We hope you enjoy the latest episode in our series on Nelson's Battles. Don’t forget, if you want to watch all our videos first, and ad-free, come and join us at Nebula, with 40% off an annual subscription using our link: go.nebula.tv/EpicHistory. A huge thank you to all our Patreon supporters. Get exclusive production updates, votes on future topics, as well as ad-free, early access to all our new videos by signing up here: www.patreon.com/EpicHistoryTV. Thank you for watching. We'll be back with the final instalment in this series - The Battle of Trafalgar!
@@greva2904 this is totally incorrect the reason he had chosen that position was because he knew his fleet was not as good as the British fleet. He was in a defensive position. It was only excellent navigation and depth sounding on the british side and the French rearguard not doing much that made the battle unfold as it did, which made his defensive position his own downfall.
@@Alex-cw3rz To say that their statement is incorrect is a bit of a stretch. The French did indeed overestimate the strength of their position, and indeed they underestimated the tactical prowess of the British. You said the same thing as them, just with more words lol
Fun fact: HMS Bellerophon was known affectionately as 'Billy Ruffian' as the ordinary seamen had difficulty with the classical Greek name. She had a distinguished career in which she always wound up in the hottest action, particularly at the Nile and at Trafalgar, was the ship on which Napoleon surrendered to the British in 1815, and would be a favorite of folk songs, satire and novella in the early 19th century
I find it ironic that they would name the ship after a greek character who grew too ambitious, challenged the gods, and was then essentially beaten beyond recognition. I also find it odd that they would name a ship Bellerophon. "Oh yes, sire, the one with the most terrible fate. That shall be us, yes indeed."
@@madchillaxin8505 There was an HMS Tartarus ,an HMS Tantalus, an HMS Erebus, an HMS Terror and many more HMSs with much more menacing names than Bellerophon. In other words the British know how to name their ships!
@@madchillaxin8505you mean the ship that attacked the l'orient that massively outgunned her and fought another ship of the line at the same time. Fought valiantly and then was beaten beyond recognition. Sounds like they gave her the perfect name
"I am killed! Remember me to my wife!" I can just picture Nelson screaming this out as guns fire all around him. Paints such a dramatic and oddly hilarious scene, can't help but laugh.
Wonder what his staff's faces looked like after yelled that, then the surgeon patched and sent him back a-deck with an "off you go, sir!" British imperturbability has its limits.....
By all accounts, he was a rather melodramatic man, especially when you consider this was the era of classical British understatement. This flair for the dramatic did however make him very popular with the men because it made him seem warm, rather than cold and aloof like a typical officer.
@@DomWeasel he also had a very good sense of humor, like ignoring the signal to retreat during the battle of Copenaghen while holding his telescope up to his blind eye and saying: "You know, Foley, I have only one eye,- I have a right to be blind sometimes . . . I really do not see the signal!"
A few months after the Battle of the Nile, Captain Ben Hallowell of the HMS Swiftsure presented Rear Admiral Sir Nelson with a macabre souvenir - a coffin made from pieces of the main mast of the L'Orient that were salvaged by the Swiftsure's boat crews. It is in this coffin that Nelson will be laid to rest after he was killed in the Battle of Trafalgar seven years later. Of L'Orient's complement of 1,000 men, only 60 were saved by the British. One of the survivors was Lt. Charles Berthelot, who was fished out of the water by the Swiftsure's crew, naked except for his cocked hat, which he recovered at great risk from the burning French flagship moments before the massive explosion; without it, he reasoned, he would not be recognized as an officer and a gentleman.
Few battles bring more tears to my eyes than the Nile. It was at this point that our great enemy, the French, were truly beaten. It would take several more victories and a decade more to convince them of the fact, but nonetheless the history was written here at Alexandria. I weep at their defeat. The Frankish giant which had long plagued British interest was broken. A thousand of their men were dead, thousands more captured, and all for nought but a couple hundred of our own. Agincourt brings me tears, but the Nile makes me weep.
@@Jaxck77what are you on about? Napoleon would go on to smash and humiliate the European coalition armies for the next decade despite being isolated and heavily outnumbered. Napoelons own arrogance and not knowing when to quit brought him down
@@Jaxck77 They were so broken that they dismantled the HRE, ended Venice forever, singlehanded humiliated 2 emperors with one stone, and etc.. over the next decade. The French were actually defeated by themselves.
And that's why giving subordinates a degree of autonomy to follow their inventive often makes the difference in these battles! Also, much respect for the French admiral who, despite being severely injured, refused to abandon his men remaining on the bridge to give orders until the end
Absolutely, and that encouragement of initiative is one of Nelson's greatest characteristics that often gets overshadowed. Nelson recognized that one of the Royal Navy's greatest assets and advantages was their collection of highly experienced and competent captains, and he utilized that asset by giving his captains the freedom to seek out and exploit opportunities that their experience led them to find. The trust and confidence he clearly showed in his captains by doing so is one of the reasons they were so famously devoted to him as a leader - they didn't call his captains the band of brothers for nothing.
Makes you wonder had someone else been in command of the fleet, would Foley have acted how he did, or would he have followed the original line? The Nelson effect.
it hinges on small decisions or big decisions so many times in history. Sometimes taking a decision is the way to victory sometimes it brings you/the army/nation straight down to hell. It is a bit like rock paper scissor
yeah, that's all very honorable.... but to bleed out on the deck it a silly decision. Appoint your second in command while you get some medical care.... take a 1/2 days sick leave.
