Napoleon's Island Dilemma
Napoleon devastated Europe. His forces—700,000 strong—were a monster. Cities were conquered. Borders shifted. Kings surrendered.
But one foe remained elusive: Britain.
Why? Because it's an island. Napoleon was wonderful on land but he couldn't walk on water. If he were to attack Britain he had to have ships—a lot of them—and the control of the sea.
That's where things came apart.
Britain's navy was top of the world. Quick ships, clever commanders. They dominated the sea. Napoleon attempted to ally with Spain against them. Huge gamble. Failed. Britain wiped out French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar. Never again could Britain be invaded after that.
So he changed strategies. If he couldn't defeat them he’d strike at their economy. He created the Continental System—an enormous blockade to keep British goods from Europe.
It didn't work.
Britain traded with the rest of the world. Napoleon's scheme actually harmed his own allies more than it harmed Britain.
He had the greatest army in the world but he couldn't cross a small piece of sea.
He had his troops lined up at the coast. Never did use them. Rather they marched to destinations such as Austerlitz.
Britain remained out of reach. Not because Napoleon didn't try but because the sea would never allow him in.
