Nootka Sound Crisis of 1790

The Nootka Sound Crisis of 1790 has a confrontation of 4 powers in the Pacific Northwest; Britain, Spain, Russia and America.  This is profoundly affected by the French Revolution, both in the diplomatic part of the crisis and its resolution in Britain’s favor.  Later the Revolutionary Wars distract Britain from exploiting its victory here, to the great benefit of the infant United States.

This features the two largest empires in the world, in geographic extent, Russia and Spain, tussling at the extreme limits of their influence, in a region still dominated by Native Americans, largely untouched by the Eurasian disease pool. We get a lot of Pacific Northwest history as background, including California history, but the is primarily a European diplomatic crisis settled by the seeming nullity of French power.  It' s France’s inability to support her Bourbon ally Spain, that forces Spain to submit to a British ultimatum in October 1790.