According to the author, the American-British war of 1812 is a constituent part of the Napoleonic wars as it was closely associated with the political situation on the Old Continent, where Napoleon had been embroiled in armed conflicts. It was difficulties associated with the continental blockade, introduced by Napoleon as well as the British counter-blockade that lay at the root of the conflict between Washington and London; the difficulties were particularly harmful to the American trade. It is no coincidence that the American troops marched into Canada at the same time (June 1812) as the Napoleonic army marched into Russia. This chapter in history is not particularly popular in the United States which is due, among others, to the fact that the conflict ended as a matter of fact in a status quo. The peace talks conducted in Ghent remained in the shadow of the negotiations taking place at the Congress of Vienna whereas an interest of the European diplomacy, including the British one, in ending the conflict, was of secondary significance compared to the topicality of European issues.