British leaders treated Paul I as a dangerous and unpredictable coalition leader. His upbringing under Catherine, rivalry with his mother, suspicion about the succession, and preference for rigid personal rule all shaped his conduct as emperor. His first acts included reversing some of Catherine's policies and securing male primogeniture for the Romanov succession. The same ruler then aligned with France and led a league capable of turning restrictions on British trade into a wider hostile combination.
Chapter · 37:28-47:45
Paul I and the credibility of the second league
Paul I's volatile rule and alliance with France made the second League of Armed Neutrality look unlike Catherine's limited neutral coalition.