England and Sweden entered into an alliance in 1700. However, this alliance experienced various metamorphoses. Both powers alternatively became friends, then foreign policy rivals. Their relations strongly depended on the international situation in Europe and, of course, on the foreign policy goals of each of the parties. Often, both kingdoms did not fulfill their obligations. The British government primarily acted in the interests of their country. England was particularly interested in an alliance with Sweden during the era of the War of the Spanish Succession, when it needed military support from Swedish troops in the war
with France. After the Peace of Utrecht and the accession to the throne of George I, who considered Charles XII his foreign policy rival, relations with Sweden deteriorated sharply. George I had territorial claims in Germany against Sweden, and Charles XII tightened the blockade of English trade with the Baltic ports. All this forced the British government to withdraw from the union. Attempts by the British to mediate peace between Sweden and Russia at the last stage of the Northern War were unsuccessful due to the irascible nature of Charles XII. Therefore, after his death in December 1718 — in January 1720, a new treaty
was concluded, repeating in general terms the union treaty of 1700.
For citation: Evseev V.A. The Problematic Alliance. On the Question of England's Foreign Policy Towards Sweden in the Era of Two Wars: for the “Spanish Succession” and the “Great Northern War”, Ivanovo State University Bulletin, Series: Humanities, 2024, iss. 1, pp. 84—96.