As an American, I never understood the immense effect of Nelson’s career on the history of Europe and even the world. This episode was truly exhilarating. Also I’m a dutiful taxpayer 😊
I swear 'tis true enough! Though seawater did course through his veins, the 18th Century English seaman was possessed of a curious arboreal physicality.
This is the most delightfully enthusiastically joyful series on you tube. I so enjoy your great story telling skills and thank you both for such fabulous entertainment 😊
It's amazing that Nelson got injured in every battle against the Spanish or French, and metaphorically wouldn't be decisively killed until he also destroyed both enemy navies at Trafalgar. It's like his purpose in life was just to ensure British control of the sea.
No matter how many times I hear about this Battle… no matter how many videos I watch or diagrams I see… I am fascinated again and again. Great video here by two masters of story and prose.
Thanks gents. The Nile was a vital victory, but also possibly the best example of parallel parking in history. Port was just a drink, or a harbour, or to carry something at this time. Nothing sinister about it, yet. I'd imagine The Holy Handgrenade Of Byzantium was for last resort use only because capturing ships to use and for prize money was the aim rather than destruction. Villeneuve is remembered harshly IMO. The only way possible way he'd have slightly better PR is if he'd died pointlessly during one of his battles.
Many thanks for another great episode. I'm glad you highlighted the weight of fire of such ships vs the army's relatively puny guns, but readers might like to understand the significance of this. While the battleships would pound each other for some time, the protocol was that it was unsporting to aim at a frigate unless fired on first. To illustrate why, the French frigate Serieuse, anchored inshore of the 13 battleships, had the temerity to open fire, initailly on on HMS Goliath then HMS Orion, another British 74. The latter's single broadside in reply dis-masted the frigate and put it in a sinking condition, from which it did not recover.
There is a story about the battle that Nelson's sailors made him a coffin from the wood salvaged from the main mast of L'Orient (the French flagship which blew up). So the story goes, Nelson took the coffin with him on every ship he commanded, including Victory, and is buried in the coffin. Whether true or not, very Nelsonian and surely one for The Rest is History and Dominic's book. As is the story that Nelson's body was brought back from Trafalgar in a barrel of rum which the sailors had drunk dry by the time the ship got back. It is from this story that the special rum called Nelson's Blood is named. Plus you can still buy a bottle in the shop in the RN Dockyard Portsmouth. Perhaps a toast with the rum when the next Nelson episode is aired.
I know an adaptation of that glorious piece of poetry that I read in the University of Natal Rag magazine in the seventies. It made a lasting impression on me. The boy stood on the burning deck, Playing a game of cricket. The ball ran up his trouser leg and stumped his middle wicket.
Thank you. Excellent. A couple of points raised by these episodes. Firstly, HMS Bellerophon, or the "Billy Ruffian" as it was known to its crew, has featured in a couple of these episodes of Nelson's battles and victories. A slight irony given that it was the ship that Napoleon himself boarded after Waterloo in 1815. Secondly, that stern anchoring technique devised by Nelson - a precursor to the "Viffing" technique as devised by the Sea Harriers of the Fleet Air Arm and put to effect in the Falklands campaign?
Age of sail ships only carried enough gunners to fully man one side of their ship. Hence the obsession with a line of battle and keeping that side to the enemy. Thus Nelson's tactic of charging in and 'doubling' an enemy ship with his own on either side was truly devastating. The enemy 'doubled' ship had to either leave one side unfought or split the gun crews and fire at much reduced rate from both sides while the British were firing at full effect. It was a disaster for any ship to be 'doubled'. The Nile is a prime example.
Quite possibly, but who's to say? It would seem improper to ask the rest of the world, but whenever you try to poll the English themselves on a question like this, you just get a Boaty McBoatface situation...
On the 1st August 1998 it occured to me before midnight that it had been the 200th anniversary of the battle, and was somewhat disappointed that I had seen not one reference to it anywhere, papers, radio or television. I wonder if any official bodies marked it?
@ about 34 minutes there is mention of some type of incendiary which was unsporting to use. This may be some form of deterence thru mutually assured destruction.
I admire Dominic's tribute to French courage in this. But in fairness, there were plenty of occasions where the French fled to avoid actions against the British...
