The French Revolution spread its influence only slowly, but from 1792 it had developed into a new European war. It scarcely affected the Baltic region for some years, other than the usual excitement occasioned by calls to liberty and the concomitant governmental fears. There was tinder enough in the region, with absolutist monarchies in Denmark and Russia, an oppressive militaristic monarchy in Prussia, and constant political instability in Sweden (King Gustav III Adolf was assassinated in 1792, only to be succeeded by the equally absolutist Gustav IV Adolf). The withdrawal of Prussia from the attempt by outsiders to suppress the revolution had the effect of insulating the north to some extent – Prussia claimed to have instituted a neutral zone of itself and smaller powers, supposedly under its wing. Trade with Britain was hardly affected, which is to say that the import of forest products varied from year to year, as it did in peacetime, but that it was never seriously reduced for more than a brief period. But, being wartime, the issue of contraband-and-inspection gradually became more insistent.

The Baltic trade became steadily more important to Britain and its navies as the wars went on. Supplies from Britain itself were much reduced, though not entirely exhausted, and supplies from the rest of Europe, or from elsewhere, were poor, disliked as unsuitable, or difficult and expensive to transport. On top of that there was a steadily increasing demand for naval stores, both to build new ships and to keep existing ships in commission. The size of the Royal Navy expanded constantly during the long wars between 1793 and 1815, reaching a peak of 150 line-of-battle ships and 183 cruisers (frigates, sloops, brigs, and so on), together with innumerable smaller craft, in 1810, and the number of merchant vessels grew even faster.

The Baltic therefore became vital to a degree not before appreciated. Two of the Baltic sources, Norway and Russia, were crucial, as always. Norway supplied ordinary deals amounting to well over half the British imports. For a time the supply from Russia grew but it never even approached that from Norway. On the other hand, it was Russia that was the source of great masts, a supply that grew greatly in the 1790s, until at its peak the Russian trade accounted for 80 percent of the British imports.