in 1861, both the confederacy and the union wanted the help of great britain. the north counted on them because of their condemnation of slavery. the confederacy counted on their help because of the great importance their cotton had to britain's economy. so both sides had diplomatic relations with great britain. the south needed britain's help to win the war. also, without the aid of britain, france would not dare interfere even though they were already friendly with the south. on may 4, 1861, queen victoria issued a proclamation declaring britain's neutrality in the war and recognizing the confederacy as a belligerent in the conflict. this enraged lincoln. seward, his secretary of state, had already issued instructions to the new minister to britain to quit and come home should the queen recognize the confederacy. france followed with a similar declaration which also recognized the csa as a nation. seward warned both nations of the possibility of war with the united states over this issue.