Whether they had known about it or not, there was once a time when British funds had financed an invasion of Britain. Many historians argue whether it was intentional or not, however the results were certainly interesting.
Planning The Invasion
The year was 1802. Napoleon Bonaparte, French ruler and re-establisher of the French Empire, looked to expand his ever-growing territory. He wished to take over the lands of France‘s greatest rival: Great Britain.
Napoleon ordered 200,000 men to gather and train along the French coasts nearest to Britain. This army was known as the Army of the Ocean Coasts, or “Armée des côtes de l’Oceán” in French. At the same time, Napoleon planned his long-awaited invasion.
The Louisiana Purchase
Due to years of warfare, France did not have the funding for a full invasion of Britain. Ambitious about his plans, Napoleon decided to sell his large North American colony of Louisiana to fund the fighting back in Europe.
At the time, Louisiana was far bigger than in modern times. It had been a French colony just west of the fairly-new United States of America. It’s massive size added to its value, and the funds would be enough for an invasion.
The most ideal buyer of Louisiana was the United States, due to its relative location. In 1803, the deal was made, known as the Louisiana Purchase. The United States paid $15 million to France for 828,000 square miles (roughly $18 per square mile). Napoleon planned to use the funds from this purchase to invade Britain.
Funding The Purchase
Being a new nation, however, the United States did not have the proper funding to purchase Louisiana. The Americans would need to borrow the large part that they could not afford.
It was the Baring Brothers, a British bank, that funded the Louisiana Purchase for the United States. The borrowed British money was then given to the French, allowing Napoleon to move forward with his invasion.
Conclusion
Unfortunately for Napoleon, the invasion of Britain never took place. The French Empire instead put focus on its campaigns in Switzerland and Italy. Even so, the Army of the Ocean Coasts remained along the coasts, awaiting a possible invasion, until 1805.
This interesting story shows how a British bank financed an invasion of Britain. Some historians argue that Britain had encouraged France to invade, so that the Royal Navy could win a swift victory. After all, Britain and France were major rivals during this time period.
It is also possible that the Baring Brothers were acting out of self-interest. It’s likely that they had little coordination with the British government, and only aided the United States for profits.
What do you think was the reason for the funding? Leave a comment below!
