A British naval victory over Denmark in 1801 that prevented a Franco-Danish alliance and weakened the League of Armed Neutrality.
Key Facts
- Date
- 2 April 1801
- Also known as
- First Battle of Copenhagen
- Victor
- British fleet
- Prior British attempt
- British entered Øresund in August 1800
- Catalyst for Danish surrender
- Assassination of Emperor Paul I of Russia
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Britain feared the powerful Danish fleet would ally with France, strengthening the Russian-led League of Armed Neutrality. Diplomatic communications between Britain and Denmark broke down on both sides, and an earlier attempt in August 1800 to dissuade Denmark through a naval show of force in Øresund had only partially resolved tensions.
On 2 April 1801, a British fleet entered Copenhagen Harbour and engaged the Dano-Norwegian Navy, which had positioned warships along the roadstead to form a defensive blockade, supported by shore bastions on both sides of the harbour inlet. The British force overcame this smaller defending fleet in a hard-fought naval engagement.
Denmark agreed to British terms following news of the assassination of Tsar Paul I of Russia, whose death dissolved the Russian-led League of Armed Neutrality of which Denmark was a member. This effectively ended the immediate threat of a Franco-Danish naval alliance and removed Denmark from the anti-British coalition.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent