Technical question: Was the Russian Campaign necessary?

This is possibly a stupid question, but I'll ask it anyway: Was the Continental System the real motive for the French invasion of Russia?

Assuming that the commerce in the Barents Sea and in Asia are irrelevant, the French only needed the Danish straits to control Russia, no? I know that Denmark was in a constant warfare against the British but I confess that I have no idea how productive British commercial shipping in the Baltic was during the wars.

So, if for some reason (e.g. fatherhood?), Napoleon decides to settle down could he avoid more wars and slowly destroy British economy?
 
I haven't been able to find any hard info on the extent of Russia's ability to trade with Britain in 1812, but I have found several references on Wikipedia and elsewhere to Britain trading with the Baltic states during the Continental System period and to Britain operating naval squadrons in the Baltic, which I take as pretty firm indication that France and its clients had a very limited ability to close the Danish Straits against Britain.

It looks like there are three main passages in the Danish Straits: Oresund (2.5 miles wide at its narrowest point), Little Belt (17 miles wide), and Great Belt (10 miles wide). The passages are parallel, so traffic can go through any one of them. Oresund could definitely be closed to traffic by shore batteries, but I don't think Napoleonic-era artillery could close Great Belt or Little Belt, and Britain had established naval supremacy decisively enough that Denmark probably couldn't close the Belts with warships.

There's also the political angle to consider: by refusing the Continental System, even if the defiance were entirely symbolic, Russia was defying Napoleon's hegemony over Europe. If Napoleon let Russia's defiance go unchallenged, he'd risk emboldening other European states to refuse the Continental System (and any other policies he might want to enforce) as well.
 
The Danish Straits aren't something the French can control easily. The Royal Navy has French ships blocked in their ports.

An interesting idea is if France just takes the Finno-Baltic coastline.
 
Interesting. As the Danish straits cannot be controlled, could the invasion of Russia go through OTL Baltic countries and reach St Petersburg?
 
Interesting. As the Danish straits cannot be controlled, could the invasion of Russia go through OTL Baltic countries and reach St Petersburg?

The Russians have this thing called a navy, you see, and forcing the Grande Armee into a smaller column when it invaded only benefits the scorched earth approach the Russians took.
 
It is also true that once Britain took out the Caribbean, they were in control of irrc, 90% of the sugar, coffee and spice supply to Europe.

France had enough trouble enforcing the continental system in France. With total control of the sea the British made a killing smuggling in the luxury goods that Europe couldn't get anywhere else. The continental system hurt France more than it hurt Britain.
 
This is possibly a stupid question, but I'll ask it anyway: Was the Continental System the real motive for the French invasion of Russia?

So, if for some reason (e.g. fatherhood?), Napoleon decides to settle down could he avoid more wars and slowly destroy British economy?

It is also true that once Britain took out the Caribbean, they were in control of irrc, 90% of the sugar, coffee and spice supply to Europe.

France had enough trouble enforcing the continental system in France. With total control of the sea the British made a killing smuggling in the luxury goods that Europe couldn't get anywhere else. The continental system hurt France more than it hurt Britain.


It is not a stupid question but the first basic problem with what might be regarded as the pragmatic strategy is that it is not going to work as Deckhand has pointed out above.

In addition it was in the nature of Napoleon to become frustrated with routine government and to crave the drama and maybe even the glory of campaigning. In other words the same drives that make Napoleon what he is force him to pick a fight with whomever he can reach and that since the official plan is not working he can convince himself his new one is better.

I think if you are wishing to stop him getting in a Russian rasputitsa-up (sorry could not resist :eek:) then you might try pointing him at a different target but he is going to want to invade someone.
 
Top