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Article

The victualling of the British naval expeditions to the Baltic Sea between 1715 and 1727

Pages 1-25 | Published online: 20 Dec 2011
 

Abstract

Between 1715 and 1727 nine separate expeditions were undertaken to the Baltic by squadrons of the Royal Navy.1 Seven of them, those of 1715 and 1716, 1718–1721 inclusive, and 1727, were commanded by Admiral Sir John Norris. The other two, those of 1717 and 1726, were commanded respectively by Admiral Sir George Byng and Admiral Sir Charles Wager.2 The expeditions occurred annually up to 1721 because in the earlier of these years it was constantly necessary to protect British merchantmen from the Swedish privateers given a free hand by Charles XII: he regarded the continued trading by the Maritime Powers with the eastern Baltic ports captured from him by Russia as a wilful contravention of existing treaties of amity and commerce those powers had made with Sweden.3 After Charles's death at the end of 1718, and until Russia's dictation of peace terms to Sweden at Nystad in 1721, the navy was almost exclusively used by George I, in his role of King-Elector, as an instrument of diplomacy. Once his objectives as Elector had been achieved he hoped, through Anglo-Swedish naval co-operation, to bring Sweden, hard-pressed by Russia, away from a rapprochement with her and into measures designed to create a new balance in northern Europe to check Russian expansion. The failure of this plan lies outside the scope of this article.4

Unless otherwise stated all dates are in the Old Style.

Unless otherwise stated all dates are in the Old Style.

Notes

Unless otherwise stated all dates are in the Old Style.

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