Why did Napolean and Britain go to war? How did it start and finish?

Answer 1

This is a good site. It was basically about power and empire. http://europeanhistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=europeanhistory&cdn=education&tm=18&gps=188_6_1268_542&f=20&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.graham.day.dsl.pipex.com/na10.htm

Answer 2

Because Napoleon was an *** a control freak and didn't know when to stop. His plan was to rule Europe and so on. Just like a certain Austrian gentleman some 150 years later.A young chap who went by the name of Nelson stopped him about 200 years ago by taking his boats away from him at the Costa de la Luz just south of Cadiz were I am now and for the first time since that sea battle the Spanish Government have put up an Information board to that affect, although it doesn't actually state that the combined Spanish & French fleets were destroyed by a smaller or lesser English (Not British) fleet. Nelson was hit by a snipers shot and died knowing the battle was won. His lover Lady Hamalton died in poverty in a poor house some years later.

Answer 3

Napolean was making preparations to invade Britain . It finished at the battle of Waterloo which was fought by the Duke of wellington against Napolean.

Answer 4

Napoleon wanted to unite Europe into one union, as did Hitler; they both wanted one person at the head of this new union......THEMSELVES. So we fought them and our forefathers died for the right of Independence from Europe!

Now we are ruled by Europe anyway, not by one figure-head, but by an immense debating parliament that can't even agree whom should do what! And that costs Sooooo much money, there is nothing left to make things any better (just worse).

So you can't fight change......you may win the battle.....but you'll never win the War. What is the point? Would Hitler have happened if Napoleon had won? Would we be left with the E. U. and would so many good people have died?

So I think the war was caused by Empire building on behalf of Napoleon; it finished when we beat him (but were we supposed to?)

Answer 5

Napoleaon wanted to unite all of Europe, and he knew that there could not be complete peace without either Britis defeat or a peace treay.

The treaty of Amiens in 1802 brought a fragile peace, but the treaty was broken by both sides ... so in 1803 we were at war once again.

From the perspective of Britain, it wasn't acceptable to have one country dominating all of Europe, this would have been a real threat to Britains national security, and particularly to our economic security - as Napoleon could cut trade off between us and our European markets at will.

Luckily for us, we had almost complete naval superiority and dominated the seas around Europe. This meant that we were safe from invasion and could enforce free trade with our markets around the world - in fact the First Sea Lord, Lord St Vincent raised a smile in the House of Lords when he said 'I don't say the French can't come my lords, only that they cannot come by sea'!

In 1805, during the so-called Third Coalition of France, Napoleon planned an invasion of the British Isles with 180,000 French troops from Boulogne... and in order for this to succeed he had to feint the British navy blockading his ports away... anyway, this led to the stupendous and famous victory at Cape Trafalga by Lord Horatio Nelson, Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood and the English fleet.

From then on, Britain was safe from invasion, yet still wanted to be at the heart of Europe, and able to shape events.

Britain didn't really become deeply committed in war against Napoleons forces until they sent an expeditionary force to Copenhagen when allied with Russia and Denmark - the so-called Fifth Coalition in 1809.

The Peninsular War between Britain, Spain, and Portugal on one side and France on the other began when Napoleaon invaded Spain in 1808. This led to the rise of one of Britains greatest commanders, Arthur Wellesley, who would become the Duke Of Wellington...

I put some links below so you can understand more fully... but basically all of Europe was engulfed in war for more than 20 years from the time Napoleon first took power in 1889.

I hope this helps

Philip

Answer 6

Actually, all of the European nations went to war against France after 1789 in order to undo the effects of the French revolution. The Kingdom of Great Britain, the Austrian Empire, the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Naples, the Papal States, and the Kingdom of Spain all felt threatened by the overthrow of the French king. They could be next.

Nap[oleone was a young Corsican who had studied at the French West Pooint, St. Cyr. When the Directory took control of France, he was 19 years old. He espoused the revolution, was promoted general, and went to the port city of Toulon to defend it. The British attacked, he defended successfully.

Napoleon and England went to war many times after that. Napoleon went to Egypt to disrupt British supply lines. British admiral Lord Nelson went there to destroy his fleet. Nelson succeeded.

Nelson defeated a French fleet at Trafalgar in 1805, destroying the naval power of France (Napoleon). The British Duke of Wellington campaigned against Napoleon's generals in Spain. Finally, Wellington defeated Napoleon atvthe battle of Waterloo in Belgium in 1815. Napoleon abdicated as Emperor of the French and went into exile on the barren British island of St. Helena, where he died in 1821.