Battle of Trafalgar

A portrait of the Duke of Wellington at the battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815) during the Napoleonic Wars. Although Waterloo was "undeniably the most pivotal battle of this campaign", it was not the final battle against France, says Jem Duducu. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

7 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Napoleonic Wars

Admiral Lord Nelson: 10 days that created a legend. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Portrait of English admiral Lord Horatio Nelson

Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson: a rebel with a cause

Napoleon Bonaparte on his deathbed. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Image)

What killed Napoleon Bonaparte?

Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte: facts about his life, death and career

The orphan hero who fought at Trafalgar. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A painting by Louis Philippe Crepin depicting the battle of Trafalgar, 1805. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

The battle of Trafalgar, hour by hour: what happened and why did Britain win?

The HMS Victory in Portsmouth

A visit to HMS Victory, Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Britain didn't "rule the waves" after the battle of Trafalgar, says historian Sam Willis. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

HMS Portsmouth, Hampshire. (Getty Images)

History explorerHMS Victory and the Georgian navy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Adam Zamoyski offers his views on the iconic French leader, Napoleon. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images)

Napoleon: the insecure emperor. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Adam Zamoyski, photographed in London. "We're brought up on a whole ant-heap of myths about Napoleon. The apocryphal stories that swirl around him are legion," he says. (Photography by Frank Monks for BBC History Magazine)

Books interview with Adam Zamoyski: “Napoleon was motivated by profound insecurity”. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Napoleon Bonaparte of France. (Hulton Fine Art Collection via Getty Images)

Bad manners and a game of thrones: inside the court of Napoleon Bonaparte. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), 1797. Artist: Abbott, Lemuel Francis (1760-1802)

My history hero: Horatio Nelson (1758–1805). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

5 facts you (probably) didn’t know about Nelson’s navy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

View of the Waterloo Gallery at Apsley House, London. (Photo by English Heritage/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

The LibraryHistory explorer: the Napoleonic Wars

An engraving of Admiral Lord Nelson

Q&AWhy do we say ‘turn a blind eye’?

View of a sham fight on the Serpentine, Hyde Park, London, 1814

The year when fear of Napoleon stalked the land. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte

Why Napoleon merits the title 'the Great'. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

My history hero: Horatio Nelson (1758-1805). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Q&A: Why did news of Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar take so long to reach England?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An oil painting depicting the battle of Camperdown, a "crushing British victory" over the Batavian (Dutch) Republic in the North Sea. (Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

Tales from Nelson's navy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Nelson mortally wounded at Trafalgar in 1805

Nelson: the unhappy admiral. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The East India Company and Nelson. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.