during their ten months in Lisbon the Russians had consistently refused to take part in hostilities against the British. The squadron occupied a neutral position. In addition, the Russian Admiral Senyavin told Cotton that after the departure of the French occupiers, the capital of Portugal returned to the legal possession of the Portuguese government, and St. Petersburg was not at war with Lisbon, so he considered himself and his squadron to be in a neutral port. It was a skillful diplomatic move. After all, British troops landed in Portugal, solemnly declaring to all of Europe that their goal was to liberate the country from Napoleonic capture and return it to the legitimate government, which fled from the occupiers to Brazil. Legally, the position of the Russian admiral was thus very strong and binding on the British.

After some reflection, the commander of the British squadron, Cotton, reported that he had ordered British flags to be hung on the forts and that he did not consider the city a neutral port. The moment was critical: British troops were strengthening their presence in the city, their fleet was approaching the Russian squadron. Strength was on the side of the British. At the same time, Cotton realized that Senyavin would not agree to unconditional surrender and there would be a bloody battle. Cotton entered into negotiations and, after quite persistent arguments, recognized the need to sign a special convention with Senyavin. On September 4 it was signed. The British command accepted Senyavin's condition: the Russian squadron was not considered captured, it was heading to England and was supposed to remain there until peace was concluded between London and St. Petersburg. After peace was concluded, the ships could return to Russia with the same crew and all their property. Senyavin even insisted on a point according to which he himself and all his officers, sailors and soldiers (marines) could immediately return to Russia without any conditions, that is, they had the right, having returned to their homeland, to take part in military actions against Great Britain.

It is clear that Cotton agreed to such conditions not only because he did not want losses, but also for political reasons. A new turn could soon take place in relations between Russia and England (and it did), and it was stupid to irritate St. Petersburg by sinking the Russian squadron.

On August 31 (September 12), 1808, Senyavin with his squadron, consisting of seven battleships and one frigate, left Lisbon for Portsmouth. Two ships - "Raphael" and "Yaroslav" - were so damaged that they had to be left in the Portuguese capital for repairs. The British promised to return them. On September 27, the squadron arrived in Portsmouth. The British Admiralty believed that Cotton had made a mistake and tried to revise the convention. Two battleships in Lisbon were captured, despite Senyavin's protests. Not wanting to immediately release (as should have been according to the Cotton-Senyavin agreement) Russian officers, sailors and soldiers to Russia, the British initially delayed the matter for months until the winter of 1808-1809 arrived and Russian ports became inaccessible until the opening of spring navigation. Then the British Admiralty began to express concern whether the Swedes, who were at war with Russia, would remove Russian military personnel from British transports. In addition, the Admiralty insisted that the Russian landings take place in Arkhangelsk. The Russian admiral insisted that it take place in one of the ports Baltic Sea. The British officials fed the Russian crews disgustingly. Only on June 12, 1809, the inventory of ships and property was completed. On July 31, 1809, the Russian crews were finally transferred to 21 British transport ships and sailed from Portsmouth on August 5. On September 9, 1809, the ships arrived in Riga, and people were able to go to the Russian coast.

Officers and sailors highly appreciated the commander's skills. But Alexander I thought differently. The talented naval commander Senyavin, who participated in the campaign of F. F. Ushakov’s squadron in the Mediterranean Sea, successfully fought with the French in 1805, on May 10-11, 1807 he defeated the Turkish fleet in the Dardanelles, and on June 19, 1807 in the Battle of Athos, despite Due to the numerical superiority of the enemy, he fell into disgrace. The British would return the ships in 1813.

Dmitry Nikolaevich Senyavin.

Other events

On May 17, 1809, an English squadron consisting of 3 battleships, 4 frigates and 1 brig attacked the Russian detachment of captain 1st rank Bychevsky consisting of 5 battleships, 1 frigate and 2 corvettes in Trieste, but, having received rebuff, retreated.

In the Baltic Sea, the British fleet operated jointly with the Swedish Navy in the areas of Revel, Porkkala-Udd, Baltic Harbor, Vyborg, etc. British ships carried out raids on coastal areas, sabotage and shelling of coastal objects. Their privateers attacked merchant ships in the Baltic and North Seas. The British tried to damage the Russian economy.

