A set of three Additional Forces Acts of July 1803 created an Army of Reserve for the defence of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland against the imminent threat of sea-borne invasion by
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's
French Revolutionary Army. A total of 15,780 men were added to the country's armed forces by these compulsory measures, creating an "Army of Reserve".
The acts – one each for England (43 Geo. 3 c. 82), Scotland (c. 83) and Ireland (c. 85) – were passed by
William Pitt the Younger despite strong political opposition.
See also
*
List of British fencible regiments
This is a list of British fencible regiments. The ''fencibles'' (from the word ') were British Army regiments raised in Great Britain and in the colonies for defence against the threat of invasion during the Seven Years' War, the American War of ...
References
Napoleonic Wars
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1803
19th-century military history of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom military law
British defence policymaking
{{UK-statute-stub