October 1805Reputable sourceWell documented
The Battle of Trafalgar
On the timeline · around October 1805 ·
What happened
Off Cape Trafalgar in Spain, the British fleet under Admiral Horatio Nelson, aboard HMS Victory, annihilated the combined French and Spanish fleets without losing a single ship. Nelson was mortally wounded in the hour of his greatest triumph, dying as victory was won.
Why it matters
Trafalgar secured British command of the seas for a century and ended Napoleon's hopes of invading Britain. Master of the Continent, he would never master the ocean.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. HMS Victory · Reputable source
Related timelines
- The British Empire → — British naval supremacy — 'the empire on which the sun never set'