The Russian command took serious measures to strengthen the defense of St. Petersburg from the sea. 15 batteries with 120 guns were built in the capital. The fairway north of Kotlin Island was blocked with a barrier made of stone and wood - a red barrier. Kronstadt was prepared for defense. The squadron of Admiral Pyotr Ivanovich Khanykov based in the Baltic harbor (9 battleships, 7 frigates, 13 small ships) could not resist the British-Swedish Navy. The ships were in poor condition and could not conduct active operations. Overall, the British fleet was unable to provide significant assistance to Sweden. The outcome of the war was decided by the actions of the Russians ground forces. After the defeat of Sweden, the British withdrew ships from the Baltic. In 1810 - 1811 fighting there were no negotiations between Britain and Russia at all.

Confrontation in the East

The British launched active activities against Russia in Turkey and Persia. The British had long feared Russian penetration into the South and East. The Russians could seize the approaches to India. London was especially alarmed by the fact of the voluntary annexation of part of Georgia and a number of Azerbaijani khanates to Russia in 1801-1806. In 1809, the British government entered into an agreement with the Shah of Iran; the British pledged to facilitate the annexation of Transcaucasia to Persia. But the actions of the Shah's troops were not successful, and Iran began to seek peace. Under pressure from British agent Jones, the negotiations broke down. Soon Malcolm's mission arrived in Persia, which handed over 12 guns and 7 thousand rifles to the Persians. In 1810, the Iranian army tried to go on the offensive, but was defeated in Armenia.

The British took on Persia more seriously: the reorganization of the Persian army began, they sent an English squadron to the Persian Gulf, and in 1811 the Iranians were given another 32 cannons and 12 thousand rifles. Small cannon and rifle factories were built in Tabriz. But this did not help Persia either. At the end of 1811, Russian troops inflicted a new defeat on the Shah's troops and captured Akhalkalaki.

At the beginning of 1812, London sent its ambassador to Iran, who concluded a new Anglo-Iranian treaty. The British allocated money to strengthen the Iranian army. British instructor officers also arrived in the country to prepare the Shah's army for the invasion of Transcaucasia. True, in June 1812 London pretended that it was ready to facilitate the conclusion of peace between Persia and Russia. But on the conditions of the withdrawal of Russian forces from territories that previously belonged to Iran. The Iranians tried to assert their rights by force and began military operations. The best units of the Iranian army were completely defeated at Aslanduz by General Kotlyarevsky. The Shah's artillery was also captured. Then Russian troops captured the Lankaran fortress. As a result, the British attempt to oust Russia from Transcaucasia failed. In 1813, the Shah of Persia agreed to the Treaty of Gulistan.

At the same time, the British played against Russia and Ottoman Empire. Here the British tasks were similar to the French. They wanted to oust Russia from the Balkans and prevent the Russians from capturing Istanbul and the straits. The British prevented the conclusion of peace between Turkey and Russia. Repeatedly, the British and French ambassadors spoke in Istanbul with demarches aimed at continuing the war. However, here too the Russian’s successes brought Russia victory. The Turks signed a peace treaty in Bucharest.

Union of Russia and Britain

Having failed to achieve success in the confrontation with the Russian Empire, British diplomacy entered into peace negotiations when it became clear that war between Russia and France was inevitable. The threat of Napoleon was paramount to London. True, there was the possibility of peace between Paris and London. In April 1812, the French Emperor approached the British government with a formal peace proposal. Napoleon agreed to recognize the dominance of the British in the colonies, but in return asked to recognize the dominance of France in Europe. British troops had to leave Spain and Portugal. But the British did not agree to this.

On July 6 (18), 1812, in the Swedish city of Örebro, a peace treaty was signed between Russia and England and at the same time between Great Britain and Sweden. The agreements ended the Anglo-Russian and Anglo-Swedish wars and concluded alliances directed against the French Empire. The Peace of Orebro became the basis for the creation of the 6th anti-French coalition in 1813. On August 4 (16), Russian ports were opened to English ships. This was a success of Russian diplomacy. But the agreement had little effect on the outcome of the War of 1812. St. Petersburg's hopes for London's practical assistance, including financial, were not justified. The British government sold Russia 50 thousand incomplete guns, which ended British participation in the War of 1812. London hoped for a protracted war between France and Russia, which would exhaust both empires. Such a war made England the master of the situation in Europe.

