25 March 1802
Treaty of Amiens

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The Treaty of Amiens offers the hope of peace in Europe. Britain – isolated after the Treaty of Lunéville signed between France and Austria last year – agrees to an end to hostilities with France. The British cede most of the West Indies, Malta and Egypt, while keeping Trinidad and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), but neither country really wants more than a brief breathing space. The year 1802 is to be the only one of Napoleon's reign in which no major European countries are at war with each other. When Britain, fearful of Napoleon's intentions, refuses to withdraw from Malta in March 1803, the short peace is almost at an end. On 18 May 1803, with Bonaparte having continued military operations in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland, the British formally revoke the treaty and again declare war on France.

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