The fleet as diplomatic cover

The British approach mixed coercion with a proposed settlement over convoy rules. A smaller mission in August 1800 had opened talks with Denmark, and London hoped to extend agreed rules to Sweden and other Baltic states. The visible fleet also gave Denmark-Norway a possible explanation for making concessions under pressure rather than appearing voluntarily to abandon France and Russia. It demonstrated that Britain could support states threatened around the Baltic and could complicate reinforcement across the sea. Armies campaigning in Europe's grain-rich regions could forage more easily than northern garrisons facing shorter growing seasons, smaller surpluses, and dependent families and support units. That food and sustainment burden made a large continental intervention less straightforward and increased the diplomatic value of a mobile fleet.