The Directory felt themselves insecure in their imitation curule chairs as long as the idol of the people and the army remained inactive at home. The excuse for the expedition was this : To strike a blow at the English in the East, and cut them off from communication with India. It was an extravagant idea altogether, this sending a French army into the Orient, to die by the sword and the plague amid the burning sands of the desert. But the Directory wanted to get rid of Napoleon-they fear the future Caesar, and consented to his plans. You don't take Egypt to India any more than you take Egypt to take Jerusalem. I bet you think the Crusades were actually about capturing the holy land (the stories coming out the holy land are full of holes) This the last crusade had the same goal as the previous crusades. Its a smash and grab for the Holy Grail, which is knowledge. Napoleon "accidentally found the Rosetta Stone" good thing he brought along 150 savants - scientists, engineers and scholars. Napoleon had one more trick to play on crusades historiography: he recruited any knights who wanted to join his invasion of Egypt. Don't worry about the pirates of the Barbary Coast The gates of Janus are opened in time of war Thomas Jefferson doesn't negotiate with pirates. Have a wacky night in the Pyramid, make deal with Red Man of Density. Transmigration of soul unite with the Julii spirit....right on time for The Second Coming Defeat the Papal army, occupy the Papal States Demand Pope renounce his temporal power, transport Pope to France as his prisoner along with the liberated papal archives. Pope refuses, Get new Pope that will guarantee religious freedom for Catholics living in France. Make new Pope attend coronation and watch you place a laurel crown of the Roman emperors on his own head. Afterward, make those the Jews watch the end of the Reign of Terror place the imperial crown on your head, "Crown of Charlemagne", which was the name of the ancient royal coronation crown of France that had been destroyed during the French Revolution. I can only reemphasize how destructive the Revolution was to the medieval past of France on every level. Pope wrecked Jews Revolution wrecked. Run rough shot on Europe. Give Europe the reorganization that it desperately has needed sense the Middle Ages Establish Napoleonic code. Put siblings on thrones. Encore. Gather loot in Roshelle Make the hand off and Sell Thomas Jefferson Louisiana territory and even possibly switch identity with your brother Joseph and live rest of your life in America.
✌️😊🇬🇧 from a safe distance of course The Orient blowing up turning night into day must have been a sight to see, literally stopping the battle for ten minutes 😔
Can anyone discuss if this could have been a much closer fight if Brueys had not ballsed up by not closing his properly ? While I’m not saying this was winnable for the French , given the gap in experience , but I feel their 120 and 80 gunners really took some beating , and could have done a lot more damage if the French vanguard wasn’t swamped , and its rearguard had to cut and run.
FWIW I'd agree with you. Copenhagen was an example of what a more tightly anchored fleet could do. Although Nelson still won it was much more costly and against a hodgepodge Danish fleet of far inferior firepower to the one the French had at the Nile. It could have been a mutual bloodbath if they were properly anchored close to each other and closer to the shore. And if the French rear had moved up to support the rest instead of sitting it out... Poor tactics from Brueys. But he was a brave man.
Some of Nelson's captains (Saumarez for instance)felt that doubling the French line had been overkill and that could have beaten them with a conventional line that matched the French one and stopped any of the French ships escaping .
@@Caratacus1 Not really comparing like with like , Nelson lead an elite formation at the Nile while at Copenhagen the North Sea Fleet was a far less polished weapon he also had to contend with the prevarication of his superior Hyde-Parker if he had of been in sole command he'd of been at Copenhagen before the Danes had put many of their defensive measures in place .
Although alternative histories are kind of useless , it’s nonetheless interesting to consider that Nelson’s fleet did Napoleon l a favor by limiting General Bonaparte’s activities in Egypt . Thus allowing him to turn his attention towards domestic political concerns . It’s possible Sieyès still would have led a group to dissolve the directory and established a new republican government without Bonaparte , as he would be still engaged in the east …. or not ( ? )
I found this extract from the script to be really very odd. What this a religious punishment for cannibals? to be treated as scrap metal? And the friendships really seemed to have taken a beating here- even the very oldest ones- the first friendship of all. 20:56 to 21:08 ...pouring fire, all this metal, cannibals, the metal, schrapnel, whatever, into the sides of the first friendship... And just to say also, about the friendships the friends aim at the masts.." And some of these friendships seem to have really been in tatters 23:27 "it's even worse for the friendships that are caught between these two lines of metal that are smashing into them."..."the two friendships...are already completely wrecked..." I find it very fortunate that these friendships, these alliances, were patched up in time for WW1, when they would be sorely needed in the effort to defeat the Germans. As Willy S. would put it, "All's Well That Ends Well"...
