Britain acquired Helgoland through the Scandinavian settlement that ended the region's part in the wars of the Sixth Coalition and the Gunboat War. Norway passed from Danish to Swedish rule, Swedish Pomerania entered the wider settlement, and Greenland and other Norwegian dependencies remained with Denmark. Denmark also transferred Helgoland to Britain so a forward maritime position could shield Scandinavia and the German lands against renewed French pressure. The island was intended as a northern Gibraltar and as a reminder that the region's economic survival depended upon commerce by sea.
Chapter · 4:54-7:12
The Treaty of Kiel and a northern Gibraltar
Trace how Britain acquired the island as a forward position after the Napoleonic Wars.