The Battle of Trafalgar, which took place on the southwest coast of Spain in 1805, was the site of a significant victory for the United Kingdom against Napoleon Bonaparte’s fleet. France and Britain had been at war with each other since 1793, with the exception of a one-year truce in 1802. Napoleon was adamant about conquering Britain, just as he had been about conquering most of continental Europe. When his ships encountered those of distinguished English Admiral Horatio Nelson off the coast of Spain, the emperor’s aspirations of invading England were dashed by the emperor’s likely loss and annihilation of the emperor’s naval forces.

The Battle of Trafalgar was the conclusion of a two-year game of cat and mouse between Nelson’s ships and the French fleet under the command of Admiral Villeneuve, whose primary goal was to invade Britain. Nelson’s fleets defeated

the French fleet under Admiral Villeneuve. In order to prevent this from occurring, Nelson launched a two-year blockade of Villeneuve and the French fleet at Toulon, France, beginning in 1803. Whenever the French ships fled from Toulon in an effort to lure the British out to sea, Nelson pursued them all the way across the Atlantic, all the way to the West Indies and back, until meeting them off the coast of Spain, where the French were joined by Spanish fleets in a final clash. In the meanwhile, the coast of England continued to be secured by the British fleet, denying the French the chance to invade the country.

Nelson divided his fleet of 28 ships into two columns on October 21, 1805, when he saw the French and Spanish forces steaming out of Trafalgar. Nelson’s goal was to split and overcome the combined French and Spanish force of 33 ships. As they prepared for the encounter, Admiral Nelson issued one of the most famous instructions in naval history: “England expects that every man will perform his job.” It was at noon on that day that Admiral Nelson issued the command. When Napoleon’s fleet was destroyed by the British in less than four hours, Nelson was severely wounded by a sniper, and the English naval hero was killed just as triumph was about to be his. Nelson had foreseen his doom: the night before the Battle of Trafalgar, he had revised his will, and just before the battle began, he told Captain Henry Blackwood, “God bless you, Blackwood, I shall never speak to you again.” Nelson had foreseen his doom because he had revised his will the night before the Battle of Trafalgar. Nelson died, though, with the knowledge that he had triumphed, repeating the now-famous words, “Thank God, I have completed my mission.”