Tfalgar is a cape on the southern coast of spain. The battle cut off spain's contact to its south american colonies, which resulted in a lack of control over these colonies and accelerated their move to independence. Napoleon turns to appropriating existing navies from other smaller nations such as denmark or portuguese navy. In 18 o eight, napoleon launches his sort of clandestine invasion of spain who es upset has spent more money rebuilding its army than its navy. And that'll launch him into the peninsular war.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the events of 21st October 1805, in which the British fleet led by Nelson destroyed a combined Franco-Spanish fleet in the Atlantic off the coast of Spain. Nelson's death that day was deeply mourned in Britain, and his example proved influential, and the battle was to help sever ties between Spain and its American empire. In France meanwhile, even before Nelson's body was interred at St Paul's, the setback at Trafalgar was overshadowed by Napoleon's decisive victory over Russia and Austria at Austerlitz, though Napoleon's search for his lost naval strength was to shape his plans for further conquests.
The image above is from 'The Battle of Trafalgar' by JMW Turner (1824).
With
James Davey
Lecturer in Naval and Maritime History at the University of Exeter
Marianne Czisnik
Independent researcher on Nelson and editor of his letters to Lady Hamilton
And
Kenneth Johnson
Research Professor of National Security at Air University, Alabama
Producer: Simon Tillotson