Trafalgar: Nelson’s Great Victory (The Age of Sail)

But why was the battle so important? How did Napoleon’s navy come to threaten English shores? And what truly unfolded during those brutal hours on 21 October 1805?

In this authoritative and engrossing narrative, Donald Macintyre charts the dramatic prelude to Trafalgar — from Horatio Nelson’s rise to fame at the battles of the Nile and Copenhagen, to Pierre-Charles Villeneuve’s bold attempt to unite French naval forces in the Caribbean before slipping past the British blockade to challenge their command of the seas.

The mounting tension is brilliantly captured as Nelson pursues Villeneuve across the Atlantic, leading to a fateful clash off the coast of Spain. Though the outcome is known to history, the battle’s gripping details — the daring manoeuvres, the desperate fighting, and the heroism of individual ships and captains — are vividly brought to life, revealing both the triumph and the tragedy of Britain’s most celebrated naval victory.

Trafalgar is essential reading for anyone fascinated by this legendary conflict of the Age of Sail.

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