[1805] - Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson mortally wounded

The Battle of Trafalgar took place on 21 October 1805 off the south-west coast of Spain (to the west of Cape Trafalgar). It resulted in the most decisive British naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars. Twenty-seven British ships led by Admiral Lord Nelson defeated a combined Franco-Spanish fleet of thirty-three ships under the command of Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, who was captured during the battle. In total twenty-two ships of the Franco-Spanish fleet were destroyed; the British did not lose a vessel. Lord Nelson was, however, mortally wounded. He came to be acknowledged as one of Britain’s greatest war heroes.

Useful Links and Further Reading