Catherine II's earlier league had considered the seasonal rhythm of northern fleets and arranged its pressure when the members could support one another. The Second League formed as winter was closing the northern Baltic bases. Denmark's waters opened sooner than Russia's, leaving the smallest exposed member reachable before the stronger Russian fleet was free of ice. That transformed a supposed united front into a sequence of separate targets. Britain could strike the first domino and use the resulting momentum to weaken the whole coalition.
Notable Point · 13:58-19:16
Why the League could fall like dominoes
The earlier league worked around fleet movements and winter ice; the 1800 version left Denmark exposed before stronger Baltic fleets could act together.