On this day in 1805, the Royal Navy defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet off Cape Trafalgar. The triumph is decisive yet costly; Britain’s best admiral, Horatio Nelson, is fatally wounded on the quarterdeck of his flagship, HMS Victory.

31 comments

  1. The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, which established British naval supremacy for more than 100 years; it was fought west of Cape Trafalgar, Spain, between Cádiz and the Strait of Gibraltar.

    A fleet of 33 ships (18 French and 15 Spanish) under Admiral Pierre de Villeneuve fought a British fleet of 27 ships under Admiral Horatio Nelson.

    As part of Napoleon’s plans to invade England, the French and Spanish fleets combined to take control of the English Channel and provide the Grande Armée safe passage. The allied fleet, under the command of French Admiral Villeneuve, sailed from the port of Cádiz in the south of Spain on 18 October 1805. They encountered the British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson, recently assembled to meet this threat, in the Atlantic Ocean along the southwest coast of Spain, off Cape Trafalgar.

    Nelson was outnumbered, with 27 British ships of the line to 33 allied ships including the largest warship in either fleet, the Spanish Santisima Trinidad. To address this imbalance, Nelson sailed his fleet directly at the allied battle line’s flank, hoping to break it into pieces. Villeneuve had worried that Nelson might attempt this tactic but, for various reasons, had made no plans in case this occurred.

    The plan worked almost perfectly; Nelson’s columns split the Franco-Spanish fleet in three, isolating the rear half from Villeneuve’s flag aboard Bucentaure. The allied vanguard sailed off while it attempted to turn around, giving the British temporary superiority over the remainder of their fleet. The ensuing fierce battle resulted in 22 allied ships being lost, while the British lost none.

    The tactic exposed the leading ships in the British lines to intense fire from multiple ships as they approached the Franco-Spanish lines. Nelson’s own HMS Victory led the front column and was almost knocked out of action. Nelson was shot by a French musketeer and died shortly before the battle ended. Villeneuve was captured along with his flagship Bucentaure. He attended Nelson’s funeral while a captive on parole in Britain.

    About 1,500 British seamen were killed or wounded, but no British ships were lost. Trafalgar shattered forever Napoleon’s plans to invade England.

  5. That Pierre-Charles Villeneuve guy. Not a very bright officer. The course of history could have been very different had it not been for him.

  6. There’s not enough movies of this time period. Master and commander is brilliant. The hornblower series is good once you get into it. We really need more.

  7. And that victory summated The British Empire as the sole global superpower that wouldn’t be replaced as such for 140 years until the end of WW2

  8. When I first came to London at the bright age of 14 and went to Trafalgar square I was absoluteluly amazed at the Horatio statue. “Must have been one important fella to deserve that!”

    Now after living in the city for almost 10 years, that statue still looks so grandiose

  9. The revolution brought France to its apogee but it also fucked up its navy officers, something Napoleon didn’t bother to address like he had with the army by promoting competent officers.

  13. Painting is “The Battle of Trafalgar” from Clarkson Frederick Stanfield (colors are slightly improved compared to the original).

  15. Man I would love a biopic about Admiral Nelson in the style of Master and Commander. Ofcourse Nelson probably wasnt perfekt person but his story is so great. National heroes, especially general etc. are usually somewhat inflated but I just think Nelson really deserves a proper movie.

  17. All Hail Britannia!

    All Hail admiral Horatio Nelson!

    All Hail her Majesty, Long may her reign continue!

    All Hail Britannia, for which the suns never sets!

    All Hail Britannia!

  19. And also, after Trafalgar, came the Battle of the Three Emperors, aka the Battle of Austerlitz. A decisive victory for Napoleonic France.

  22. Though it can be difficult to find, Sergei Bondarchuk’s *Waterloo* is worth a watch. Those battle scenes, with ~15K extras, and seeing the French cavalry charges against the British squares (shot from oblique angles), really give a good perspective on the enormity of the battle.

  23. Though historical fantasy, Peter Jackson had the rights to Naomi Novik’s *Temeraire* series of novels (the rights have since reverted back to the author, as nothing was done). The novels are set during the Napoleonic era and wars, with one primary addition: There are dragons, some of whom are used militarily.

  26. I strongly recommend anyone who ever happens to be in Portsmouth to go check out HMS Victory. It is quite imposing with how god damn huge it is for being such an old ship.

  30. Ironically, Horatio’s statue has him posed with his hand in his jacket, in the same way Napoleon is usually depicted

  31. Most people associate this battle with HMS Victory but honestly, what the Temeraire did that day was amazing. Just look it up on Wikipedia.

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