An Essay On The Battle Of Trafalgar

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The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought off the coast of Spain between the Royal Navy and Napoleon’s forces, consisting of French and Spanish ships. Although Britain lost a hero who played a significant role in the battle, the Royal Navy was victorious. The outcome of this battle diminished the chances of the French invading England and greatly decreased Napoleon’s power on the sea.
The Treaty of Amiens was signed in 1802 between the French and British creating peace between the two countries. This peace lasted only fourteen years. Once again, war was declared between Britain and France in 1804. The importance of this war was immense for Britain, considering that this war could dissolve the British Empire and allow Napoleon to conquer Europe. Napoleon Bonaparte ruled the French Empire who held the dominant position regarding military land power in Europe. Although Napoleon had great military force on land, the British had dominance on the sea. Britain having no chance of invading and defeating Napoleon due to his land power decided to take on a defensive strategy in the beginning. The first two years of the war consisted of Britain waiting for an invasion by France. In 1804, Spain took side with France and joined the war.
Britain took advantage of their sea power and created blockades all around France, preventing them from creating a strong navy and negatively impacting France’s trade. William Cornwallis sustained a tightly watched and secure blockade at Brest, which is located at the beginning of the English Channel. The blockade was intended to prevent French ships from leaving the harbor. The blockade imposed on Toulon’s port was loose. Nelson had the intention that the French fleet would leave the port resulting ...

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...ovided Britain with a sense of security. This naval battle also established the Royal Navy’s supremacy regarding the sea and decreased Napoleon’s naval power. For years after the battle, the Royal Navy limited Napoleon’s power by sustaining blockades of French ports, watching ships being built in attempt for another invasion. While the construction of the fleet was being done, Napoleons Empire was abolished. The Royal Navy leader, Horatio Nelson, is known today as England’s best naval commander in history. After being killed during battle, his corpse was returned to England, and was buried honorably using wood from an important ship called Orient. This ship was in an earlier navy battle led by Nelson. Admiral Nelson’s techniques, strategies, and determination had a profound influence on how sea battles were fought and how naval leaders conducted themselves on board.

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