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Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson

British admiral (1758-1805) · United Kingdom · Died at 47

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He died winning Britain's greatest naval battle, shot through the spine on his own quarterdeck at Trafalgar. The square carries his name, the column his likeness, and "England expects that every man will do his duty" remains the line every schoolchild knows.

Historical FiguresPoliticianPoliticsEarly Modern Era

A life in dates

1805Died21 October 18051797“Before this time to-morrow I shall have gained a peerage, or Westminster Abbey.”In their words1 August 1797Before the Battle of the Nile (1 August 1797), as quoted in Life of Nelson, Ch. 5; alternately reported as "Westminster Abbey, or victory!"

“I had rather suffer death than alarm Mrs. Freemantle, by letting her see me in this state, when I can give her no tidings whatever of her husband.”In their words24 July 1797After being wounded during the attack on Santa Cruz de Tenerife (24 July 1797), as quoted in The Dispatches and Letters of Vice Admiral

“Let me alone, I have yet my legs left, and one arm. Tell the surgeon to make haste and get his instruments. I know I must lose my right arm, so the sooner it is off the better.”In their words24 July 1797After being wounded during the attack on Santa Cruz de Tenerife (24 July 1797), as quoted in The Dispatches and Letters of Vice Admiral

1796“I cannot, if I am in the field for glory, be kept out of sight.”In their words2 August 1796Letter to his wife, Frances Nelson (2 August 1796), as published in The Dispatches and Letters of Vice Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson with

1795“The lives of all are in the hands of Him who knows best whether to preserve it or no, and to His will do I resign myself. My character and good name are in my own keeping.”In their words10 March 1795Letter from Agamemnon at sea (10 March 1795), in Nelson's letters to his wife and other documents, 1785-1831 edited by Navy Records

1793“There are three things, young gentlemen, which you are constantly to bear in mind.”In their wordsNelson's advice to his Midshipmen (1793), as quoted in Memoirs of the Life of Vice-Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson K.B. (1849), edited by

1758Born29 September 1758

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

HoratioNelson1HoratioNelson110 Upper Frog Street Tenby SA70 7JD10 Upper Frog Street Tenby SA70 7JDSeal from letter of Lord Nelson, 1801 - BL Egerton MS 1614Seal from letter of Lord Nelson, 1801 - BL Egerton MS 1614C. J. Staniland Nelson boarding San Nicolas Battle of Cape St VincentC. J. Staniland Nelson boarding San Nicolas Battle of Cape St Vincent1881 SURVEY of Nelson Garden in Monmouth1881 SURVEY of Nelson Garden in MonmouthAdmiral Nelson recreating with his brave tars after the glorious Battle of the Nile (BM 1894,0417.29)Admiral Nelson recreating with his brave tars after the glorious Battle of the Nile (BM 1894,0417.29)Admiral Nelson Recreating with his Brave Tars after the Glorious Battle of the Nile MET DP872680Admiral Nelson Recreating with his Brave Tars after the Glorious Battle of the Nile MET DP872680Barker--Lord Nelson Receiving the Sword of Surrender--engraving of 1863Barker--Lord Nelson Receiving the Sword of Surrender--engraving of 1863

In their own words 10

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Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
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10 statements, newest first

  1. First gain the victory and then make the best use of it you can.

    Aug 1, 1797, Before the battle of the Nile (1 August 1797), Own words

  2. Before this time to-morrow I shall have gained a peerage, or Westminster Abbey.

    Aug 1, 1797, Before the Battle of the Nile (1 August 1797), as quoted in Life of Nelson, Ch. 5; alternately reported as "Westminster Abbey, or victory!", Own words

  3. I had rather suffer death than alarm Mrs. Freemantle, by letting her see me in this state, when I can give her no tidings whatever of her husband.

    Jul 24, 1797, After being wounded during the attack on Santa Cruz de Tenerife (24 July 1797), as quoted in The Dispatches and Letters of Vice Admiral, Own words

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Awards

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Crescent
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit
Chelengk
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Joachim

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About this person

Born into a modest Norfolk family in 1758, Nelson entered the Royal Navy at his uncle's hand and had his own command by twenty. The American war left him idle and sick, but the French Revolution pulled him back to the Mediterranean, where he lost an eye at Corsica, then his right arm at Tenerife when an amphibious assault went wrong. In 1798 he crushed the French fleet at the Nile; three years later he broke neutral Denmark at Copenhagen. By 1805 he was blockading Cádiz, and when the Franco-Spanish fleet finally came out on 21 October, he met them off Cape Trafalgar. The British won decisively, but a French marksman's musket ball found Nelson on the deck of HMS Victory. They brought his body home to a state funeral and a monument that still watches over London.

Country
United Kingdom
Type
Other
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1758 to 1805 · aged 47

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