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England's most famous ever naval
commander, Horatio Nelson, lived during
the reign of King George III
1760-1820.
This was a busy time for the British
navy as Britain was continually fighting
the Spanish for control of lands in the
Caribbean and South America. The American
Revolutionary War (war of independence)
began in April 1775, and the wars against
France's Emperor Napoleon began in
1793.
Nelson enrolled in the British Royal
Navy January 1st 1771 at the age of 12,
joining the warship Raissonable that was
commanded by his uncle.
By 1777, he had worked his way up to
the rank of Lieutenant with his first
assignment being to the West Indies.
There he saw action against revolutionary
forces of the British colonies in North
America that were fighting for
independence from Britain.
By April 1782, the British House of
Commons had voted to end the war with
North America gaining independence. That
war had allowed Nelson to show his
potential as a naval officer as he
emerged from the American War of
Independence as a captain with the
command of his own ship.
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With America then a foreign
country, Nelson was given the
command of a 28-gun warship named
Boreas in 1784. He then set out for
the Caribbean to stop American
ships trading with British colonies
in the Caribbean.
With the British colonies in the
Caribbean relying heavily on their
trade with America at that time,
Nelson's seizure of four American
ships resulted in him being held on
his ship for eight months while the
colonies investigated the legality
of his actions.
Nelson was however released
without charge then returned to
Britain 1787.
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The following years of relative peace,
saw Nelson without the command of a ship.
With the French revolution breaking out
in 1789, Britain began building up its
navy for the inevitable escalation of
that conflict.
By 1793, Nelson had been given the
command of the 64-gun warship, Agamemnon,
based at the Kingdom of Naples in
Italy.
Nelson was injured in the face during
the siege of Calvi on the island of
Corsica in 1794, loosing the sight in his
right eye. That injury only kept Nelson
out of action for a short time, as by
1797, he was involved in the British
naval victory over the Spanish fleet
based at Cape St Vincent (near
Gibraltar). That battle saw nelson
Knighted for his bravery.
At that time, many British naval
officers were becoming rich by capturing
Spanish or French treasure ships. British
naval officers were allowed to keep any
treasures they captured to split with
their crew and invest in their
retirement. Nelson however, never
succeeded in capturing any ships with
significant amounts of treasure on board.
One such unsuccessful attempt to capture
a Spanish treasure ship in 1797 at Santa
Cruz de Tenerife resulted in Nelson being
shot in the right elbow by a musket ball,
an injury that resulted in the loss of
his lower arm.
At that time, the French military
commander, Napoleon, was rising to fame
by leading his army to a series of
victories in Italy. Napoleon then invaded
Egypt, taking control of Cairo. As his
intentions at that time were to cut
Britain's trade routes to the Far East,
Nelson led fourteen British ships against
the fifteen French ships moored at
Aboukir Bay, that were supporting
Napoleons army in Egypt. That battle
turned out to be a famous victory for
Nelson known as the Battle of the
Nile.
With Napoleons fleet destroyed, he was
forced to abandon his army in Egypt and
return to France. By 1804, Napoleon had
become Emperor of France, allowing him to
begin his quest to gain control of all
Europe.
Napoleon soon took control of Spain
then began amassing the French and
Spanish warships at Cadis in Spain. His
intentions were to defeat the British
navy so he would have total control of
the seas. This would allow him to invade
Britain, also to take over the trade
routes to the Far East, allowing France
to become the world's mightiest
Empire.
Nelson was appointed commander in
chief of the Mediterranean with his ship
being HMS Victory. Nelson then led a
fleet of 29 British warships to the
Mediterranean where he met the combined
forces of 33 French and Spanish
ships.
The British defeated the French and
Spanish ships in an historic battle that
became known as the Battle of Trafalgar.
Nelson however, was hit by a snipers
bullet during the battle and died shortly
after the battle had been won.
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Nelson's body was preserved in a
cask of brandy and returned to
Britain for a state burial.
His funeral was one of the
largest ever seen in Britain with
his body laid to rest in a tomb at
St Paul's Cathedral directly below
the great dome.
Britain ruled the seas after the
battle of Trafalgar allowing them
to build the greatest Empire the
world has ever seen.
One of London's most famous
sights, Trafalgar Square, was
completed in 1841 to honour the
famous battle. A column of around
165 feet high was erected in the
square two years later with a
statue of Nelson on top.
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