The Battle of Trafalgar, fought on October 21, 1805, off the coast of Cape Trafalgar, Spain, was a decisive British naval victory over the combined fleets of France and Spain. Under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson, the British fleet inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, sinking or capturing 22 ships while losing none of their own. Nelson was killed in the battle, but his victory shattered Napoleon's plans for an invasion of Britain, ensuring British naval supremacy for the rest of the Napoleonic Wars and ultimately leading to Napoleon's downfall.
