View source for Franco-Swedish War

{{Short description|War between France and Sweden, 1805–1810}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2009}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Franco-Swedish War
| partof            = the [[Napoleonic Wars]]
| image             = Swedish Pomerania 1812.png
| caption           = Swedish Pomerania (centre-right) in 1812
| date              = 31 October 1805 – 6 January 1810<br>(4 years, 2 months and 6 days)
| place             = [[Swedish Pomerania]]
| coordinates       = 
| map_type          = 
| map_relief        = 
| map_size          = 
| map_caption       = 
| result            = French victory
| territory         = * Sweden regains Swedish Pomerania
* Sweden integrates into the [[Continental System]]
| combatant1        = {{plainlist|
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} '''[[First French Empire|French Empire]]'''
* {{flagicon|Spain|1785}} [[Bourbon Spain|Spain]] (until 1808)
* {{flagdeco|Holland}} [[Kingdom of Holland|Holland]]
}}
''Co-belligerents'':
* {{flagicon|Russian Empire}} [[Russian Empire]]<br><small>(1808–09)</small>
* {{flagicon|Denmark–Norway}} [[Denmark–Norway]]<br><small>(1808–09)</small>
| combatant2        = {{plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|Naval Ensign of Sweden.svg|border=no|22px}} '''[[Gustavian era|Kingdom of Sweden]]'''
* {{flagicon|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}} [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
* {{flagicon|Prussia|1803}} [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]
}}
''Co-belligerents'':
* {{flagicon|Russian Empire}} [[Russian Empire]]<br><small>(until 1807)</small>
* {{flagicon|Austrian Empire}} [[Austrian Empire]]
* {{flagicon image|State flag of Saxony before 1815.svg}} [[Kingdom of Saxony|Saxony]]
| commander1        = {{plainlist|
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} '''[[Guillaume Brune]]'''
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} [[Édouard Mortier]]
* {{flagicon|Spain|1785}} [[Pedro Caro, 3rd Marquis of la Romana|Pedro Caro]]
* {{flagdeco|Holland}} [[Louis Bonaparte]]
* {{flagdeco|Holland}} [[Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau|Jean Dumonceau]]
}}
| commander2        = {{plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|Naval Ensign of Sweden.svg|border=no|22px}} '''[[Gustav IV Adolf]]''' (until [[Coup of 1809|29 March 1809]])
* {{flagicon image|Naval Ensign of Sweden.svg|border=no|22px}} '''[[Charles XIII]]''' (after 6 June 1809)
* {{flagicon image|Naval Ensign of Sweden.svg|border=no|22px}} [[Hans Henric von Essen|Hans von Essen]]
* {{flagicon image|Naval Ensign of Sweden.svg|border=no|22px}} [[Johan Christopher Toll]]
}}
| strength1         = '''1805:'''<br>13,000<br>'''1810:'''<br>40,000
| strength2         = '''1805:'''<br>12,125<br>'''1810:'''<br>27,000
| casualties1       = 
| casualties2       = 
| notes             = <small>[a]</small> Gustav IV Adolf was deposed by a [[Coup of 1809|coup d'etat]] on March 9, 1809, and Charles XIII was appointed king in his place.
<small>[b]</small> Until 1808
}}
{{Campaignbox Franco-Swedish War}}
{{Campaignbox Napoleonic Wars}}
The '''Franco-Swedish War''' or '''Pomeranian War''' was the first involvement by [[Gustavian era|Sweden]] in the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. The country joined the [[War of the Third Coalition|Third Coalition]] in an effort to defeat [[First French Empire|France]] under [[Napoleon Bonaparte]].

==Background==
In 1803, the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] had declared war on [[First French Empire|France]], and Sweden remained neutral, together with [[Denmark–Norway]] and [[Prussia]]. However, after the execution of [[Louis-Antoine-Henri de Bourbon-Condé]] in 1804, the Swedish government broke all diplomatic ties with France and concluded a convention to allow the British to use [[Swedish Pomerania]] as a military base against France in exchange for payments. [[Russian Empire|Russia]] also promised Sweden that 40,000 men would come to the aid of the country if it was threatened by French forces. Therefore, on 9 August 1805 Sweden joined the Third Coalition and declared war on France on 31 October.<ref>Lindqvist, Herman(2004) page 256</ref>

==The war==
===Offensive against Hanover===
In early November 1805, a combined British, Russian and Swedish force of about 12,000 men were sent from Swedish Pomerania to liberate French-held [[Hanover]]. The offensive against Hanover was repeatedly delayed because of Prussia's partial reluctance for the Swedes and the Russians to move troops through Prussian territory. However, in December 1805, after the [[Battle of Austerlitz]], the British and the Russian forces started to evacuate [[Electorate of Hanover|Hanover]] and left only a small Swedish force alone to face the French. In April 1806, the Swedes were also forced to retreat to Swedish Pomerania after an agreement had been concluded between Prussia and France.

===Fourth Coalition===
However, during the summer of 1806 Prussia formed the [[Fourth Coalition]] against France, which gave Sweden the right to occupy [[Saxe-Lauenburg]]. In the autumn, the French forces advanced rapidly and soon much of the western German regions were occupied, which forced the Swedish troops on a retreat towards [[Free City of Lübeck|Lübeck]]. The plan was for the troops from there to take the sea route to [[Stralsund]] to avoid the advancing French forces. The Swedes were still caught by the French on the 6 November while they loaded their ships at Lübeck, and after the [[Battle of Lübeck]], about 1,000 Swedish soldiers had to surrender to the numerically-superior French forces.