Not too sure what you're referring too but I think they might say 'cannon balls' not 'cannibals'. Also 'French ship' not 'Friendship' - English can be quite confusing!
Just an observational question. All things equal who was more important to eventual victory over napoleonic france- nelson? Or Wellington? I might admit nelson is the greater hero, but....the royal navy had a dozen fantastic admirals (cochrane being my favourite) but the army generals were far more hit and miss after Wellington. Would a replacement for nelson have prevented any french invasion? I reckon so, the navy was far superior to the rest of Europe but without Wellington (and the lost moore) would the campaign in Portugal and Spain have succeeded? I reckon not.
Been going back between this and the Trafalgar podcasts in 2022. My father was in the US Army 35 years. I have a friend who is in the US Navy as a CO (confronting Chinese Navy near Taiwan) for the better part of the last 25 odd years. I don't understand this differentiation between the British Army and Navy. Did the British Navy professionalize the British Army? What role did the East India Company play in professionalizing either service? I get the idea it happened organically that the Navy was more nationalistic, but it is hard to understand the role of the East India Company in that context. Listening to the Empire podcast it seems like there had to be a tipping point at some point for the land armies of the British Army to be more professional? No?
The Navy is refered to as the 'senior servic'e for very good reason and it has usually has/had first dibs on resources,money and tech which is entirely natural for an Island nation , the Army has always been the poor relation amongst the services . As to who profesionalized who theres a fair argument that it was the introduction of the Generals at Sea from the New Model Army after the English Civil wars that profesionalized the Navy , the Navy retained the requirement for professional competence in a way the Army didn't after the restoration of the Monarchy . Other than as a source of taxable income to secure finance against the East India Company played little role in the development of any of the services .
The British Army does professionalise but it happens a little bit later. The Royal Navy is the lifeblood of the empire so it has a much better bureaucracy and administration. I think it probably has more to do with commercialisation and the protection of trade links rather than nationalisation, although the centralisation that would happen in France due to revolution that one associates with nationalisation was already largely present in Britain. The institutions needed for a large navy already existed in the form of national debt, and the Bank of England had existed since the 1690s (for comparison the Banque de France would only be created in 1800), so I suppose in terms of the production and organisation of materials the Royal Navy was more centralised than the British Army (you could buy commissions in the army during this period for example, so the army relies on money from private citizens far more than the navy). I think that the East India Company might be a red herring because it was separate from the British Army, although it often worked in tandem with the Royal Navy. I think East India Company forces were mostly composed of natives with British officers. The British Army is frankly still a bit of a mess as late as the Crimean War (1854-56) and the East India Company territory is dissolved in 1858 with the formation of the British Raj, so I think the British Army becomes a truly professional force in the latter half of the 19th century. Wellington's armies are well-run during the Napoleonic period, but I think that has more to do with the competency of him, his attaches and officers than the nature of the British Army. I think that the tipping-point you refer to would be Crimea, because they bring in a lot of reforms in its aftermath - but I don't think its until the 1870s or so that the British Army becomes a genuinely 'professional' force.
The issue that disturbs me the most is that war is being seen as a great adventure. I am not to sure the solders fighting and dying in Ukraine would see war as a great adventure. War is the ultimate political failure. Still, war as an adventure I guess sells, or as in this case, clicks and views.
Awesome.When call uk general election August 2029 Thomas. Napoleon was he good ruler yes Emperor of France Thomas. He put his family charge of Spain and Italy 🇮🇹 he conquer he won Switzerland. Britain make peace with France yes.
Ive just landed my plane to listen to this. My passengers can wait.
Marry me?
If they still have all their limbs, I see no reason to complain. Check your privilege, passengers
So the origin of plane delays is The rest is history?
I just parked my garbage scow off the New Jersey coast to listen to this novel naval yarn. This medical waste can wait.
I should be in the house cooking, but I've 10 minutes left so it's me, the car, and the end of the story.
A sailor on an enemy ship is an enemy, a sailor in the water is a fellow sailor.
