Gunboat War

The Gunboat War was a naval conflict between Denmark–Norway and Britain from 1807 to 1814, fought during the Napoleonic Wars. It takes its name from Denmark–Norway’s use of small, shallow-draft gunboats.

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Gunboat: A small, shallow-draft vessel armed with guns, used mainly in coastal waters. Denmark–Norway relied on these vessels to challenge Britain’s naval superiority.
Battle of Copenhagen (1807): A British naval assault on Copenhagen in September 1807 that seized the Danish fleet. The attack triggered Denmark–Norway’s declaration of war against Britain.
Horatio Nelson: A British admiral known for victories in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He commanded British forces at the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen, an earlier clash in the same struggle.
Dissolution of Denmark–Norway: The 1814 separation of the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway under the Treaty of Kiel. The peace settlement ended the union that had fought Britain throughout the conflict.
Naval blockade: A military operation that uses naval forces to prevent ships from entering or leaving a coast or port. British efforts to restrict Danish–Norwegian trade and shipping shaped the conflict.
Treaty of Tilsit: The 1807 agreement between Napoleon and Alexander I that reshaped relations between France and Russia. Its aftermath increased British fears that Denmark would join a French-directed maritime blockade.
James Gambier: A British admiral who commanded the 1807 attack on Copenhagen. His fleet captured the Danish navy at the conflict’s immediate turning point.
Norway: A Scandinavian country occupying the western part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The Treaty of Kiel transferred Norway from Denmark to Sweden as the war ended.
Copenhagen: The capital of Denmark, situated on the eastern coast of Zealand. British attacks on Copenhagen in 1801 and 1807 helped set the conflict’s course.
Continental System: Napoleon’s policy of restricting European trade with Britain to weaken British commerce. British pressure on Denmark–Norway reflected the struggle over joining or resisting Napoleon’s trade system.