In the summer of 1806, during the War of the Third Coalition (of Great Britain, Russia, Austria, Sweden), Napoleon's ambassador General Count Sebastiani managed to convince the Porte to cancel all special privileges granted to Russia in 1805 and to open the Ottoman straits (the Dardanelles) exclusively to French warships.

In return, Napoleon promised to help the Sultan suppress the rebellion in Serbia and to recover lost territories.

In September 1806, the British government pressured Sultan Selim III to expel Sebastiani, declare war on France, cede the Danubian Principalities to Russia, and surrender the Ottoman fleet, together with the forts on the Dardanelles, to the Royal Navy.

After Selim's rejection of the ultimatum, a British squadron under Vice Admiral John Thomas Duckworth entered the Dardanelles on 19 February 1807 and destroyed an Ottoman naval force in the Sea of Marmara, and anchored opposite Constantinople.

Governor Muhammad Ali mounted effective counter-attacks and a lack of supplies forced the British to withdraw.