Trafalgar, Battle of

The English admiral Horatio Nelson, on board his flagship Victory before the Battle of Trafalgar, in 1805. Nelson's successes at sea during the Napoleonic Wars made him a national hero, but he is best remembered for his defeat of a combined French and Spanish fleet at Cape Trafalgar which ended Napoleon's campaign to invade Britain. He was mortally wounded in the conflict.

During the Napoleonic Wars, victory of the British fleet, commanded by Admiral Horatio Nelson, over a combined French and Spanish fleet on 21 October 1805. Nelson was mortally wounded during the action. The victory laid the foundation for British naval supremacy throughout the 19th century. It is named after Cape Trafalgar, a low headland in southwest Spain, near the western entrance to the Straits of Gibraltar.