Orders in Council (1807)
Origins of the War of 1812 |
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These Orders in Council were a series of decrees, in the form of
In Europe, restrictive British trade policy, as enacted in the Orders, led to the formation of the Second League of Armed Neutrality and deteriorating relations with other neutral powers, notably Denmark (with whom the British would fight a series of wars) and Russia. In the Atlantic, the Orders in Council were one of the main sources of tension between the United Kingdom and the United States which led to the War of 1812.
Terminology
Formally, an "
Especially in American history, the term "the Orders in Council" is also used collectively to refer to the group of such orders in the late 18th and early 19th centuries which restricted neutral trade and enforced a naval blockade of
Background
By 1806, Napoleon was master of continental Europe, effectively locking Great Britain out of the continent. However, the defeat of the French and Spanish navies at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) ended any thoughts of an invasion of Great Britain. Napoleon, aware of British commercial strength, thus resorted to a policy of economic warfare, in what became known as the Continental System.
British Order in Council of 16 May 1806
In response to a British Order in Council of 16 May 1806, which had declared all ports from Brest to the Elbe to be under a state of blockade, Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree of 21 November 1806, which forbade French, allied or neutral ships to trade with Britain. By this means, Napoleon hoped to destroy British trade, disrupt its growing industrial expansion, diminish its credit, and ultimately force a peace settlement.
British Orders in Council of 1807
Great Britain responded with the Orders in Council of 1807 issued on 6 January and 11 November 1807, extending the range and scope of the blockade instituted the previous year.[1] These forbade French trade with Great Britain, its allies, or neutrals, and instructed the Royal Navy to blockade French and allied ports. This order required all shipment to stop in English ports to be checked for military supplies that could have aided France. Ships that did not stop to be checked at English ports were liable to British seizure.
Milan Decree of 1807
On 17 December 1807, Napoleon retaliated with the Milan Decree, which declared that all neutral shipping using British ports, or paying British tariffs, were to be regarded as British and seized.
Consequences
Due to the strength of the Royal Navy, the British blockade of continental Europe was reasonably effective. French trade suffered, and its primitive industrial revolution was set back. Great Britain, on the other hand, actually increased trade with its overseas colonies over the period. Smuggling persisted, and even Napoleon made exceptions to his embargo so he could procure necessary supplies for his war effort.
More significantly, enforcing the economic blockades led both Great Britain and France into a series of military engagements. The British bombarded Copenhagen in September 1807 (
The economic warfare ended with Napoleon's final defeat in 1815.
Repeal of the Orders in Council
The British made their greatest concession to the United States in June 1812. On 16 June 1812, two days before the United States declaration of war,
On the very day that
Forty-one days after the United States Congress declared war, the news reached London on 29 July 1812. Two days later, the Ministry ordered its first counter-measures. It forbade British ships to sail except in convoys, and restrained American ships in British ports. The Orders in Council had been repealed on 23 June 1812, but the ministers did not intend to take additional measures until they could learn the American reaction. Word of the repeal of the Orders did not reach President James Madison until 12 August 1812, some fifty days later. Even then he refused to halt hostilities because he did not know how Britain had reacted to the declaration of war.[4]
References
- ^ Holmberg, Tom. "The Acts, Orders in Council, &c. of Great Britain (on Trade), 1793–1812".
- ISBN 0-252-06059-8.
- ISBN 1-896941-13-3.
- ISBN 0-306-80429-8.