Milan Decree was a fundamental step in the Continental System, a plan of French Emperor Napoleon I to destroy Britain by ending British trade with continental Europe. Napoleon issued the decree on Dec. 17, 1807.
The Milan Decree supplemented Napoleon’s Berlin Decree of 1806, which had begun the Continental System. The Berlin Decree barred British ships from entering ports that were under French control. In early 1807, the British fought the Berlin Decree by issuing the Orders in Council, which required neutral ships to stop at British ports before sailing to ports controlled by France. The British loaded the ships with British goods before allowing them to proceed to the French-controlled ports. The Milan Decree said that France could seize any ship that obeyed the Orders in Council.
Although the Milan Decree increased the effectiveness of the Continental System, Napoleon could not adequately enforce it because the British had the most powerful navy afloat. But Napoleon did cause great distress to neutral powers. The decree led the United States to adopt severe acts to protect its commerce. Napoleon eventually convinced the United States that he would withdraw his decree. In this way, Napoleon turned American anger against the British and furnished a cause for the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain.