The sea is everyone's enemy.
As an American, I never understood the immense effect of Nelson’s career on the history of Europe and even the world. This episode was truly exhilarating. Also I’m a dutiful taxpayer 😊
Dutifull tax payer 😂😂 that was a good one mate
As is appropriate assuming you have legislative representation
I'm not. If my state or the federal government passes any form of reparations bill they can come and take my taxes from my cold dead hands.
I listened to this and enjoyed it thoroughly. I’m 50 and I am quite scared of the sea but I fancy myself as an admiral now.
Listening to this is enough to cause the timbers of any true Englishman to shiver from port to starboard, fore to aft 😃👍🏴
Aye! Aye! Sir.
Simple! Not French!
I swear 'tis true enough! Though seawater did course through his veins, the 18th Century English seaman was possessed of a curious arboreal physicality.
Is this what British people call orgasms?
This is the most delightfully enthusiastically joyful series on you tube. I so enjoy your great story telling skills and thank you both for such fabulous entertainment 😊
It's amazing that Nelson got injured in every battle against the Spanish or French, and metaphorically wouldn't be decisively killed until he also destroyed both enemy navies at Trafalgar. It's like his purpose in life was just to ensure British control of the sea.
You FOOL! You've just given away the WHOLE ENDING now!
You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.
I absolutely love the spirit of these discussions. An excellent balance between seriousness and humour. Couldn't wait for this episode.
That joke about the young fella not standing on the deck, but hopping, was brutal.
10/10.
Thank you !
You guys are honestly bring history to life
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Only missing Theo's blood pressure reading on the corner of the screen
😂
He will be in De Nile 🤪
Been waiting all week for a new episode. Great to listen to on my way to work
No matter how many times I hear about this Battle… no matter how many videos I watch or diagrams I see… I am fascinated again and again. Great video here by two masters of story and prose.
Thanks gents.
The Nile was a vital victory, but also possibly the best example of parallel parking in history.
Port was just a drink, or a harbour, or to carry something at this time. Nothing sinister about it, yet.
I'd imagine The Holy Handgrenade Of Byzantium was for last resort use only because capturing ships to use and for prize money was the aim rather than destruction.
Villeneuve is remembered harshly IMO. The only way possible way he'd have slightly better PR is if he'd died pointlessly during one of his battles.
Terrific story telling of a great event!
It must have been sooo hot in August. I’m sweating just sitting here… excellent I’m certain so thank you both.
Many thanks for another great episode. I'm glad you highlighted the weight of fire of such ships vs the army's relatively puny guns, but readers might like to understand the significance of this. While the battleships would pound each other for some time, the protocol was that it was unsporting to aim at a frigate unless fired on first. To illustrate why, the French frigate Serieuse, anchored inshore of the 13 battleships, had the temerity to open fire, initailly on on HMS Goliath then HMS Orion, another British 74. The latter's single broadside in reply dis-masted the frigate and put it in a sinking condition, from which it did not recover.
Thanks
There is a story about the battle that Nelson's sailors made him a coffin from the wood salvaged from the main mast of L'Orient (the French flagship which blew up). So the story goes, Nelson took the coffin with him on every ship he commanded, including Victory, and is buried in the coffin. Whether true or not, very Nelsonian and surely one for The Rest is History and Dominic's book. As is the story that Nelson's body was brought back from Trafalgar in a barrel of rum which the sailors had drunk dry by the time the ship got back. It is from this story that the special rum called Nelson's Blood is named. Plus you can still buy a bottle in the shop in the RN Dockyard Portsmouth. Perhaps a toast with the rum when the next Nelson episode is aired.
Very good gent's...
"The men are heroes. The ships are the heroines. The only enemy is the cruel cruel sea"
Nelson needs to be a Hollywood film.
Never thought I would be so invested in a naval battle. My plan was to fall asleep to this video but here I am, still awake….
This channel has absolutely ruined so many naps for me.
Brilliant yarn as ever !
I know an adaptation of that glorious piece of poetry that I read in the University of Natal Rag magazine in the seventies. It made a lasting impression on me.
The boy stood on the burning deck,
Playing a game of cricket.
The ball ran up his trouser leg and stumped his middle wicket.