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Plan
Introduction
1 Causes of the war
2 Statistics of the Anglo-Russian War
3 Combat
4 End of the war

Bibliography
Anglo-Russian War

Introduction

1. Causes of the war

After Russia was defeated in the campaign against France in 1806 and 1807, it was forced to begin peace negotiations. In Tilsit (June 25, 1807), a meeting took place between Russian Emperor Alexander I and French Emperor Napoleon I. This meeting was of a demonstrative nature. Each emperor tried to present himself as an ally of the other. When the emperors met, Alexander spoke first: “I, just like you, hate the British and am ready to support you in everything that you undertake against them.” “In this case,” Napoleon replies, “we will be able to agree, and peace will be concluded.”

The Peace of Tilsit was signed between Prussia and Russia on the one hand and France on the other, according to which Russia joined the continental blockade against Great Britain. This blockade hit the economies of both Russia and England. In London, Russia was reluctantly considered an enemy, just as the British were in St. Petersburg. But soon both countries will be forced to fight each other, without good reason and without wanting to.

During Napoleonic wars The British fleet caused great damage to Denmark and thereby forced it to take the side of Napoleon I. Having concluded an alliance with France, Denmark was preparing to declare a continental blockade of Great Britain. But Britain decided to launch a pre-emptive strike. On August 16, 1807, the British landed their troops in Denmark. The Anglo-Danish War began. A month later, British troops captured Copenhagen. Denmark had long been an ally of Russia on the Baltic Sea, and the capture of Copenhagen caused great discontent in St. Petersburg.

Exactly 2 months after England captured Copenhagen (November 7), Russia declared war on Great Britain, and in February 1808, Russian troops invaded Finland, thereby starting the last Russian-Swedish war (1808-1809). Sweden was an ally of England. Despite the support of the English landing and fleet, Sweden was soon defeated by Russia, as was Denmark by Britain. Sweden concluded a peace treaty with Russia and joined the continental blockade.

Statistics of the Anglo-Russian War Combat

As for the fighting between the British and the Russians, they were fought sluggishly in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean, Adriatic, Barents and Baltic seas. But these battles were not large-scale and were, rather, in the nature of individual military clashes of small forces on each side. Russia and Great Britain avoided decisive military action.

In August 1808, after a severe storm, Russian ships entered Lisbon for repairs. An English squadron entered the same harbor. Russian Admiral Senyavin was taken by surprise. But the British did not attack the Russian ships damaged by the storm, which were also at anchor. Senyavin concluded an agreement with the British, according to which he handed over his ships to the British, but on the condition that Great Britain would return them six months after the conclusion of peace with Russia in the same condition as they received for storage (England returned the fleet in 1813). The Russian crew returned to Russia with honors for English money.

On May 3, 1808, in the South African port of Simonstown, the British detained the Russian sloop "Diana" under the command of V. M. Golovin, heading to Pacific Ocean For scientific works.

The two bloodiest battles of this war took place in July 1808 in the Baltic Sea. The Russians lost the ship Vsevolod and 3 gunboats. The crews of all these ships were almost completely killed. The British losses were insignificant, and there were no ships at all. The British also plundered fishing villages on the Murmansk coast several times.

On June 12, 1809, on the way from Revel to Sveaborg, the 14-gun boat "Experience" was attacked by the English 44-gun frigate "Salcette". The captain of the "Experience", G.I. Nevelskoy, took on an unequal battle, as a result of which four sailors were killed and Nevelskoy himself was wounded. The British captured the crew of the Experience. Having signed a subscription not to serve in the continuation of the war against England, the sailors were released in the port of Libau.

After a peace treaty was concluded between Sweden and Russia, Great Britain completely ceased hostilities against Russia in the Baltic Sea, and in 1810 and 1811. There were no hostilities between England and Russia at all.

4. End of the war

In 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia. The continental blockade, which Russia was forced to declare to England after the Tilsit meeting between Alexander I and Napoleon I, was ended. Trade, which both Russia and England desperately needed, was resumed. Already on July 18, 1812, in the city of Örebro (Sweden), Great Britain and Russia signed a peace treaty, which both countries had long desired. Under this agreement, Russia resumed trade with England, and England, in turn, provided Russia with support against Napoleon in the outbreak of Patriotic War 1812. The treaty had enormous political significance, but had little effect on the outcome of the War of 1812.

· Anglo-Russian War 1807 - 1812 // encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg: 1890-1907. or

· Chronos Anglo-Russian war.

Bibliography:

1. The population is indicated within the boundaries of the corresponding registration year (Russia: Encyclopedic Dictionary. L., 1991.)

