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==Background==

==Background==

In order to execute his plan to invade Britain in the summer of 1805, [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] needed to take control of the [[English Channel]] to allow his Grand Armée to safely cross. In preparation for this, he ordered the French fleet's three squadrons [[Blockade|blockaded]] by the British at [[Brest]], [[Toulon]] and other ports to break out and meet in the [[West Indies]] where they would regroup as a single fleet and return to take control of the Channel.  

In order to execute his plan to invade Britain in the summer of 1805, [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] needed to take control of the [[English Channel]] to allow his Grand Armée to safely cross. In preparation for this, he ordered the French fleet's three squadrons [[blockade]]d by the British at [[Brest]], [[Toulon]] and other ports to break out and meet in the [[West Indies]] where they would regroup as a single fleet and return to take control of the Channel.  

The French squadron commanded by Admiral Villeneuve at Toulon was able to break through the blockade in March 1805, and then joined up with a Spanish squadron, setting sail for the West Indies. Nelson received reports of the fleet heading for the West Indies on 10 April 1805 and took his fleet in pursuit, at which point Villeneuve decided that the odds were insurmountable and returned to Europe. A minor naval battle took place off Cape Finisterre on the west coast Spain, and Villeneuve was then forced to escape into the port at Cadiz in Spain. With the invasion now impossible, Napoleon turned his Grand Armée to attack Austria and Russia in the east.  

The French squadron commanded by Admiral Villeneuve at Toulon was able to break through the blockade in March 1805, and then joined up with a Spanish squadron, setting sail for the West Indies. Nelson received reports of the fleet heading for the West Indies on 10 April 1805 and took his fleet in pursuit, at which point Villeneuve decided that the odds were insurmountable and returned to Europe. A minor naval battle took place off Cape Finisterre on the west coast Spain, and Villeneuve was then forced to escape into the port at Cadiz in Spain. With the invasion now impossible, Napoleon turned his Grand Armée to attack Austria and Russia in the east.  

==Commemoration of the battle==

==Commemoration of the battle==

London's famous [[Trafalgar Square]] is named after the Battle of Trafalgar, and features a statue of Nelson on [[Nelson's Column]], a 150-foot tall pillar in the center of the square. October 21st is celebrated in Britain each year as Trafalgar Day.

London's famous [[Trafalgar Square]] is named after the Battle of Trafalgar, and features a statue of Nelson on [[Nelson's Column]], a 150-foot tall pillar in the center of the square. October 21 is celebrated in Britain each year as Trafalgar Day.

==External links==

==External links==