Through the auspices of Admirals Lord Hood and Sir John Jervis, Nelson learned that a well-disciplined ship was not a vessel ruled by the cat-o’-nine-tails but one where every man knew, and flawlessly executed, his duty. He did, however, say, “Kiss me, Hardy,” and Captain Thomas Hardy did kiss him, twice. The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought on 21 October 1805 between the navies of France and Spain on one side, and Great Britain on the other. No British ships were lost, but 1,500 British seamen were killed or wounded in the heavy fighting. The Battle of Trafalgar. Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson, commanding the British fleet, devised an ambitious plan of attack, which involved ambushing the Franco-Spanish fleet off the Cape of Trafalgar, in south-west Spain. It was the defining moment of the British Naval history and let the groundwork for their naval superiority over the next centuries. His actions at Trafalgar influenced global military and political affairs for more than a century. British casualties were 458 dead and 1208 wounded. He remarked to Hardy, Victory’s captain, ''They have done for me at last, my backbone is shot through.”, Horatio Nelson died with the closing words, “Thank God I have done my duty,” having achieved his primary ambition: a glorious death in battle. Chris Sharp | @BH__Travel Mar 20, 2020. The Battle of Trafalgar 1805 The overwhelming victory over the French and Spanish fleet off Cape Trafalgar on 21 October 1805 gave the Royal Navy its most famous triumph and confirmed a long tradition of naval supremacy. Their dominance effectively established them as the great naval power and ended Napoleon’s plans to conquer England. The Battle of Trafalgar took place on 21 October 1805 during the Napoleonic War (1803–1815), as Napoleon Bonaparte and his armies tried to conquer Europe. Also in this time, during an overzealous assault on Santa Cruz, Canary Islands, he received the wound that resulted in his arm being amputated. Turner made several sketches immediately after the battle, careful studies of the ships and their rigging, and close details of the uniforms. The British fleet was outnumbered, the enemy totalling nearly 30,000 men and 2632 guns to Nelson’s 18,000 men and 2148 guns. The Battle of Trafalgar is remembered as one of Britain’s most significant victories and confirms that Britannia once did rule the waves. This work was well received and provided the foundation from which Turner would develop Trafalgar into a scene representing an overall account of the whole battle. France had built the strongest army in Europe, and controlled much of the land. [3] At the height of the battle Nelson was shot from a nearby French ship and mortally wounded. The Battle of Trafalgar was the most important sea battle of the 19th century. The battle raged at its fiercest around the Victory, and a French sniper shot Nelson in the shoulder and chest. Nelson, confident as ever in his plan, courageously led the attack. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The battle took place near Cape Trafalgar (a cape is a piece of land sticking out into the sea), which is in southwest Spain. This meant that instead of lining up his ships in a line parallel to the enemy and slugging it out, with inevitable losses to both sides, the British ships were organised into two columns and attacked at right-angles in a letter T formation that broke the enemy line into three. While remembering Nelson’s death, visitors to Trafalgar Square may look up to Horatio Nelson in a renewed light. Four managed to escape but were captured a few weeks later, and 11 managed to struggle back to Cadiz. The Battle Of Trafalgar fought off the coast of southwest Spain on 21 October 1805 between Britain’s Royal Navy and the combined fleets of Napoleonic France and Spain ranks high in the annals of naval glory and British history.. Britain was outnumbered and outgunned but triumphant. The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought on 21 October 1805 between the navies of France and Spain on one side, and Great Britain on the other. More glory shortly followed. [1][2] The bullet entered via his shoulder, went into his lung and lodged in his spine. The most famous incident, though, was the death of Nelson himself after he was shot by a French sharpshooter (the sniper was then himself shot by a midshipman called John Pollard). [1] The Battle of Trafalgar was such a clasp for the medal. He had become famous in Britain for his victories over the French, such as at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. His confidence was such that he did not prepare his shallow-water flank’s defenses. This aspect, along with the pyramidal composition reference triumph and sacrifice reaffirm this work's place as a history painting, despite it not depicting one scene from ancient history, religion, or mythology.[6]. [2] The French and Spanish had lost 22 ships, the British lost none. All those traits appear to have been nascent in Nelson when he joined the navy at the age of 12 in 1771. Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square. Victory at Trafalgar also gave the nation of shopkeepers the confidence and arrogance to believe that their imperial ambitions were correct. Nelson would have approved of Lord Byron’s accolade describing him as “Britannia’s God of War.”. She's been on the throne for 67 years, but what is the secret to Qu... Daphne du Maurier came from a line of distinguished eccentrics. Nelson gambled that the relatively inexperienced enemy gunners would give him a crucial advantage – and so it proved. [8] While the subject of the piece is evident, there are elements of ambiguity suggesting the sublime, the dissolution of space via strokes of pure paint, and the symmetry between human and natural forces. Learn more about the Battle of Trafalgar in this article. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. The word ‘expects’ replaced ‘confides’ as it was easier to spell with the flag system used to communicate with other ships. The British had chased them both ways across the ocean. The British fleet would divide into two lines and cut the Franco-Spanish fleet in three; the van would be isolated from the action and Nelson’s 27 ships would attack the mid and rear lines—brilliant. It worked to devastating effect: Nelson annihilated the French fleet. The Battle of Trafalgar was fought on October 21, 1805, during the War of the Third Coalition (1803-1806), which was part of the larger Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). [2] He was taken below the deck and died later, shortly before 4:30pm, as the battle died down. The viscount’s plan was simple and bold. The French leader Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to invade and conquer Britain, which meant he had to sink the British navy first, otherwise it would be able to prevent his army from landing. Nonetheless, the Emperor was appalled by the defeat and prevented it being reported in Parisian newspapers for over a month. As the Victory moved on she became entangled in the Redoutable, and the two ships drifted away. After the battle, the corpse of the 47 -year-old hero was brought home, preserved in a barrel of brandy. The battle had begun. The battle took place near Cape Trafalgar (a cape is a piece of land sticking out into the sea), which is in southwest Spain. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. How did Nelson outwit the Franco-Spanish fleet and secure a British victory? British Heritage Travel is published by Irish Studio, Ireland's largest magazine publishing company. It was commissioned by King George IV as a part of a series of works to decorate three state reception rooms in St James's Palace and link the Hanoverian dynasty with military success. [4] The importance of Nelson and his tactics are referenced in Victory's dominating position in the scene, the execution as a history painting, and Turner's care in rendering all elements of the scene. Nelson's Column and Trafalgar Square are two of Britain’s most iconic landmarks. Although his administration was much maligned for scandal and ...read more, On October 21, 1959, on New York City’s Fifth Avenue, thousands of people line up outside a bizarrely shaped white concrete building that resembled a giant upside-down cupcake.

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