NAPOLEON HAD WON AT TRAFALGAR?
On 21 October 1805, the naval forces of Napoleon Bonaparte and his Spanish allies faced the Royal Navy, commanded by Admiral Lord Nelson, off the coast of Trafalgar, Spain. For five hours the battle raged but the British forces were able to annihilate the enemy, destroying 19 ships. However, 1,500 British seamen lost their lives, with Nelson among them. Having been shot by a sniper in the shoulder and chest, he died when victory was imminent. The Battle of Trafalgar has become the stuff of legend, with Nelson immortalised as the man who saved Britain from invasion. Yet what if Napoleon had won on that fateful day?
INTERVIEW WITH
Professor Richard Harding is an expert in naval history and amphibious warfare and previously edited the academic journal, The Mariner’s Mirror. Among his numerous books are Modern Naval History: Debates and Prospects and Seapower and Naval 1650-1830.
