Why was Horatio Nelson given a state funeral at St. Paul’s Cathedral?

Horatio Nelson was granted a state funeral at St. Paul’s Cathedral because he was a national hero whose death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 deeply affected a country already mourning his loss.1

Nelson had achieved godlike status in his lifetime due to his spectacular success in battle, his humanity as a commander, and his role as the primary hope for the British Isles against the threat of invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte. His decisive victory at Trafalgar destroyed the combined French and Spanish fleets, effectively ensuring British sea power for more than a century and securing Britain from invasion. Following his death, a nation "racked with grief" honored him with a majestic funeral, enshrining him in popular myth and iconography as one of Britain's most beloved national heroes.213