The Adriatic campaign of 1807–1814 was a struggle for supremacy in the Adriatic Sea between the French Navy and the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The early stages of the campaign saw extensive activity between rival frigate squadrons, climaxing at the Battle of Lissa in 1811 at which the last major French force was destroyed and its commander killed.Woodman, p. 255 The subsequent campaign was characterised by sustained raids by British warships on French and Italian convoys, warships and coastal positions across the Adriatic, culminating in the capture of several key French port cities in 1813, during the War of the Sixth Coalition.

The campaign developed following the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807, in which the Russian Navy agreed to withdraw from the Adriatic. For the next seven years, the Royal Navy sought to disrupt French and Italian military and commercial sea traffic, as well as the movement of troops and supplies to the Illyrian Provinces.Henderson, p. 112 Command of the Adriatic partially rested on control of the Ionian Islands, which lie outside the Straits of Otranto but could be used to blockade the passage if properly garrisoned. To this end, the French heavily fortified the island of Corfu, but were unable to consistently maintain an effective naval squadron to dispute British operations in the Adriatic.Adkins, p. 362 Exploiting French weakness at sea, British cruisers were able to defeat successive French squadrons sent to reinforce the region and exerted total dominance in the Adriatic and Ionian seas.

The campaign in the Adriatic has been credited with having a significant effect on the wider war through the disruption of French forces in the Balkans. It has been suggested that Napoleon intended to invade the Ottoman Empire following the War of the Fifth Coalition, but was dissuaded in part due to the difficulty of supplying a force in the region without control of the Adriatic, his attention eventually turning to Russia.Henderson, p. 152 The campaign also had effects on the morale and effectiveness of the French fleet, which lost some of its best commanders and frigates in the campaign, and on the Austrian advance on Italy in 1813, when French defence lines were repeatedly out-flanked by British attacks from the sea.

Timeline

The list on the left recounts the actions and operations undertaken by the squadrons operating in the Adriatic during the campaign. The list on the right provides contextual information, recounting wider events in Europe and the Mediterranean that may have had an effect on the campaign.

