The Continental System shows the gap between declaring a blockade and controlling maritime movement. Napoleon could forbid European trade with Britain by law, but the order did not track or escort every merchant vessel. In the age of sail, a captain could state one destination and then carry cargo wherever it earned the best price. British influence in the Baltic and the continuing blockade of French imports exposed how little maritime power stood behind the prohibition.
Notable Point · 14:00-16:35
Why Napoleon's Continental System could not police the sea
Napoleon could forbid European trade with Britain on paper, but merchant crews, weak tracking, and French loss of sea control made the prohibition hard to enforce.