III.

Trafalgar

Nelson was in England at the time of the Treaty of Amiens (1802-03), which temporarily ended the fighting between England and France. When war broke out again in 1803 he was appointed commander of the British Mediterranean fleet. He blockaded Toulon, where a large French fleet under Vice Admiral Pierre Charles de Villeneuve was preparing to invade England. Nelson forced the French fleet to remain in Toulon for two years, but it escaped in 1805 and made for the West Indies. Nelson set out in pursuit, but the French fleet eluded him and, sailing back to Europe, took refuge in Cádiz, where it was joined by a number of Spanish ships. The British blockaded the city, but Villeneuve finally broke out of the harbor and gave battle off Cape Trafalgar, in Spain. In the Battle of Trafalgar, on October 21, 1805, Nelson overwhelmingly defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets, leading the attack himself in his flagship Victory; he was mortally wounded by a French sharpshooter, however, and died as the battle ended. The British victory put an end to Napoleon's plans for invading England.

Nelson is regarded as the most famous of all British naval leaders and as one of the most noteworthy in world history. He was buried in Saint Paul's Cathedral. In November 1805, in recognition of his services, his brother William Nelson was made Earl Nelson of Trafalgar. In 1849 a monument known as the Nelson Column was erected to Admiral Nelson in Trafalgar Square, London.