The First League of Armed Neutrality was an alliance of European naval powers between 1780 and 1783 which was intended to resist British attempts to inspect neutral shipping for French contraband during the American Revolutionary War. The league was founded by the Russian Empire, Denmark-Norway and Sweden in August 1780. In 1781, Prussia, Austria and Portugal joined the league; in 1782 the Ottoman Empire joined, followed in 1783 by the Kingdom of Naples. Despite the Royal Navy outnumbering all their fleets combined, the British did not wish to antagonise Russia and avoided interfering with the league's merchant shipping. The league was dissolved in 1783 when the end of the Revolutionary War rendered its existence moot.
Sweden joins the First League of Armed Neutrality
The First League of Armed Neutrality was an alliance of European naval powers between 1780 and 1783 which was intended to resist British attempts to inspect neutral shipping for French contraband...
Historical Significance
The First League of Armed Neutrality was an alliance of European naval powers between 1780 and 1783 which was intended to resist British attempts to inspect neutral shipping for French contraband during the American Revolutionary War.
Events Before
Botanist Joseph Banks (36) weds Dorothea Hugessen
Botanist Joseph Banks (36) weds Dorothea Hugessen
US Defector General Benedict Arnold (38) weds Peggy Shippen (18) at Shippen's townhouse in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
US Defector General Benedict Arnold (38) weds Peggy Shippen (18) at Shippen's townhouse in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Spain declares war on Great Britain in support of France and the USA, starting the Great Siege of Gibraltar, which lasts
Spain declares war on Great Britain in support of France and the USA, starting the Great Siege of Gibraltar, which lasts 3 years, 7 months, and 2 weeks
John Adams is appointed to negotiate Revolutionary War peace terms with Great Britain
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801.
Joséphine de Beauharnais, future Empress of the French, marries her first husband, Alexandre de Beauharnais, in Paris
Joséphine Bonaparte was the first wife of Emperor Napoleon I and as such Empress of the French from 18 May 1804 until their marriage was annulled on 10 January 1810.
Events After
British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burns Richmond, Virginia
The military career of Benedict Arnold in 1781 consisted of service in the British Army.
William Herschel sees what he thinks is a "comet" but actually discovers the planet Uranus
Frederick William Herschel was a German-British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline Herschel.
Los Angeles is founded by 44 Spanish-speaking mestizos in the Bahía de las Fumas (Bay of Smokes)
Los Angeles is founded by 44 Spanish-speaking mestizos in the Bahía de las Fumas (Bay of Smokes)
A French fleet of 24 ships under Comte de Grasse defeats British forces under Admiral Thomas Graves and Samuel Hood at t
A French fleet of 24 ships under Comte de Grasse defeats British forces under Admiral Thomas Graves and Samuel Hood at the Battle of the Chesapeake (Battle of the Virginia Capes) and traps General Lord Charles Cornwallis during the American Revolutionary War
9,000 American and 7,000 French troops begin the Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown and the surrender at Yorktown, was the final major land engagement of the American Revolutionary War.
More from the 1780s
John Walter publishes the first issue of his newspaper "The Daily Universal Register," which is renamed "The Times" of L
John Walter publishes the first issue of his newspaper "The Daily Universal Register," which is renamed "The Times" of London in 1788
Emperor Joseph II's order for the Jews of Galicia, Austria, to adopt family names comes into effect
Emperor Joseph II's order for the Jews of Galicia, Austria, to adopt family names comes into effect
Future US Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Marshall (27) weds Mary Willis Ambler (16) at his cousin's home in Han
Future US Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Marshall (27) weds Mary Willis Ambler (16) at his cousin's home in Hanover County, Virginia, until her death in 1831
British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burns Richmond, Virginia
The military career of Benedict Arnold in 1781 consisted of service in the British Army.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on August 1, 1780?
- The First League of Armed Neutrality was an alliance of European naval powers between 1780 and 1783 which was intended to resist British attempts to inspect neutral shipping for French contraband during the American Revolutionary War. The league was founded by the Russian Empire, Denmark-Norway and Sweden in August 1780. In 1781, Prussia, Austria and Portugal joined the league; in 1782 the Ottoman Empire joined, followed in 1783 by the Kingdom of Naples.
- Why is Sweden joins the First League of Armed Neutrality significant?
- The First League of Armed Neutrality was an alliance of European naval powers between 1780 and 1783 which was intended to resist British attempts to inspect neutral shipping for French contraband during the American Revolutionary War.