After the French Revolution, Europe saw 20-odd years of almost constant war as Napoleon and his armies went on a conquering spree around the continent. By 1805, France pretty much ruled Europe. But Britain ruled the waves.
Boney wanted to invade Britain. To do that, he had to take control of the English Channel long enough to get his troops across – 93,000 of them were waiting in and around Boulogne. But Britain had blockaded most of his ports with his ships in them.
After a while, Napoleon gave up on invading Britain and his army headed east. On 19 October, Napoleon ordered Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, in charge of the joint French and Spanish fleet, to break out of Cadiz and head for Naples. But the British fleet was waiting, and shadowed the French and Spanish ships down the coast, keeping out of sight. On 21 October, British admiral Horatio Nelson attacked.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Get 6 issues free
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Traditionally, enemy fleets would face each other in parallel lines. Nelson's strategy was to arrange his ships in two smaller squadrons at right angles to the enemy – one column lead by Nelson in HMS Victory, captained by Thomas Hardy; the other by Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood in HMS Royal Sovereign. That way, Nelson hoped to get in among the enemy and spread confusion from the outset. It left them vulnerable to enemy fire as they approached, but allowed them to rake the enemy fire along the length of the ships, causing huge damage.
Collingwood's ship was the first to engage. Nelson soon followed, engaging with three ships, one of which was the Redoubtable, carrying a complement of well-trained musketeers. It was a bullet from one of these that hit Nelson in the chest, mortally wounding him. He died later that day, after uttering the immortal line, "Kiss me, Hardy".
In total, 33 enemy ships were lost. No British ships were sunk, but 430 British sailors were killed, along with 4,408 French and Spanish sailors. The crushing victory ensured Britain would enjoy mastery of the seas for the next hundred years.
Review: Trisara, Phuket – a feast for the senses in Thailand
Expecting an inheritance? Don’t – only a fifth of Boomers plan to part with their cash