2. Mainly against the troops of Sweden and Finland

3. Of these, 6,000 were transferred to Denmark

4. Shultz V.K. Exploits of Russian sailors St. Petersburg, 1853. - Pp. 39

The complex tripartite relationship between Russia, England and France in the first half of the 19th century led first to a war between the Russians and the British, in which St. Petersburg was supported by Paris. And a few years later the situation changed dramatically - and now France was at war with Russia, and the British were the Russians’ allies. True, St. Petersburg never received real help from London.

Consequences of the continental blockade

The war between Russia and Britain resulted in a series of local skirmishes; the sides did not conduct frontal battles against each other. One of the landmark campaigns of this period was the Russian-Swedish war (the Swedes sided with Britain) of 1808–1809. Sweden lost it, and Russia eventually grew into Finland.

Senyavin's confrontation

By that time, Napoleon had occupied Portugal; access to the sea, in turn, was blocked by the British. Remembering the conditions of the Tilsit Peace, the French unsuccessfully persuaded the Russian sailors to come out on their side for several months. Russian Emperor Alexander I also ordered Senyavin to take Napoleonic interests into account, although he did not want to escalate the conflict with the British.

Napoleon tried different ways influence Senyavin. But the subtle diplomacy of the Russian admiral prevailed every time. In August 1808, when the threat of Lisbon being occupied by the British increased, the French turned to Senyavin for the last time for help. And he refused them again.

After the occupation of the capital of Portugal by the British, they began to win over the Russian admiral to their side. Being at war with Russia, England could easily capture our sailors and take the fleet for itself as war trophies. Admiral Senyavin was not going to give up just like that, without a fight. A series of lengthy diplomatic negotiations began again. In the end, Dmitry Nikolaevich achieved a neutral and, in its own way, unprecedented decision: all 10 ships of the squadron are heading 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 back to Russia only a year later. And England returned the ships themselves only in 1813. Upon returning to his homeland, Senyavin, despite his past military merits, fell into disgrace.

Fighting in the Baltic and the East

The British were interested in Türkiye and Persia, and, in principle, the possibility of Russian expansion in the South and East. Numerous attempts by the British to oust Russia from Transcaucasia were unsuccessful. As well as the machinations 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. Ultimately, a peace treaty was signed.

Why did this war end with Napoleon's attack on Russia?

For England, this strange war with Russia was futile, and in July 1812 the countries concluded a peace treaty. Napoleon's army had already been attacking for several weeks by that time. Russian territory. Previously, Bonaparte failed to agree with the British to conclude peace and recognize 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, whose hands were freed by the Treaty of Tilsit to conquer all of Europe, only needed to “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 an allied one in the fight against France. England, like the United States in the Great Patriotic War, took a wait-and-see approach and received significant military and economic assistance from the British Russian empire I didn’t wait. Britain hoped that a protracted military campaign would exhaust the strength of both sides, and then it, England, would become the first contender for dominance in Europe.

The war, which lasted from 1807 to 1812, was the strangest Anglo-Russian war. She walked for five years. Clashes between opponents took place in the most different parts globe, however, no significant fighting was observed. We will talk more about this, as well as about the participation of Russians in the Anglo-Boer War, in our review.

Causes of the war

First, let's look at the reasons. In the military campaigns against France carried out in 1806 and 1807, Russia was defeated. Therefore, she was forced to negotiate peace. On June 25, 1807, Russian Emperor Alexander I and Napoleon Bonaparte met in Tilsit, where an agreement was signed according to which Russia supported the economic blockade of Great Britain. As a result, this step negatively affected the economies of both countries - Russia and the United Kingdom.

Denmark, which had entered into an alliance with Napoleon, was also ready to join the continental blockade of England. During the war with France, the English fleet inflicted great damage on the Danish kingdom. However, on August 16, 1807, the British landed their troops on the Danish coast, and the war began. As a result, Copenhagen was captured on November 7, 1807. Since Denmark was a long-time ally of Russia in the Baltic, St. Petersburg was very dissatisfied with this fact.

Fighting

Military conflicts between Russia and Great Britain were not large-scale; they were expressed in individual clashes of small forces. At the same time, the geography of the battles was very extensive. Enemy ships fought on the waters Atlantic Ocean, Adriatic, Baltic, Barents and Mediterranean seas. Next, we will briefly consider the events of the Anglo-Russian war.

