- Date:
- October 21, 1805
- Location:
- Atlantic Ocean
- CĂĄdiz
- Strait of Gibraltar
- Spain
- Participants:
- France
- Spain
- United Kingdom
- Context:
- Napoleonic Wars
Battle of Trafalgar
When was the Battle of Trafalgar fought?
Who were the opposing admirals at the Battle of Trafalgar?
How many died in the Battle of Trafalgar?
Why was the Battle of Trafalgar important?
Battle of Trafalgar, (October 21, 1805), naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, which established British naval supremacy for more than 100 years; it was fought west of Cape Trafalgar, Spain, between CĂĄdiz and the Strait of Gibraltar. A fleet of 33 ships (18 French and 15 Spanish) under Admiral Pierre de Villeneuve fought a British fleet of 27 ships under Admiral Horatio Nelson.
(See âNapoleonâs Major Battlesâ Interactive Map)
At the end of September 1805, Villeneuve had received orders to leave CĂĄdiz and land troops at Naples to support the French campaign in southern Italy. On October 19â20 his fleet slipped out of CĂĄdiz, hoping to get into the Mediterranean Sea without giving battle. Nelson caught him off Cape Trafalgar on October 21.
Villeneuve ordered his fleet to form a single line heading north, and Nelson ordered his fleet to form two squadrons and attack Villeneuveâs line from the west, at right angles. By noon the larger squadron, led by Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood in the Royal Sovereign, had engaged the rear (south) 16 ships of the French-Spanish line. At 11:50 am Nelson, in the Victory, signaled his famous message: âEngland expects that every man will do his duty.â Then his squadron, with 12 ships, attacked the van and centre of Villeneuveâs line, which included Villeneuve in the Bucentaure. The majority of Nelsonâs squadron broke through and shattered Villeneuveâs lines in the pell-mell battle. Six of the leading French and Spanish ships, under Admiral Pierre Dumanoir, were ignored in the first attack and about 3:30 pm were able to turn about to aid those behind. But Dumanoirâs weak counterattack failed and was driven off. Collingwood completed the destruction of the rear, and the battle ended about 5:00 pm. Villeneuve himself was captured, and his fleet lost 19 or 20 shipsâwhich were surrendered to the Britishâand 14,000 men, of whom half were prisoners of war. Nelson was mortally wounded by a sniper, but when he died at 4:30 pm he was certain of his complete victory. About 1,500 British seamen were killed or wounded, but no British ships were lost. Trafalgar shattered forever Napoleonâs plans to invade England.