The boy stood on the burning deck,
The oars were in the rollocks,
The flames went shooting up his leg,
And burnt...
Sugden is my next book to read thanks to you - reading NAM Rodger now
Thank you. Excellent. A couple of points raised by these episodes. Firstly, HMS Bellerophon, or the "Billy Ruffian" as it was known to its crew, has featured in a couple of these episodes of Nelson's battles and victories. A slight irony given that it was the ship that Napoleon himself boarded after Waterloo in 1815. Secondly, that stern anchoring technique devised by Nelson - a precursor to the "Viffing" technique as devised by the Sea Harriers of the Fleet Air Arm and put to effect in the Falklands campaign?
Great episode, would love to see one on Captain Cook englands greatest explorers or even Captain Bligh who was an incredible seaman!
they have a few episodes on captain cook, think there are 3 or 4 - might be an audio only series
@ brilliant thanks for pointing it out.
Mesmerizing!
This is absolutely brilliant…..
Love rthe dry wit . An d the fantastic history
Sooo looking forward to this episode 😁
'Remember me to my wife!". I guess that was before Nelson met Lady Hamilton.
God damn I'm in tears and clutching my seat !!
Great show awesome
Fabulous stuff boys
Age of sail ships only carried enough gunners to fully man one side of their ship. Hence the obsession with a line of battle and keeping that side to the enemy. Thus Nelson's tactic of charging in and 'doubling' an enemy ship with his own on either side was truly devastating. The enemy 'doubled' ship had to either leave one side unfought or split the gun crews and fire at much reduced rate from both sides while the British were firing at full effect. It was a disaster for any ship to be 'doubled'. The Nile is a prime example.
Lord Nelson. Greatest Englishman of all time?
Without a doubt
Quite possibly, but who's to say? It would seem improper to ask the rest of the world, but whenever you try to poll the English themselves on a question like this, you just get a Boaty McBoatface situation...
It was Henry Cooper
@mule-do6tc well I am English, I say Nelson very well might be the best of us
Certainly Norfolk's greatest.
Rum, Sodomy and the Lash is a great album
I recommend epic history TV if you want to see an animated version of the battle
Excellent 👌🏼
On the 1st August 1998 it occured to me before midnight that it had been the 200th anniversary of the battle, and was somewhat disappointed that I had seen not one reference to it anywhere, papers, radio or television. I wonder if any official bodies marked it?
@ about 34 minutes there is mention of some type of incendiary which was unsporting to use.
This may be some form of deterence thru mutually assured destruction.
Marvellously told 🎉
Goodness me guys. You both have a total Bro-mance of Lord Nelson. I won't tell your wives.
Relatively alot of ships to replace. Cheers
Great episode. Although the video camera following up and down is really distracting. Better it just stay in place.
I admire Dominic's tribute to French courage in this. But in fairness, there were plenty of occasions where the French fled to avoid actions against the British...
Which was the sound thing to do , keep a fleet in being in order to maintain the strategic threat .
To glory we steer...
The Directory felt themselves insecure in their imitation curule chairs as long as the idol of the people and the army remained inactive at home. The excuse for the expedition was this : To strike a blow at the English in the East, and cut them off from communication with India. It was an extravagant idea altogether, this sending a French army into the Orient, to die by the sword and the plague amid the burning sands of the desert. But the Directory wanted to get rid of Napoleon-they fear the future Caesar, and consented to his plans. You don't take Egypt to India any more than you take Egypt to take Jerusalem. I bet you think the Crusades were actually about capturing the holy land (the stories coming out the holy land are full of holes)
This the last crusade had the same goal as the previous crusades. Its a smash and grab for the Holy Grail, which is knowledge. Napoleon "accidentally found the Rosetta Stone" good thing he brought along 150 savants - scientists, engineers and scholars. Napoleon had one more trick to play on crusades historiography: he recruited any knights who wanted to join his invasion of Egypt. Don't worry about the pirates of the Barbary Coast The gates of Janus are opened in time of war Thomas Jefferson doesn't negotiate with pirates. Have a wacky night in the Pyramid, make deal with Red Man of Density. Transmigration of soul unite with the Julii spirit....right on time for The Second Coming
Defeat the Papal army, occupy the Papal States Demand Pope renounce his temporal power, transport Pope to France as his prisoner along with the liberated papal archives. Pope refuses, Get new Pope that will guarantee religious freedom for Catholics living in France. Make new Pope attend coronation and watch you place a laurel crown of the Roman emperors on his own head. Afterward, make those the Jews watch the end of the Reign of Terror place the imperial crown on your head, "Crown of Charlemagne", which was the name of the ancient royal coronation crown of France that had been destroyed during the French Revolution. I can only reemphasize how destructive the Revolution was to the medieval past of France on every level. Pope wrecked Jews Revolution wrecked. Run rough shot on Europe. Give Europe the reorganization that it desperately has needed sense the Middle Ages Establish Napoleonic code. Put siblings on thrones. Encore. Gather loot in Roshelle Make the hand off and Sell Thomas Jefferson Louisiana territory and even possibly switch identity with your brother Joseph and live rest of your life in America.
