Franco-Swedish War facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Franco-Swedish War (Pomeranian War) |
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| Part of the Napoleonic Wars | |||||||
 Swedish Pomerania (centre-right) in 1812 |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
Co-belligerents:
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Co-belligerents:
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| Strength | |||||||
| 1805: 13,000 1810: 40,000 |
1805: 12,125 1810: 27,000 |
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[a] Gustav IV Adolf was deposed by a coup d'etat on March 9, 1809, and Charles XIII was appointed king in his place. [b] Until 1808 |
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The Franco-Swedish War, also known as the Pomeranian War, was when Sweden first joined the Napoleonic Wars. Sweden became part of the Third Coalition to fight against France, led by Napoleon Bonaparte.
Contents
Why the War Started
In 1803, the United Kingdom declared war on France. At first, Sweden stayed neutral, along with Denmark–Norway and Prussia. However, things changed in 1804 after a French prince, Louis-Antoine-Henri de Bourbon-Condé, was executed.
Sweden then ended all its official ties with France. Sweden made a deal with Britain. Britain could use Swedish Pomerania as a military base against France. In return, Sweden received payments. Russia also promised to send 40,000 soldiers to help Sweden if France threatened it. Because of these agreements, Sweden joined the Third Coalition on August 9, 1805. On October 31, Sweden officially declared war on France.
Key Events of the War
Fighting in Hanover
In November 1805, a group of soldiers from Britain, Russia, and Sweden, about 12,000 strong, moved from Swedish Pomerania. Their goal was to free Hanover, which was controlled by France. This attack was delayed many times. Prussia was not keen on Swedish and Russian troops moving through its land.
By December 1805, after the Battle of Austerlitz, British and Russian forces started to leave Hanover. This left only a small Swedish group to face the French. By April 1806, the Swedes also had to go back to Swedish Pomerania. This happened after Prussia and France made an agreement.
The Fourth Coalition Forms
In the summer of 1806, Prussia formed the Fourth Coalition against France. This gave Sweden the right to take over Lauenburg. But in the autumn, French forces moved very quickly. They soon took control of many areas in western Germany. This forced the Swedish troops to retreat towards Lübeck.
The Swedish plan was to sail from Lübeck to Stralsund to avoid the French. However, on November 6, the French caught the Swedes while they were loading their ships at Lübeck. After the Battle of Lübeck, about 1,000 Swedish soldiers had to give up. The French forces were much larger.
Siege of Stralsund
The French Army began attacking Swedish Pomerania in early 1807. They started to besiege Stralsund on January 15. This siege lasted for seven months. The French had soldiers fighting in other places too. So, the number of troops around Stralsund slowly went down.
On April 1, the Swedes received more soldiers. They decided to try and break the siege. They were somewhat successful, taking Usedom and Wolin. But the French fought back. On April 16, a force of 13,000 French soldiers attacked the Swedes from Stettin. This forced the left side of the Swedish army to pull back. Another group of Swedish soldiers in Ueckermünde was then cut off and captured.
On April 18, France and Sweden agreed to a ceasefire. This meant the French would leave Pomerania. However, the Swedish government refused to join the Continental System. This was a French plan to block trade with Britain. Influenced by Britain, Sweden ended the ceasefire on July 8.
On August 6, 1807, about 50,000 French, Spanish, and Dutch soldiers attacked Swedish Pomerania. They were led by Marshal Guillaume-Marie-Anne Brune. They besieged Stralsund again. On August 20, 1807, the city's defenders gave up. The rest of the Swedish Army was surrounded at Rügen.
However, Swedish General Johan Christopher Toll managed to make a good deal with Marshal Brune. This agreement was called the Convention of Schlatkow. His forces were able to leave for Sweden on September 7. They took all their weapons and supplies with them.
Treaty of Tilsit and New Alliances
The Treaty of Tilsit was signed between France and Russia. This left Britain and Sweden without other allies against France. On February 21, 1808, Russia joined the war against Sweden by invading Finland. On March 14 of the same year, Denmark-Norway also declared war on Sweden.
Danish, French, and Spanish troops started getting ready to invade Skåne in Sweden. But this plan was soon stopped. Instead, the war moved to the border between Norway and Sweden. Sir John Moore led a British group sent to protect Sweden. They arrived on May 3, 1808, and stayed until July. Then, they were sent to Portugal.
Napoleon's plans to invade Sweden never happened. This was because of British ships in the Baltic Sea. Also, the Danish military was not very strong. And French Marshal Bernadotte hesitated. His actions made him popular enough to be chosen as a Swedish Crown Prince. This happened after a coup d'etat in March 1809.
On August 30, 1809, the new Swedish government signed the Treaty of Fredrikshamn with Russia. This treaty made Russia's takeover of Finland and Åland official. A peace treaty between Sweden and Denmark-Norway was signed on December 10, 1809. No land was exchanged in this treaty.
What Happened Next
On January 6, 1810, Sweden signed the Treaty of Paris with France. Russia helped arrange this peace deal. Sweden got Pomerania back. But in return, Sweden had to join the Continental System. This meant Sweden could not trade with Britain.
On November 17, 1810, Sweden was forced to declare war on Britain. All British goods in Swedish Pomerania were taken. However, people continued to smuggle goods across the North Sea with the government's quiet support. The British fleet was even told that this would be a "phantom war," meaning no real fighting would happen. This war lasted until 1812, but no military actions took place.
See also
- English Wars (Scandinavia)
- Gunboat War
- Dano-Swedish War of 1808-1809
- Finnish War
