What Happened and The Results of the battle The Battle Of Trafalgar

1. Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Trafalgar Jewell Young Period 2 January 22, 2010

2. United Kingdom Horatio Nelson France Pierre de Villeneuve Spain Federico Gravina Leading Figures

3. What Happened Following his recent victories on soil, Napoleon Bonaparte decided to invade the British Isles, along with Spain. Britain would not allow any attack on its territory and even less to their islands. When Britain discovered his plan, he sent his best naval strategist Admiral horatio Nelson. The Battle of Trafalgar took place in 1805, and was instrumental in the sea fall of France, and Spain. The French Admiral Villeneuve, believed that the numerical superiority would be enough to defeat the victorious British and naval conflict. The battle was a true tactical victory for Nelson, and a great error for Villeneuve, that would have a fatal destiny for him.

4. The English fleet, commanded by Nelson, attacked in the form of two parallel columns,while Villeneuve formed a perpendicular line, allowing the English to attack the enemies directly. and, to make matters worse of misfortunes, Villeneuve issued the order to turn towards the northeast to maintain course to Cadiz as soon as it had certainty of the presence of the English fleet. As the British ships broke through the Franco-Spanish line, they would engage their enemies from the downwind side, separating the main body of the Combined Fleet from its front line and allow the British to attain superiority in numbers. Battle Tactics

6. Results British casualties were 1,587. The French and Spanish casualties were never revealed but are thought to have been around 16,000. The Franco-Spanish fleet lost 22 of their ships. Horatio dies before the battle ends.

7. Napoleon lost what little faith he had in his navy, at first refusing to believe that the combined fleet had failed to sink or capture a single British ship. Afterward Nelson's crushing defeat of the French and Spanish navy, established Britain as the dominant world naval power for a century.

10. Fin