I was following you expectantly until about two thirds of the way through the first paragraph, where I'm afraid my enthusiasm deserted me.
Word soup
✌️😊🇬🇧 from a safe distance of course
The Orient blowing up turning night into day must have been a sight to see, literally stopping the battle for ten minutes 😔
Can anyone discuss if this could have been a much closer fight if Brueys had not ballsed up by not closing his properly ?
While I’m not saying this was winnable for the French , given the gap in experience , but I feel their 120 and 80 gunners really took some beating , and could have done a lot more damage if the French vanguard wasn’t swamped , and its rearguard had to cut and run.
FWIW I'd agree with you. Copenhagen was an example of what a more tightly anchored fleet could do. Although Nelson still won it was much more costly and against a hodgepodge Danish fleet of far inferior firepower to the one the French had at the Nile. It could have been a mutual bloodbath if they were properly anchored close to each other and closer to the shore. And if the French rear had moved up to support the rest instead of sitting it out... Poor tactics from Brueys. But he was a brave man.
@ in that sense it’s maybe merciful it was so quick and one sided after all , like the nuclear bomb argument
Some of Nelson's captains (Saumarez for instance)felt that doubling the French line had been overkill and that could have beaten them with a conventional line that matched the French one and stopped any of the French ships escaping .
@@Caratacus1 Not really comparing like with like , Nelson lead an elite formation at the Nile while at Copenhagen the North Sea Fleet was a far less polished weapon he also had to contend with the prevarication of his superior Hyde-Parker if he had of been in sole command he'd of been at Copenhagen before the Danes had put many of their defensive measures in place .
@@iroscoe everyone’s a critic !
Although alternative histories are kind of useless , it’s nonetheless interesting to consider that Nelson’s fleet did Napoleon l a favor by limiting General Bonaparte’s activities in Egypt . Thus allowing him to turn his attention towards domestic political concerns .
It’s possible Sieyès still would have led a group to dissolve the directory and established a new republican government without Bonaparte , as he would be still engaged in the east …. or not ( ? )
The Battle Of Cape St Vincent was a Nelson, The Nile Bony's double Nelson and Trafalger his triple Nelson. I think good ole Bony hated cricket 🇿🇦👍
I found this extract from the script to be really very odd. What this a religious punishment for cannibals? to be treated as scrap metal? And the friendships really seemed to have taken a beating here- even the very oldest ones- the first friendship of all. 20:56 to 21:08 ...pouring fire, all this metal, cannibals, the metal, schrapnel, whatever, into the sides of the first friendship... And just to say also, about the friendships the friends aim at the masts.."
And some of these friendships seem to have really been in tatters
23:27 "it's even worse for the friendships that are caught between these two lines of metal that are smashing into them."..."the two friendships...are already completely wrecked..." I find it very fortunate that these friendships, these alliances, were patched up in time for WW1, when they would be sorely needed in the effort to defeat the Germans. As Willy S. would put it, "All's Well That Ends Well"...
Not too sure what you're referring too but I think they might say 'cannon balls' not 'cannibals'. Also 'French ship' not 'Friendship' - English can be quite confusing!
@@billder2655 Now I see- finally! A reasonable explanation at last...
You would think the French would have learned to stop being outflanked at some point
Just an observational question. All things equal who was more important to eventual victory over napoleonic france- nelson? Or Wellington? I might admit nelson is the greater hero, but....the royal navy had a dozen fantastic admirals (cochrane being my favourite) but the army generals were far more hit and miss after Wellington. Would a replacement for nelson have prevented any french invasion? I reckon so, the navy was far superior to the rest of Europe but without Wellington (and the lost moore) would the campaign in Portugal and Spain have succeeded? I reckon not.