The [[French Imperial Army (1804–1815)|French Army]] began its offensive towards Swedish Pomerania in early 1807 and [[Siege of Stralsund (1807)|besieged Stralsund]] on 15 January. That began a seven-month siege, and since the French forces were engaged in warfare elsewhere as well, the number of troops stationed around Stralsund was gradually reduced. When the Swedes were reinforced on 1 April, a decision was made to attempt to break the siege. That was done with some success since the Swedes managed to take [[Usedom]] and [[Wolin]], but the French chose to counterattack, and a force of 13,000 men attacked the Swedes from [[Stettin]] on 16 April and forced the left section of the Swedish army to withdraw. Another division in [[Ueckermünde]] was then cut off and later captured. On 18 April, France and Sweden agreed on a ceasefire according to which the French were to leave Pomerania. However, the Swedish government refused to join the [[Continental System]] and denounced the armistice under the influence of British diplomacy on 8 July.

On 6 August 1807, 50,000 French, Spanish and [[Kingdom of Holland|Dutch]] troops under Marshal [[Guillaume-Marie-Anne Brune]] began an assault on Swedish Pomerania and besieged Stralsund again. On 20 August 1807, the defenders of the city capitulated and the remains of the Swedish Army were surrounded at [[Rügen]]. However, Swedish General [[Johan Christopher Toll]] managed to conclude the Convention of Schlatkow with Marshal Brune on favourable terms, and his forces withdrew to Sweden, along with all of their war munitions, on 7 September.<ref>Sundberg, Ulf(2002), page 357-362</ref>

===Treaty of Tilsit===
[[File:Albert Edelfelt - Kohtaus Suomen sodasta.jpg|thumb|Scene from the [[Finnish War]], painted by [[Albert Edelfelt]]]]
The Franco-Russian [[Treaty of Tilsit]] left Britain and Sweden without other allies in the war against France. On 21 February 1808, Russia joined the war against Sweden by [[Finnish War|invading Finland]] and on 14 March the same year, [[Denmark-Norway]] also [[Dano-Swedish War of 1808-1809|declared war on Sweden]]. Danish, French and Spanish troops began preparations for an invasion of [[Skåne]] in Sweden, but the plan was soon aborted, and the war was instead directed to the Norwegian-Swedish border. Sir [[John Moore (British Army officer)|John Moore]]'s expedition, sent by the British government to protect Sweden from possible French-Danish attack, arrived on 3 May 1808 and stayed until July, when it was [[Peninsular War|redirected to Portugal]].

Napoleon's plans to invade Sweden were never executed because of the British activity on the [[Baltic Sea]], the weakness of the Danish military and the hesitations of French Marshal [[Charles XIV John of Sweden|Bernadotte]], whose actions made him popular enough to be elected as a Swedish [[Crown Prince]] after the [[Coup of 1809|coup d'etat]] in March 1809. On 30 August 1809, the new Swedish government was to conclude the [[Treaty of Fredrikshamn]] with Russia, which legitimised the Russian annexation of Finland and [[Åland]]. A peace treaty between Sweden and Denmark-Norway was signed with no territorial adjustments on 10 December 1809.

==Aftermath==
On 6 January 1810, Sweden signed a Russian-mediated [[Treaty of Paris (1810)|Treaty of Paris]] with France, regaining Pomerania at a cost of joining the [[Continental System]]. On 17 November 1810, Sweden was forced to declare [[Anglo-Swedish War (1810–1812)|war on Britain]], and all British goods in Swedish Pomerania were seized. The government-supported smuggling continued, however, over the [[North Sea]], and the [[Royal Navy]] was informed that it would be a phantom war. The war lasted until 1812, but no military action was taken.

==See also==
*[[English Wars (Scandinavia)]]
**[[Gunboat War]]
**[[Dano-Swedish War of 1808-1809]]
*[[Finnish War]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
*''[https://web.archive.org/web/20111004032717/http://www.hjle.se/webbsidor/ku_gustav_adolf1805.htm The War against Napoleon: 1805–1810]'' on [http://www.hjle.se/ Lennart Hjelm]

===Literature===
*Lindqvist, Herman(2004) – ''Napoleon'' (Schibsted forlagene) {{ISBN|978-82-516-2157-1}}
*Sundberg, Ulf(2002) – ''Svenska krig, 1521–1814'' (Hjalmarson & Högberg) {{ISBN|91-89080-14-9}}

{{Napoleonic Wars}}

[[Category:Franco-Swedish War| ]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1805]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1806]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1807]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1808]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1809]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1810]]
[[Category:Wars involving Sweden]]
[[Category:Dano-Swedish wars]]
[[Category:France–Sweden relations]]
[[Category:Wars involving France|Swedish]]
[[Category:Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Kingdom of Prussia]]
[[Category:Wars involving Denmark–Norway]]
[[Category:Swedish Pomerania]]
[[Category:1800s in Sweden]]
[[Category:1810 in Sweden]]