Underground alliances and preventive strikes: British intelligence and secret diplomacy during the Napoleonic Wars, 1807-1810

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article examines the role of intelligence in the formation of British war policy during the Napoleonic Wars, 1807–1810. During this period, intelligence was conceived of broadly and was inseparably linked with secret diplomacy; to attempt to separate these strands would be anachronistic. It shall be argued that a lack of professionalism and institutional support was one of the key factors that limited the effectiveness of intelligence but that nevertheless it exerted a significant influence over Britain’s war policy. Ultimately, it is argued that the intelligence dimension is central to understanding British policy during the Napoleonic Wars.