Horatio Nelson, (1758-1805), the most famous British admiral, whose brilliant seamanship twice broke the naval power of France. The son of a Norfolk rector, he entered the British navy at the age of 12 and became a captain at the age of 20. On the outbreak of war with France in 1793 he was given command of the battleship Agamemnon and served under Admiral Hood in the Mediterranean. He lost the sight of his right eye during a successful attack on Corsica in the following year. In 1797 he played a notable part in the defeat of the French and Spanish fleets at the battle of Cape St Vincent and was subsequently promoted rear-admiral. Later the same year he lost his right arm while unsuccessfully attempting to capture Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands. In 1798, after pursuing the French fleet in the eastern Mediterranean, he achieved a resounding victory at the battle of the Nile. While stationed at Naples he began his life-long love affair with Lady Emma Hamilton, the wife of the British ambassador there.
In 1801 Nelson was promoted vice-admiral and, ignoring a signal from his commander, Sir Hyde Parker (he held the telescope up to his blind eye and claimed not to be able to see the signal), defeated the Danish fleet at the battle of Copenhagen. Following this engagement he was created a viscount. In 1803, after the renewal of war with France, Nelson was given command of the Mediterranean and for two years blockaded the French fleet at Toulon. When it escaped he gave chase across the Atlantic and back, finally bringing the united French and Spanish fleets to battle at Trafalgar in 1805. This decisive victory, in which Nelson was mortally wounded, saved Britain from the threat of invasion by Napoleon.