The maritime war against Napoleon did not end with the Battle of Trafalgar, but continued right up to1815, with even more British ships and sailors deployed after 1805 than before. One key theatre was the Baltic, where the British commander was Admiral Saumarez, who had had a highly successful career previously as a post-Captain, notably in a single-ship frigate duel and at the two battles of Algeciras in July 1801. In the Baltic in 1807-12, Saumarez played a very skilful diplomatic role, combining firmness and restraint, and working with Sweden, contrary to the instincts of his superiors in London. He successfully kept British trade flowing in and out of the Baltic, which undermined Napoleon's `Continental System' - the economic blockade of Britain - and led to Napoleon's fateful decision to invade Russia in 1812.

This book, based on extensive original research and making considerable use of Saumarez's unpublished private correspondence, charts the maritime and political history of the war in the Baltic, emphasizing the highly successful, highly esteemed, key role the Admiral played.

TIM VOELCKER gained his PhD in maritime history at the University of Exeter.