YearAdriaticNapoleonic Wars1807 23 August, British brig HMS Weasel arrived off Corfu to liaise with the Russian garrison. As Weasel's boats approached the harbour, a Russian boat met them and informed the British captain that a French Army garrison had taken possession of the island. The following day, Weasel's crew spotted three small ships approaching Corfu and chased them onto rocks off the island where they were wrecked. Three other vessels were spotted minutes later and Weasel pursued them too, capturing them and the 250 French soldiers aboard. Later that afternoon, a French dispatch vessel was also taken and burnt before Weasel returned to Malta with news of the French seizure of the Ionian Islands.James, Vol 4, p. 342 7 October, British sixth rate HMS Porcupine under Captain Henry Duncan, chased the Italian gunboat Safo into Zupiano on Giuppana (Šipan). In the evening, boats from Porcupine entered the harbour and seized the gunboat and a smaller vessel despatched to protect it.James, Vol 4, p. 344 25 October, boats from HMS Herald attacked and captured the French privateer César from an anchorage under the fortress at Otranto.Clowes, p. 403 27–29 November, HMS Porcupine began a series of raids along the Dalmatian Coast near Ragusa (Dubrovnik). Her cutter entered Ragusa harbour itself, seizing two coastal vessels. Two days later, the cutter attacked the harbour of Zuliano, burning most of the vessels in the port, destroying French military supplies and capturing two coastal merchant vessels. One of the captured ships was carrying four large mortars and a wide selection of artillery supplies for the port's defences.James, Vol 4, p. 345 19 February, Admiral John Thomas Duckworth entered the Dardanelles in an effort to reach Constantinople and destroy the Ottoman fleet. After two weeks of fighting the British squadron was forced to withdraw without causing significant damage to the Turks and having suffered heavy casualties. This action was the beginning of the Anglo-Turkish War, which continued in the Eastern Mediterranean until January 1809 and included a large scale amphibious operation at Alexandria and a number of actions between frigates and smaller ships.Gardiner, p. 146 9 and 12 July, Emperor Napoleon of France and Tsar Alexander I of Russia signed the Treaty of Tilsit following the French victory at the Battle of Friedland. The treaty primarily focused on the breakup of Prussia into a series of French-administered client states, but minor clauses provided for Russian evacuation and French control of the Septinsular Republic, a series of Ionian Islands that dominated the entrance of the French-held Adriatic Sea.Esposito & Elting, Map 83 1 December, following the Treaty of Fontainebleau, signed in October 1807, French and Spanish armies invaded Portugal and forced the Portuguese royal family to flee to Brazil two days before the fall of Lisbon. This campaign marked the start of the Peninsular War.Esdaile, p. 27 During the year, British ships had repeatedly raided the Spanish Mediterranean coast, capturing convoys, destroying batteries and attacking Spanish warships.1808 23 February, the French Toulon fleet arrived off Corfu under Admiral Ganteaume after slipping past the British blockade. Ganteaume landed large quantities of troops and supplies before returning to Toulon in early March without meeting the British fleet sent to search for them. This was the last successful foray into the region by a French force of this size.Gardiner, p. 19Clowes, p. 244 2 May, HMS Unite under Captain Patrick Campbell began a cruise in the Gulf of Venice, capturing numerous coastal vessels and preventing the movement of shipping off the Adriatic's busiest seaport. Unite captured three Franco-Italian brigs sent her, Ronco on 2 May, and Nettuno and Teulié on 31 May, and drove a fourth back to Venice. Ronco later became HMS Tuscan, Nettuno HMS Cretan and Teulié HMS Roman.James, Vol 5, pp. 52–53Gardiner, p. 153Clowes, p. 416 26 June, British ship of the line HMS Standard, employed in the blockade of Corfu under Captain Thomas Harvey, chased the Italian gunboat Volpe and the French dispatch boat Léger. Despite heavy fire from the shore, Standard's boats suffered no casualties in attacking and capturing both of the vessels.James, Vol 5, p. 56Clowes, p. 421 6 February, Napoleon secretly ordered the French armies stationed in Spain to seize important Spanish fortresses and cities. Spanish military resistance was initially weak and the French were easily able to overrun Spanish defences and had captured most of the country by 18 March, despite growing resistance from irregular regional forces.Esdaile, p. 35 1 August, 14,000 British troops under General Sir Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington) landed in Portugal to assist the popular uprising against French military rule following massacres in Madrid in May and the Spanish victory at Bailén in July.Esdaile, p. 87 Naval support for this army was extensive and would remain the Mediterranean Fleet's highest priority throughout the next seven years of warfare. This initial army was withdrawn by Sir Harry Burrard on 10 November, but a second force was landed in Galicia in the autumn. This army was also forced to withdraw in January 1809, after a French army under Napoleon defeated the Spanish forces in Northern Spain and threatened to cut off the British force from its supplies in Corunna.Esdaile, p. 155 5–16 October, a Frano-Neapolitan army successfully invaded and captured the island of Capri on the western coast of Italy despite unsuccessful attempts by the Royal Navy to intercept and destroy the invasion force.Smith, p. 2681809 8 February, British frigate HMS Amphion under William Hoste and sloop HMS Redwing landed shore parties on Melida (Mljet), seizing two merchant brigs and routing local defenders.James, Vol 5, p. 153 14 February, HMS Belle Poule under Captain James Brisbane pursued the disarmed French frigate Var north of Corfu. Var took shelter under the fort at Valona, but Brisbane attacked on the following morning and captured her. Var later joined the Royal Navy as HMS Chichester.Clowes, p. 432James, Vol 5, pp. 152–153Gardiner, p. 154 12 March, French frigates Danaé and Flore arrived in the Adriatic carrying large quantities of supplies for Corfu. As they approached the island, the small British brig HMS Kingfisher spotted and shadowed them, signalling the nearby frigate HMS Topaze which closed with the French frigates. The French exchanged shots with Topaze for several hours before safely reaching the harbour at Corfu, having been ordered not to engage British ships of similar force en route.James, Vol 5, pp. 171–173Clowes, p. 433 1 April, a small squadron under the command of William Hoste in HMS Amphion began a spring campaign against the north-eastern Italian coast. Boats from HMS Mercury raided Rovigno (Rovinj) and seized the gunboat Léda under heavy fire.James, Vol 5, p. 178 23 April, HMS Amphion, HMS Spartan and HMS Mercury landed shore parties at Pesaro and routed the defenders. Landing parties captured 13 vessels, burnt others and blew up Pesaro Castle.James, Vol 5, pp. 169–170 2 May, HMS Spartan under Jahleel Brenton and HMS Mercury attacked Cesenatico, drove off the defenders, captured 12 vessels and blew up the castle and gun batteries.James, Vol 5, p. 171Clowes, p. 437 15 May, a shore party from HMS Mercury attacked Rotti and burnt seven coastal vessels in the harbour. 31 May, Boats from HMS Topaze raided a sheltered anchorage at Demata on Santa Maura and seized nine French gunboats, suffering only one man killed and another wounded.James, Vol 5, p. 173Clowes, p. 438 28 July, boats from HMS Excellent and sloops HMS Acorn and HMS Bustard raided the harbour of Duino near Trieste. Avoiding the fire of the port's gun batteries, the raiders captured six gunboats and ten coastal merchant vessels.James, Vol 5, p. 177Clowes, p. 442 27 August, HMS Amphion landed a shore party at Cortellazzo. The force overwhelmed the defences and captured six gunboats and two small merchant ships. Five other coastal vessels were burnt and a gun battery and barracks blown up.Clowes, p. 443 7 September, boats from HMS Mercury landed at Barletta and captured the Neapolitan schooner Pugliese.