Off Gibraltar, the Royal Navy defeats the Spanish and French fleets: Battle of Trafalgar; the British lose no ships, but Admiral Nelson is killed, shot by a French sniper. In one of the most decisive battles in history, the British fleet, under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson, defeats the Franco-Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, off the coast of Spain. At sea, Lord Horatio Nelson and the British Royal Navy had proved a major obstacle to Napoleon, who had led France to military dominance on land. After the devastating defeat at Trafalgar, Napoleon was forced to abandon his plans to invade England. At the height of the fighting, on October 21, Nelson was mortally wounded while walking on the poop of the HMS Victory. He died a few hours later and his body was returned to England with full honors. A column was erected in his memory in London, which was placed in the square renamed Trafalgar Square in his honor.
