View source for British-French War 1793-1815

On February 1, 1793 France declared war on Britain. This war lasted for 22 years until 1815 and represents a significant moment of crisis in British history. 

The long period of war can be divided into two phases: the first one, the "French Revolutionary Wars", lasting from 1793 to 1802; the second phase, from 1803 to 1815, being the "Napoleonic Wars".

The reason for the declaration of war was the British cooperation with other European nations against France’s [[French Revolution|revolutionary government]], especially after the execution of the French monarch Louis XVI and his wife Marie-Antoinette in 1793. In 1794, a British attempt to support French counter-revolutionaries in Brittany finally failed.

In August 1798, the British navy triumphed against the French in the battle of the Nile. 
On March 27, 1802 the first phase ended. Both countries returned their conquests, except for Trinidad and Ceylon which were still occupied by the British. 

But only one year later, in 1803, the battle between the British and the French continued. Three years later, Napoleon forbade importing British goods to Europe as a reaction to Britain's blockage of the French coast. Thus, Napoleon intended to stop trade and thereby defeat the British enemy. This "continental system" did not work out as planned and was undermined by smugglers.  

The [[Battle of Waterloo]] represents the end of this conflict. On June 18, 1815 Napoleon was defeated by the [[Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]] and had to go to exile to St. Helena.

Britain kept all the colonies it had gained, such as the West Indies and South Africa. Moreover, it proved its influence on India and maintained its power in Egypt. 

== Sources ==
* http://www.wtj.com/articles/napsum1/
* http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/napoleon/timeline1.html