The Amiens Truce: Britain and Bonaparte 1801 - 1803
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A study of the hardening of British public opinion against Bonaparte and an examination of the events that caused it.
In 1801 Britain and Bonaparte made an armistice, which became the Treaty of Amiens in March 1802. In the brief period of peace which followed, British attitudes underwent a major change, so that when war began again in May 1803 there was little or no dissent from the view that the war had to be fought to a finish and Bonaparte's power destroyed. This was partly the result of Bonaparte's underhand methods during negotiations; but it was also due to the conclusion reached by the many British visitors to France during the interval of peace that Bonaparte was extremely dangerous, anger at his stealthy political advances in Europe and America, and outrage at his detention and imprisonment of British civilians when war began again. The attitude of the British government headed by Henry Addington, and in particular the diplomatic methods of the Foreign Secretary Lord Hawkesbury (later the Prime Minister Lord Liverpool) were decisive in countering Bonaparte's methods; they receive their due in this first detailed examination of events, based on original materials.
In 1801 Britain and Bonaparte made an armistice, which became the Treaty of Amiens in March 1802. In the brief period of peace which followed, British attitudes underwent a major change, so that when war began again in May 1803 there was little or no dissent from the view that the war had to be fought to a finish and Bonaparte's power destroyed. This was partly the result of Bonaparte's underhand methods during negotiations; but it was also due to the conclusion reached by the many British visitors to France during the interval of peace that Bonaparte was extremely dangerous, anger at his stealthy political advances in Europe and America, and outrage at his detention and imprisonment of British civilians when war began again. The attitude of the British government headed by Henry Addington, and in particular the diplomatic methods of the Foreign Secretary Lord Hawkesbury (later the Prime Minister Lord Liverpool) were decisive in countering Bonaparte's methods; they receive their due in this first detailed examination of events, based on original materials.
"A highly detailed examination. [...] A valuable resource for historians who need an accessible, but comprehensive, account of the peace negotiations. [...] A work of original scholarship that analyzes for the first time a crucial episode in the history of the Napoleonic era." NINETEENTH-CENTURY FRENCH STUDIES
"Particularly welcome, especially as it breaks new ground by covering the peace negotiations as well as the descent into war. Grainger's study has considerable merits and contains many fresh insights." INTERNATIONAL HISTORY REVIEW
"Thoughtful and interesting work that shows how much can still be achieved by studies in British foreign policy.. An effective piece that moves form specifics of diplomacy to wider issues, this is an impressive work." HISTORY
"The wide-ranging resonance of this work makes it of particular interest." Jeremy Black, AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW
Hardcover
9781843830412
March 2004
£75.00 / $115.00
Ebook (EPDF)
9781846152252
March 2004
$29.95 / £24.99
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