On May 15, 1808, the British detained the Russian sloop “Diana” in the port of Simonstown in southern Africa, commanded by V. M. Golovin. The ship was heading to the Pacific Ocean to carry out scientific work.
In July 1808, two battles took place in the Baltic Sea, which were the bloodiest in the Anglo-Russian war. Among the Russian losses was a battleship with 74 guns and 3 gunboats. The crews of all ships were almost completely destroyed. At the same time, all British ships remained intact, and casualties were insignificant.
In August of the same year, Russian ships caught in a severe storm were forced to enter the Lisbon port for repairs. The British fleet also entered the same harbor. The commander of the Russian fleet was taken by surprise. But British representatives did not attack the Russian ships at anchor, broken by the storm. The admiral entered into an agreement with the British that the ships would be given to them for storage and should be returned 6 months after the end of the Anglo-Russian war. This was done in 1813.

On June 12, 1809, on the way from the city of Revel to Sveaborg, the British attacked the boat “Experience” with 14 guns. On the other hand, the 44-gun frigate Salset took part in the operation. As a result, four Russian sailors were killed, the captain was wounded, and the ship was captured by the enemy. At the port of Libau, the crew members were released, having given a written promise not to fight against the British Empire until the end of the war.
In May 1809, the British attacked the city of Kola and destroyed the fishing shelters on the shore White Sea in Murmansk.

In fact, hostilities between Great Britain and Russia during the Anglo-Russian War ceased after the conclusion of a peace agreement between the Russians and the Swedes, and in 1810-1811 they did not take place at all.

End of the war

The continental blockade that the Russian Empire was forced to declare on the United Kingdom after the Tilsit meeting of the Russian and French emperors was lifted. Trade relations necessary for both sides were restored. On July 18, 1812, a peace treaty was signed between Great Britain and Russia in Örebro (a city in Sweden). The Anglo-Russian war is over.

According to this treaty, not only did bilateral trade resume, but also the British were to provide Russia with support in the Patriotic War with Napoleon Bonaparte that began in 1812. Although this treaty represented a big step in a political sense, as such it did not have a significant impact on the outcome of Russia's war with France.

In addition to the events described, some Russian citizens also participated in the Boer War as volunteers.

Two Boer Wars

Under this name two military conflicts that took place in South Africa between Great Britain and various Boer republics are known.

The first of them occurs in 1880-1881. This war is also called the Transvaal War; it was fought by England against the Transvaal, a state located on the site of present-day South Africa.
The second war - between the Transvaal, the Orange Republic on the one side and the United Kingdom on the other - occurred in 1899-1902. It ended with the victory of the latter.

When talking about the Anglo-Boer or Boer War, they usually mean the second of the two. This is what we will talk about.

Who fought against England?

The Republic of South Africa, which existed in southern Africa in the 2nd half of the 19th century, is a country of independent Boers. Boers are a subethnic group that is part of the Afrikaners living in South Africa and Namibia. These are Afrikaner farmers, rural whites and simply poor whites. As for the Afrikaners, they descend from colonists who once arrived in South Africa, among whom were the Dutch, French, and Germans.

The Orange Republic, otherwise known as the Orange Free State, was also an independent country at the time, settled by Europeans in the 1930s. At this time, the Boers (Dutch colonists) fled from British rule from the Cape Colony inland. It then became part of South Africa as a province.

Causes and results of the conflict

The cause of the 2nd Anglo-Boer War was the desire of the United Kingdom, represented by its financial and industrial circles, as well as the administration of Natal and the Cape Colony, headed by Cecil Rhodes, to seize ownership of gold deposits.

As an ideological justification for the British invasion of the Boer republics, the idea of all-African domination of Great Britain was put forward.

The reason for the military conflict was the ban imposed by Transvaal President S. Kruger on granting voting rights to European settlers of 1870-1890, who were called “Uitlanders,” that is, “foreigners.” And also ignoring the demands of the ultimatum presented by the British government regarding their political equality.

The defeat of the Boers in this war became obvious already at the end of 1901. On May 21, 1902, the parties signed an agreement in Pretoria, according to which the Orange Republic and the Transvaal completely lost their independence, coming under the control of the British administration.

Russian volunteers in the Anglo-Boer War

Representatives of those nations who, for one reason or another, felt either sympathy for the Boers or antipathy towards the British, fought as volunteers on the side of the Boers. Among them were the Dutch, Germans, French, Americans, Norwegians, Swedes, as well as subjects of the Russian Empire. Among the latter were 225 people. Let's talk about the most famous of them.

