12. The Napoleonic Wars led to the ruthless expansion of the Empire due to fear of invasion.
England fought Napoleon’s empire through its own Navy, which established control of the seas and blockaded continental ports, and through the economic might of its empire, which it used to help fund the several coalitions formed to depose the French emperor. It also routinely violated the neutrality of other nations, including the Danes and the United States. The ruthlessness of the manner in which Great Britain battled Napoleon was based on its determination to protect itself from the possibility of invasion at first, and later its desire to ensure that it would become the leading economic power of Europe.