"France And Northern Europe, 1809–12" Topic

"Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden abdicated in March 1809. His uncle, who succeeded him as Charles XIII, made peace with Russia by the treaty of Fredrikshamn of September 17, ceding Finland. Sweden next made peace with France by the treaty of Paris of January 6, 1810, and joined the Continental System (officially at least). When Bernadotte was chosen heir to the Swedish crown as Charles XIV John, Napoleon obtained a declaration of war by Sweden against Great Britain (November 17). This had no effect, and Bernadotte soon told Alexander that he would remain independent of French influence and loyal to the treaty of Fredrikshamn.

Franco-Russian relations were exacerbated early in 1810 when Napoleon's betrothal to the Austrian archduchess Marie-Louise was announced before Alexander had declared his mother's refusal of Napoleon's overtures for a marriage alliance with the Russian imperial family. If the suggestion had been unwelcome, the denouement was slighting, and the growth of French influence in Vienna increased Alexander's impatience of French tutelage. The difficulties occasioned to Russia by the Continental System, together with Napoleon's own example in permitting relaxation of his commercial measures where French interests were involved, prompted Alexander to issue the ukase ("decree") of December 31, 1810. It forbade some imports by land (whose provenance was the French empire and the satellite states), doubled the duty on some French merchandise, and opened Russian ports to neutral shipping and British goods. Before this, Napoleon had taken the unmistakably hostile course of annexing Oldenburg. Thenceforward France and Russia both prepared for war…"
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