Maksimov Evgeniy Yakovlevich, lieutenant colonel in reserve. First, the commander of the Foreign Legion, and then the head of the Dutch Corps. He was seriously wounded in the head.
Nikoloz Bagrationi-Mukhrani, Georgian prince, nicknamed "Niko Bur". He fought as part of a French detachment, then in the Foreign Legion, and was captured. Returning to his homeland, he wrote the book “At the Boers”.
Guchkov Alexander Ivanovich, future statesman, politician, Chairman of the State Duma, minister. He fought in Africa with his brother. He was wounded in the leg and was taken prisoner.
Augustus Evgeniy Fedorovich, officer. To participate in the Anglo-Boer War, he took leave from the regiment. Arriving in Russia, he published a book of memoirs.
Vandam Alexey Efimovich, major general, intelligence officer, future specialist in the field of geopolitics and geostrategy. He took part in the war as a war correspondent and published Letters on the Transvaal.

The complex trilateral relationship between Russia, England and France in the first half of the 19th century led first to a war between the Russians and the British, in which St. Petersburg held Paris. A few years later, the situation changed dramatically - now France was at war with Russia, and the British were the Russians' allies. True, St. Petersburg never received real help from London.[С-BLOCK]

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 Russians were severed. Obliged under this shameful treaty to provide assistance to the French in all 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-English continental blockade.
The war between Russia and Britain resulted in a series of local skirmishes; the sides did not conduct frontal battles against each other. One of the landmark campaigns of this period was the Russian-Swedish war (the Swedes sided with Britain) of 1808–1809. Sweden lost it, and Russia was eventually joined by Finland.[С-BLOCK]

Senyavin's confrontation

A significant event of the Russian-British war was the “great stand” in the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, of the squadron of Admiral Dmitry Senyavin. Ten military ships under the command of Dmitry Nikolaevich had been in the Lisbon port since November 1807, where the ships arrived, thoroughly battered by the storm. The squadron was heading to the Baltic Sea.
By that time, Napoleon had occupied Portugal; access to the sea, in turn, was blocked by the British. Remembering the conditions of the Tilsit Peace, the French unsuccessfully persuaded the Russian sailors to come out on their side for several months. Russian Emperor Alexander I also ordered Senyavin to take Napoleonic interests into account, although he did not want to escalate the conflict with the British.
Napoleon tried in different ways to influence Senyavin. But the subtle diplomacy of the Russian admiral prevailed every time. In August 1808, when the threat of Lisbon being occupied by the British increased, the French turned to Senyavin for the last time for help. And he refused them again.
After the occupation of the capital of Portugal by the British, they began to win over the Russian admiral to their side. Being at war with Russia, England could easily capture our sailors and take the fleet for itself as war trophies. Admiral Senyavin was not going to give up just like that, without a fight. A series of lengthy diplomatic negotiations began again. In the end, Dmitry Nikolaevich achieved a neutral and, in its own way, unprecedented decision: all 10 ships of the squadron are heading 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 back to Russia only a year later. And England returned the ships themselves only in 1813. Upon returning to his homeland, Senyavin, despite his past military merits, fell into disgrace.[С-BLOCK]

Fighting in the Baltic and the East

The English fleet, together with its Swedish allies, tried to inflict damage on the Russian Empire in the Baltic Sea, shelling coastal targets and attacking military and merchant ships. St. Petersburg seriously strengthened its defenses from the sea. When Sweden was defeated in the Russo-Swedish War, the British fleet left the Baltic. From 1810 to 1811, Britain and Russia did not engage in active hostilities with each other.
The British were interested in Türkiye and Persia, and, in principle, the possibility of Russian expansion in the South and East. Numerous attempts by the British to oust Russia from Transcaucasia were unsuccessful. As well as the machinations 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. Ultimately, the peace treaty was signed.[С-BLOCK]

Why did this war end with Napoleon's attack on Russia?

For England, this strange war with Russia was futile, and in July 1812 the countries concluded a peace treaty. By that time, Napoleon’s army had already been advancing on Russian territory for several weeks. Previously, Bonaparte failed to agree with the British to conclude peace and recognize 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, whose hands were freed by the Treaty of Tilsit to conquer all of Europe, only needed to “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 an allied one 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 receive significant military-economic assistance from the British. Britain hoped that a protracted military campaign would exhaust the strength of both sides, and then it, England, would become the first contender for dominance in Europe.

On the same topic:

Russian-English War of 1807-1812: what did they fight for? Russian-English war 1807-1812: who was the winner