Decree of Berlin

The decree of Berlin is a official Décret, signed by Napoleon Bonaparte the November 21st 1806 with Berlin and published the December 5th with the Official journal.

Contents of the treaty

The treaty of Berlin is particularly known because it founds officially the continental Blocus against the the United Kingdom.

The injunctions of this treaty are the following ones:

All Commerce with the United Kingdom is completely defended.
the British goods present on the continent are confiscated.
Any correspondence of or for the United Kingdom is destroyed.
Any British being in France or in the Empire is made Prisoner of war.
All Navire having wet in a British port is of good catch .

Reasons of the treaty

Since the rupture of the Peace of Amiens in 1802, Napoleon had recognized impossibility of fighting the United Kingdom maritimement and, according to its terms, had maritimement decided to overcome the sea by the ground (letter with Louis Bonaparte, king of Holland).

At the beginning of the years 1806, it had already closed with the British ships the mouths of the Elm, the Weser and the Elba. This measurement, the British government had answered by declaring that all the ports between Brest and Hamburg were in a state of Blocus, including for the nations Neutre S. After its victory Iéna over the Prussia, the Emperor, against the opinion of some of its advisers, will promulgate this decree which, in fact, puts the British Isles in state of siege.

Consequences

In answer to the decree of Berlin, the British Parlement promulgates the orders of the Council the December 22nd 1807, indicating that no neutral ship can circulate more on the seas without passing by London or Malta so that its cargo is checked and that important taxes are taken.

With that, Napoleon answers while publishing, the December 17th same year, the treaty of Milan which also declares good catch any ship being subjected to these formalities.

Text of the treaty

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