The Battle of Trafalgar

In Our Time: History

BBC

History

4.4 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 2 December 2021

⏱️ ? minutes

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Summary

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the events of 21st October 1805, in which the British fleet led by Nelson destroyed a combined Franco-Spanish fleet in the Atlantic off the coast of Spain. Nelson's death that day was deeply mourned in Britain, and his example proved influential, and the battle was to help sever ties between Spain and its American empire. In France meanwhile, even before Nelson's body was interred at St Paul's, the setback at Trafalgar was overshadowed by Napoleon's decisive victory over Russia and Austria at Austerlitz, though Napoleon's search for his lost naval strength was to shape his plans for further conquests.

The image above is from 'The Battle of Trafalgar' by JMW Turner (1824).

With

James Davey Lecturer in Naval and Maritime History at the University of Exeter

Marianne Czisnik Independent researcher on Nelson and editor of his letters to Lady Hamilton

And

Kenneth Johnson Research Professor of National Security at Air University, Alabama

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.
0:04.7	Thanks for downloading this episode of In Our Time.
0:07.2	There's a reading list to go with it on our website,
0:09.4	and you can get news about our programs if you follow us on Twitter
0:12.8	at BBC In Our Time.
0:14.6	I hope you enjoyed the programs.
0:16.4	Hello, on the 21st of October, 1805,
0:19.0	Horatio Nelson led the British fleet to a famous victory
0:22.2	over the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar.
0:25.9	It became a defining moment for how Britain soared self
0:29.2	and for Spain too, where people couldn't understand
0:31.8	why they'd fallen in with the French and soon fell out with them.
0:35.2	In France, meanwhile, the defeat went unreported,
0:38.0	and even before Nelson's grand-state funeral,
0:40.4	it sent pause Napoleon at Crushed Austria and Russia
0:43.7	at Auselitz, his greatest victory.
0:46.4	We'd made a discuss the Battle of Trafalgar at Kenneth Johnson,
0:49.8	research professor of national security at Air University,
0:53.0	Alabama, Marianne Schismick, an independent researcher
0:56.2	on Nelson and editor of his letters to Lady Hamilton,
0:59.0	and James David, lecturer in naval and maritime history
1:02.1	at the University of Exeter.
	...

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