# Canonical recap data for Battle of Trafalgar (1805)
# Source: https://recap.at/1805/battle-trafalgar
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: battle-trafalgar
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1805/battle-trafalgar"
title: Battle of Trafalgar
aliases:
- Cape Trafalgar
- 21 October 1805
- Nelson's Victory
subtitle: Nelson's naval victory destroyed Franco-Spanish naval supremacy and secured British maritime dominance for over a century.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1805-10-21
datePrecision: day
year: 1805
decade: 1800
country:
name: Spain
slug: spain
summaryShort: The Battle of Trafalgar was a fleet action which took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French and Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom, the French and Spanish navies planned to take control of the En
summaryLong: The Battle of Trafalgar was a fleet action which took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French and Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom, the French and Spanish navies planned to take control of the English Channel and provide the French invasion army with safe passage to Britain. The allied fleet, under the command of French Vice-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, sailed from the port of Cádiz in southern Spain on 18 October 1805. It encountered a British fleet under Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson in the Atlantic Ocean along the southwest coast of Spain off Cape Trafalgar.
lede: On 21 October 1805, the British Royal Navy decisively defeated a combined French and Spanish fleet off the coast of Cape Trafalgar in southern Spain. The battle eliminated Napoleon's hopes of invading England and established British naval supremacy for more than a century, though it cost the life of British commander Admiral Horatio Nelson.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/The_Battle_of_Trafalgar_by_William_Clarkson_Stanfield.jpg/1280px-The_Battle_of_Trafalgar_by_William_Clarkson_Stanfield.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Battle of Trafalgar"
importance: 81
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Date
  value: 21 October 1805
- label: Location
  value: Cape Trafalgar, southwest Spain
- label: British ships engaged
  value: "27"
- label: Franco-Spanish ships engaged
  value: "33"
- label: British casualties
  value: 1,700 killed and wounded
- label: Franco-Spanish casualties
  value: 5,000+ killed, wounded, or captured
- label: Franco-Spanish ships captured or destroyed
  value: "22"
- label: British commander
  value: Admiral Horatio Nelson (died in battle)
- label: Strategic context
  value: Part of Napoleon's planned invasion of England
timeline:
- date: 1805-07-22
  title: Battle of the Nile postponed plans
  description: Nelson's earlier naval victories left France and Spain desperate to regain control of the seas. They consolidated fleets at Cadiz to challenge British dominance.
- date: 1805-09-20
  title: Combined fleet ordered to sea
  description: French Admiral Villeneuve received orders to sail from Cadiz and cover troop movements. The Franco-Spanish fleet consisted of 33 ships of the line.
- date: 1805-10-21
  title: Battle begins at dawn
  description: "British fleet under Nelson engaged the enemy off Cape Trafalgar. Nelson signaled his famous message: 'England expects that every man will do his duty.'"
- date: 1805-10-21
  title: Nelson mortally wounded
  description: A French sniper's shot struck Nelson aboard HMS Victory. He was carried below deck and died three hours later, as victory was being secured.
- date: 1805-10-21
  title: Battle concludes
  description: British forces secured decisive victory. 22 enemy ships were captured or destroyed; no British ships were lost to enemy action.
- date: 1805-11-05
  title: Nelson's body returns to England
  description: HMS Victory sailed for Portsmouth carrying Nelson's body preserved in a barrel of spirits. Public mourning was widespread across Britain.
- date: 1806-01-09
  title: State funeral
  description: Nelson was buried in St Paul's Cathedral with full honors. His death elevated him to mythic status in British culture and memory.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Trafalgar"
  title: Battle of Trafalgar
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Trafalgar settled the question of naval power in the Napoleonic Wars with finality. Britain's overwhelming victory secured its island against invasion and cemented the Royal Navy's dominance—a strategic advantage that shaped global politics and commerce for the next hundred years.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- war
- invasion
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: conflict
metaDescription: "Battle of Trafalgar: Nelson defeats Franco-Spanish fleet, 21 October 1805. British naval supremacy, end of invasion threat."
wikidataQid: Q171416
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260605171839/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Trafalgar"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-05
  label: Battle of Trafalgar
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Trafalgar"
peoplesVoice:
- source: Admiral Nelson, Royal Navy Commander-in-Chief
  voiceType: official
  context: Nelson's final signal to the fleet moments before the engagement commenced on the morning of 21 October 1805.
  excerpt: England expects that every man will do his duty. This is no time for half measures - we shall break their line and crush them utterly.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 90
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Nelson's signal logs and contemporary naval dispatches
  publishedAt: 1805-10-21
  originalLanguage: en
- source: The Times of London, Editorial Board
  voiceType: media
  context: The newspaper's initial reaction printed in the issue following confirmation of Nelson's victory and death, 28 October 1805.
  excerpt: A glorious yet melancholy triumph - the French and Spanish fleets are utterly annihilated, yet Britain has lost her greatest naval hero. Nelson has purchased immortality with his own blood.
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 85
  attribution: The Times of London, 28 October 1805
  publishedAt: 1805-10-28
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Captain Jean Touffet, French Navy, eyewitness
  voiceType: expert
  context: Touffet's account written immediately after the battle, describing the chaos of the French fleet's collapse.
  excerpt: "FR: 'Les Anglais se sont jetes sur notre ligne avec une fureur terrible; nos navires, separes et accables, n'ont pu resister.' / EN: 'The English threw themselves upon our line with terrible fury; our ships, separated and overwhelmed, could not resist.'"
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 70
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - French naval dispatches and captains' reports
  publishedAt: 1805-10-22
  originalLanguage: fr
- source: Lord Barham, First Lord of the Admiralty
  voiceType: official
  context: Barham's official dispatch to the War Office reporting the scale of the victory, 22 October 1805.
  excerpt: The enemy's combined fleet is no more. Seventeen of the line and four frigates taken or destroyed. The threat of invasion has been extinguished. Britain commands the seas absolutely.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 88
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Admiralty official dispatches
  publishedAt: 1805-10-22
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Admiral Villeneuve, French Navy Commander
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Villeneuve's report to Napoleon, written in captivity after his capture at Trafalgar, 22 October 1805.
  excerpt: The battle was lost before it began. Nelson's tactical superiority and the superior gunnery of English crews have proven decisive. Our fleet, undermanned and unprepared, could not withstand their assault.
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 75
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - French naval records and Villeneuve's prisoner reports
  publishedAt: 1805-10-23
  originalLanguage: en
