Horatio Nelson
1758 – 1805 British Royal Navy admiral
Britain's most celebrated admiral, who destroyed French naval power at the Nile and Trafalgar, dying in the hour of victory.
- Religion
- Church of England
- Affiliations
- Royal Navy
Horatio Nelson was the Royal Navy commander whose victories secured British command of the seas in the wars against France. At the Battle of the Nile in 1798 he destroyed the French fleet and stranded Napoleon's army in Egypt. At Trafalgar in 1805 he shattered the combined French and Spanish fleet, ending any threat of invasion, but was shot dead during the battle. His death made him a national hero, and his naval supremacy underpinned the empire's later expansion.
Connections
- associate of Duke of Wellington — The land commander who finished the war Nelson helped win at sea.
- associate of Duke of Wellington — The naval hero of the same war, whom he met once.
- rival of Napoleon Bonaparte — The admiral who wrecked his fleets and Egyptian venture.
- rival of Napoleon Bonaparte — The enemy whose fleets and Egyptian venture he wrecked.
- associate of William Pitt the Younger — His naval commander in the wars with France.
- associate of William Pitt the Younger — The wartime prime minister he served.
In the timeline
- 1798 The Battle of the Nile the victorious admiral
- 1803 – 1815 The Napoleonic Wars and Naval Supremacy the admiral who won command of the seas
- 1805 The Battle of Trafalgar the victorious admiral, killed in action