Description
One of the lesser known theatres of operations in the long wars between Great Britain and Napoleon was the Adriatic, where the activities of the British navy played a vital role in controlling and limiting the extension of French power eastwards into the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire; in maintaining access, diplomatic, financial and commercial, to the Austrian Empire; and in preventing the construction of new French battleships in the Venice Arsenal from adversely affecting British naval superiority. Until now, most studies on the British side have concentrated on the exploits of the British naval officers involved, particularly Captain William Hoste; those in Croatia have been largely limited to such secondary sources and to historical traditions based mainly on French and local records. The present work is part of a larger project of research which attempts to redress the balance by examining the original records in various British archives, and by presenting the story of the naval and military activity of the British in the wider context of political and diplomatic developments. A detailed study of British relations with the port of Rijeka is of particular interest in extending this context to give an insight into commercial activity in time of war and the problems of procurement of naval supplies, as well as the covert activity of British agents and collaborators.
