Trafalgar Day 2024: The Battle of Trafalgar

The background to the Battle

The Battle of Trafalgar is one of Britain’s most important naval battles, which began in 1803 between France under Napoleon Bonaparte and a changing coalition of European nations. By 1805 Napoleon was considering an invasion of Britain, a huge undertaking that could only really be attempted if they gained control of the English Channel. As an island Britain could not be invaded by land, as they would do with Spain in 1808.

Thus, the destruction of the French fleet became a top priority to protect Britain and her interests. This was made more difficult by France having allied with Spain, resulting in both fleets aiming to invade Britain. Despite their best efforts in early 1805 to bait the combined French and Spanish fleet into battle the Royal Navy had lost track of them, until  the French fell in with the fleet led by Admiral Sir Robert Calder. This battle, the Battle of Cape Finisterre, was indecisive, but likely managed to change Napoleon’s focus from an invasion of England to a conquest on the content. The combined fleet retreated to Cadiz where the British assembled a blockade.

From here the French and Spanish fleet, led by Admiral Villeneuve, were given the order to sail to Naples. It seems Villeneuve followed the order reluctantly, only executing it once he heard that somebody was on route to replace him as commander of the fleet. Light winds meant it took a long time for the fleet to leave Cadiz, and they were still trying to regain their cohesion when the British appeared. A retreat to Cadiz was ordered and it is as the combined fleet attempted to return that the battle began on the morning of the 21st October 1805.

The Battle begins

The day of 21 October was clear with light winds, which brought the two fleets together at a walking pace. The British fleet was split into two columns and sailing directly towards the French and Spanish ships, so it was the ships leading each line – HMS Royal Sovereign under the command of Admiral Collingwood and HMS Victory under Nelson – which faced the devastating force of their initial roadsides.  

Nelson was convinced the British guns would have a better rate of fire than the French and Spanish, giving them an advantage, as he was confident that the British crews were better drilled.

As Collingwood attacked the rear, Nelson smashed through the centre of the line. Victory delivered a knockout blow on Villeneuve’s flagship, the Bucentaure, and was then locked in combat at point-blank range with the Redoubtable. This created a gap, and the ships astern of Victory poured through to engage and overwhelm the allied centre.  

Having led the way through a hail of shot, the Victory became entangled with a smaller French battleship, the Redoutable, and it was from her rigging that the bullet was fired which struck Nelson at about 1:15pm, as he was pacing the quarterdeck with Captain Thomas Hardy. The ball entered at his left shoulder and cut through a lung and a major artery before hitting his spine. He was carried to the Orlop Deck where he died three hours later after suffering great pain. His last words were, ‘Thank God I have done my duty.’  

The battle, which began at midday, was over by around 5pm that afternoon. The plan Nelson conceived in advance was an overwhelming success; his fleet of 27 ships defeated a French and Spanish force of 33, capturing 17 ships and setting one ablaze.

The fate of Napoleon

While the Battle of Trafalgar marked a decisive end to Napoleon’s ambitions of invading Britain, and the beginning of a century of British naval supremacy, it would be another decade until the Napoleonic wars were over, put to an end at the Battle of Waterloo. The battle, followed by Napoleon’s capture is depicted in Ridley Scott’s 2023 film Napoleon, wherein HMS Victory and Nelson’s cabin acted as a stand-in for HMS Bellerophon. Napoleon surrendered to the Bellerophon and travelled on her to England where he was told of his exile to St. Helena. Napoleon was later transferred to another ship that took him to St. Helena, where he spent his final years.

Vice-Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson’s flagship is still open to the public and is currently undergoing a multi-year, multi-million pound conservation project to ensure she is protected for generations to come. 

Explore Victory Live: The Big Repair