Who was Horatio Nelson?

Horatio Nelson (1758 to 1805) was a British Royal Navy admiral, considered one of the greatest naval commanders in history. He won decisive victories at the Nile, Copenhagen and Trafalgar, and was killed in action at Trafalgar in 1805.

How did Nelson lose his arm and eye?

Nelson lost the sight in his right eye during fighting on Corsica in 1794 and lost his right arm after being wounded at Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1797. He continued to command at sea after both injuries.

What was Nelson's greatest victory?

Trafalgar, on 21 October 1805. He broke the combined French and Spanish line with two columns and won a total victory, capturing or destroying about two-thirds of the enemy fleet without losing a single British ship.

He was shot by a French marksman aboard his flagship HMS Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, and died of the wound a few hours later, after learning that the battle had been won.

What was the Battle of the Nile?

In 1798 Nelson caught and destroyed the French fleet at anchor in Aboukir Bay in Egypt, cutting off Napoleon's army and making Nelson's name.

What did the signal England expects mean?

Before Trafalgar Nelson had the message England expects that every man will do his duty flown in flags across his fleet, to steady and inspire his crews before the fight.

Did Nelson really put a telescope to his blind eye?

The story comes from the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, where Nelson is said to have raised his telescope to his blind eye to claim he could not see the signal ordering him to withdraw, and fought on to win.

Where is Nelson's Column?

It stands in Trafalgar Square in London, named after his final battle, one of the best known monuments in Britain.

Horatio Nelson: Britain's greatest admiral

No sailor looms larger in British memory than Horatio Nelson. Bold to the point of recklessness, adored by his crews, and wounded again and again in the service, he won the battles that made Britain the ruler of the seas for a century, and died at the moment of his greatest triumph.

A sailor's life

Nelson was born on 29 September 1758 in the village of Burnham Thorpe¹ in Norfolk, England, and went to sea as a boy of twelve¹. He rose quickly through the Royal Navy in an age of near-constant war with France. The service cost him dearly: he lost the sight in his right eye during fighting on Corsica¹ in 1794, and his right arm at Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1797¹. Neither stopped him.

Portrait of Nelson in admiral's uniform and bicorne hat with a jewelled ornament — Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson painted by Lemuel Francis Abbott in 1799, wearing in his hat the diamond chelengk given by the Ottoman sultan after the Nile. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Public domain

The Nile and Copenhagen

In 1798 Nelson hunted down and destroyed the French fleet² at the Battle of the Nile in Aboukir Bay, stranding Napoleon's army in Egypt and announcing Nelson as Britain's finest fighting admiral. At Copenhagen in 1801, ordered to break off, he is said to have raised the telescope to his blind eye and claimed he saw no signal to retreat (the story comes from a witness's later account), then pressed on to victory.

England expects that every man will do his duty.

Trafalgar

His last and greatest battle came at Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, off the coast of Spain. Instead of the traditional line-against-line duel, Nelson drove his fleet in two columns straight through the combined French and Spanish line, cutting it to pieces. It was a total victory: around two-thirds of the enemy fleet was captured or destroyed, and not a single British ship was lost.

In the middle of the battle Nelson, pacing the deck of HMS Victory in full uniform, was shot³ by a French marksman. He lived just long enough to learn the battle was won. His signal before the fight, "England expects that every man will do his duty," passed into legend along with him.

Dark painting of a wounded officer lying below decks lit by lanterns, sailors gathered around — The Death of Nelson by Arthur William Devis: the dying admiral below decks on HMS Victory, surrounded by his officers and crew. Public domain

Legacy

Trafalgar secured British command of the sea for the rest of the Napoleonic Wars and beyond. Nelson became a national hero, honoured in London by the column that still bears his name. He is remembered as the boldest and most gifted naval commander of the age of sail.

See the company he keeps in the greatest military commanders in history, or read his final victory at Trafalgar in full.

How Nelson won at sea

Nelson threw out the cautious naval rulebook of his day and fought to annihilate, not merely drive off, the enemy fleet.

Period print of two columns of sailing warships cutting through a curved enemy line — Robert Dodd's Plan of the Attack by Lord Nelson on the Combined Fleet, a print issued soon after Trafalgar, showing the two British columns driving into the Franco-Spanish line. Public domain

Break the line. Instead of the traditional parallel gun duel, he drove his ships straight through the enemy formation to split and overwhelm it.
Aim for annihilation. He was not content to win on points; he sought to capture or destroy the whole enemy fleet, as he nearly did at the Nile.
Trust his captains. He briefed his officers so well, his band of brothers⁴, that they could act on his intent without waiting for signals.
Lead from the front. He fought in the thick of the action on his flagship, sharing every danger, which cost him an arm, an eye and finally his life.
Boldness over caution. At Copenhagen he is said to have put his telescope to his blind eye to ignore an order to withdraw, and won.

The signal at Trafalgar

As the fleets closed at Trafalgar, Nelson had this message hoisted in flags across his ships.

England expects that every man will do his duty.Signal flown by Nelson at Trafalgar, 1805⁵

The making of an admiral

1758Born in Norfolk, England, the son of a country parson.¹
1794Loses the sight of his right eye during the siege of Calvi on Corsica.
1797Loses his right arm in a failed attack on Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
1798Destroys the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile, stranding Napoleon's army in Egypt.
1801Wins at Copenhagen, reportedly ignoring an order to break off by holding his telescope to his blind eye.
1805Wins the decisive Battle of Trafalgar over the combined French and Spanish fleets, but is shot and killed in the fighting.

Trafalgar and its price

At Trafalgar on 21 October 1805 Nelson broke the Franco-Spanish fleet in two and destroyed it, confirming that no invasion could follow and securing British control of the seas for a hundred years. But the victory cost him his life: he was shot by a marksman from a French ship and died knowing the battle was won.

See the battle beside history's other great clashes in our guide to the greatest military commanders in history.

Why Nelson still matters

Nelson turned naval tactics upside down and made the Royal Navy the dominant force at sea for a century. His mix of daring, care for his crews and refusal to settle for half a victory made him a national hero whose column still stands over London.

Which commander shares your instincts? Try our Which Commander Are You quiz.

Sources and notes

Numbered notes in the text point to the works below.

Royal Museums Greenwich (National Maritime Museum), “Research guide N1: Horatio Nelson” ↩ a b c d e
Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Horatio Nelson (summary)” ↩
Roger Knight, The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson (Allen Lane, 2005). ↩
Andrew Lambert, Nelson: Britannia's God of War (Faber and Faber, 2004). ↩
Royal Museums Greenwich (National Maritime Museum), “Battle of Trafalgar timeline” ↩
World History Encyclopedia, “Horatio Nelson, Encyclopedia of World History”
Wikipedia, “Horatio Nelson, Wikipedia”

Horatio Nelson

At a glance