Britain

Britain, long time enemy of France, was at the centre of the fighting during this period. For years Britain and France had been enemies, yet Britain still came to the aid of Louis XVIII. Obviously Britain had decided that preventing against revolutionaries and being allied to the French monarchy was better than condoning the revolution and the possibility that it might give people in Britain similar ideas!

In the most important years of the wars Britain was led, not by King George III, but by the Prince Regent. King George III had been suffering from insanity and was deemed unfit to carry out his royal duties. The Prince of Wales may have been ruling the country, yet the Duke of York (yes, as in the nursery rhyme!) still retained full control over the armed forces. Many people thought this was best, especially as the Prince of Wales sometimes was as mad as his father!

Britain abroad was vastly outnumbered however it still maintained a reasonably large militia in case of invasion. These soldiers were never expected to serve abroad, were paid well and had few duties. In many cases it has been said that the militia was starving the army of men, as men were more willing to sit around in a pampered force and go home at night rather than having to bivouac miles from home and be shot at by the enemy! The main army however still received recruits, though they were not normally of the desirable type. Often men on the run joined the army to escape prosecution or a recruiting sergeant would even purchase prisoners from a local magistrate in order to swell the ranks.

Britain wasn’t just fighting in Europe during this time. Having the largest empire in the world meant that lots of soldiers had to be stationed around the globe. America, despite having won in independence in 1783, was still at war with Britain in dispute over the Northern Territories. This meant many British troops were committed to fighting in America rather than in Europe and vice versa. Two vital wars raging at the same time made the British armed forces stretched and therefore reduced their efficiency. Some American privateer Captains sailed to harass the British convoys as they passed by France claiming that, as America had an alliance with France, they were merely carrying out acts of war. The British navy refused these claims due to the fact that they disregarded America as a country in its own right. Any American privateer who attacked a British convoy and was caught was hanged as a common pirate on the shoreline. Many of the sailors on American ships had in fact served in the Royal Navy. These deserters received far worse treatment than merely being hanged as pirates. They were flogged with a cat o’ nine tails (a rope whip with 9 flailing strands) before being hung from the yardarm of a ship.

It’s amazing how in under 200 years Britain went from being America’s largest enemy to being its greatest friend. Who knows what new great relationships might be born over the next 100 years…

By Cherub Sharpe novel reader

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