How is it dark late afternoon in August?
It's not dark until 8pm or so, but Egypt is closer to the equator.
Oh Dominic you’re a 2nd of October man too 👍
Holy cow 2 months for the news to get back to London???
Did not the Romans have faster communications?
That seems like such a long time.
I read a while back that most sailors couldn't swim!
Napoleon lost two armies, in Egypt and Russia, how good was that?
Napoleon film 🎥 excellent Thomas it 2023 yes. He revolutionary yes Thomas.
Do yourself a favour and visit Portsmouth dockyard for the Victory audio tour ...
“The pluck of British youth”
And all Nelson and his Captains did this before social media ….. before email even ….. Sacrebleu…..
Been going back between this and the Trafalgar podcasts in 2022. My father was in the US Army 35 years. I have a friend who is in the US Navy as a CO (confronting Chinese Navy near Taiwan) for the better part of the last 25 odd years. I don't understand this differentiation between the British Army and Navy. Did the British Navy professionalize the British Army? What role did the East India Company play in professionalizing either service? I get the idea it happened organically that the Navy was more nationalistic, but it is hard to understand the role of the East India Company in that context. Listening to the Empire podcast it seems like there had to be a tipping point at some point for the land armies of the British Army to be more professional? No?
The Navy is refered to as the 'senior servic'e for very good reason and it has usually has/had first dibs on resources,money and tech which is entirely natural for an Island nation , the Army has always been the poor relation amongst the services .
As to who profesionalized who theres a fair argument that it was the introduction of the Generals at Sea from the New Model Army after the English Civil wars that profesionalized the Navy , the Navy retained the requirement for professional competence in a way the Army didn't after the restoration of the Monarchy .
Other than as a source of taxable income to secure finance against the East India Company played little role in the development of any of the services .
The British Army does professionalise but it happens a little bit later. The Royal Navy is the lifeblood of the empire so it has a much better bureaucracy and administration. I think it probably has more to do with commercialisation and the protection of trade links rather than nationalisation, although the centralisation that would happen in France due to revolution that one associates with nationalisation was already largely present in Britain.
The institutions needed for a large navy already existed in the form of national debt, and the Bank of England had existed since the 1690s (for comparison the Banque de France would only be created in 1800), so I suppose in terms of the production and organisation of materials the Royal Navy was more centralised than the British Army (you could buy commissions in the army during this period for example, so the army relies on money from private citizens far more than the navy).
I think that the East India Company might be a red herring because it was separate from the British Army, although it often worked in tandem with the Royal Navy. I think East India Company forces were mostly composed of natives with British officers. The British Army is frankly still a bit of a mess as late as the Crimean War (1854-56) and the East India Company territory is dissolved in 1858 with the formation of the British Raj, so I think the British Army becomes a truly professional force in the latter half of the 19th century. Wellington's armies are well-run during the Napoleonic period, but I think that has more to do with the competency of him, his attaches and officers than the nature of the British Army. I think that the tipping-point you refer to would be Crimea, because they bring in a lot of reforms in its aftermath - but I don't think its until the 1870s or so that the British Army becomes a genuinely 'professional' force.
DID THEY THROW THE LIVESTOCK OVERBOARD?
Exactly what I’m left wondering 🤔
Is this a true story?
No
Gild not Guild
Britain smart politically to send Napoleon into exile it island it Iraly 🌍 Thomas. Elba.
I want to fight for King and the Country....and I am not even remotely british
Anchor from the stern, a nelson era version of Eminem's "we don't do drive bys, we park up and shoot straight"
The issue that disturbs me the most is that war is being seen as a great adventure. I am not to sure the solders fighting and dying in Ukraine would see war as a great adventure. War is the ultimate political failure.
Still, war as an adventure I guess sells, or as in this case, clicks and views.
More sad news for fans of bullocks.
Awesome.When call uk general election August 2029 Thomas. Napoleon was he good ruler yes Emperor of France Thomas. He put his family charge of Spain and Italy 🇮🇹 he conquer he won Switzerland. Britain make peace with France yes.