@@EpichistoryTv that’s awesome! As someone who’s studied history, I appreciate the attention to those kinds of details and the quotes to help build the scene. The Napoleons Generals series was so good, I’ve watched the whole thing through twice. It’s a brilliant watch and keep it up! Perhaps you could do a series on the Hundred Years’ War and the instability with the English crown after you’ve finished your current projects!
@@charlescarson4337Oh stop you only have a cursory knowledge, everyone knows about the ensign FFS, stop trying to demonstrate your knowledge like it's expert.
@@Zwia. All due respect, I only have casual knowledge, and wouldn't have known the difference between a ship flying the Union Jack versus the ensign. So this comment was informative for me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@DomWeasel According to Google " The name may also have come from the Elizabethan-era word "spight", which was a variation of "spite" and "speight". "Spight" may have been used to express contempt for the Navy's enemies." Either way its a badass name
Great video! Already Nelson proving why it is so important to allow your subordinates to act on their own initiative. The battle would have been won by the British surely, but it really was a genius move by the ships in the front that gave them an enormous advantage in the battle. Genius movement, showing the quality of Nelson's leadership and the quality of the Royal Navy's officers and captains
This is why western armies encourage promotion by merit and independence of action. There is a recognition that people on the ground know more than the planners in the rear, especially when battles don't go according to plan. Look at Russia or Egypt to see the failures of top down armies.
I could see why Nelson would be all in on their initiative, if it works, and it did then Nelson wins, but if it didn't Nelson could have simply disowned the idea and blamed it on them. Nelson really suffered no risk in that decision, and they probably knew that.
The battle of the Nile is by far one of Britain's greatest naval victories. It really illustrated the superiority of British, thinking, crew quality and naval doctrine of the age. They've even written an article on British naval dominance applied to business management: "Why Trafalgar was won before it was fought".
@@penultimateh766 Completely warranted, decisive naval victories at Camperdown, the Nile and Trafalgar prove this. British gunnery was focused on aiming for the hulls of enemy ships, whereas the enemy was usually focussed on dismasting the enemy. The British also clearly outsmarted their enemies numerous times due to their encouragement of seizing the initiative by their commanders. Frankly if their thinking wasn’t superior, they wouldn’t have had such a dominant navy, and wouldn’t have become the most powerful nation in the world. It’s called the Pax Brittanica for a reason.
Agreed. Though may I ask , counter factual world , if the French hadn’t ballsed-up by not closing the front of their line properly , would this have been the walk over it was ? Answer freely without my views , I feel that pound for pound an individual French 80-gun or 100+-gun really took some beating in one-on-one match ups. But - the coordination required for this “champions league” level, full battle fleet confrontation just wasn’t there so soon after the revolution. From the French point of view this loss was caused by an unforgivable mistake.
One must have imagined the pure shockwave the Orient created when she detonated that between that and the huge flash left an entire battlefield awestruck for several minutes
i apreciated the addition of the wind as a factor in the video. The wind is a paramount information about the battlefield in naval warfare. It was lacking in the Cape St-Vincent video. I'm glad it was included in this one. Great video as always. Watching these ships in 3D brings them to life.
It was included, but not as much. When Nelson was sailing alone towards the main Spanish fleet, it's mentioned that he's sailing into the wind and it will take him 45 minutes to reach the enemy.
And nor is it the only time you mentioned the wind. As a lifelong sailor I had no difficulty following the wind direction at virtually all stages of a fascinating narrative. Thank you. @@moonwatcher4047
Youre description of the explosion was so well done. I listened to it without visuals while working and you really got across the panic the surrounding ships had. One dares to think what was going through the heads of any crewmen left on that ship when the fire was out of control
Brueys flagship L'Orient was commanded by Captain Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca, whose 10 year old son died with him. And was then immortalized in the poem titled Casabianca which begins: "The boy stood on the burning deck..."
@@notshapedforsportivetricks2912 Back in the day before schools became more interested in teaching "Suzie has two Mommies" than actual education it was usually memorized at some point in the curriculum. And of course us kids came up with some... er, interesting verses.
@@FusionCoreHoarder Yet it was completely normal in the Navies of the day. 10 to 12 was considered the perfect age for kids to start learning the ropes. Some embarked on their way to rise to officer status, some before the mast as powder monkeys and doing other menial ships work. On a British 74 gun ship of that era, about 50 of the crew would be kids like that.
@@MrSteveK1138obviously when you are fighting a coalition of enemies you have to make sacrifices and so Napoleon neglected his fleet to be able to finance war on land. Napoleon was a genius with no match to him. Cannot compare both. The royal navy had such an advantage without Nelson they would have won too
I would like to express my desire to watch a full "french revolutionary wars" series from you. And also the political theater of the Revolution. This should be a very interesting topic that no other channel has covered.
@@aleemizcool3654Omgg yess i just stsrted learning about frederick the great from house of history a epic history series on tje Silesian wars then the 7 years war focusing on prussia would be amazing
Whats amazing is that the state that HMS bellerophon (or billy ruffian as the crew called her) ended up in after the battle of the nile is the same state she would be in after the battle of trafalgar.
11:05 Brilliant from Captain Thomas Foley. Nelson's directive for captains to act on their initiative really helped him. Just like when Nelson did at Cape St. Vincent, Foley spotted an opportunity and took it. Bravo. Having such a wealth of bold and intelligent officers really aided in making the Royal Navy the dominant naval power.
For sure after the battle then these to met Nelson was like: Hey Mate, you´re great. That was the boldest and best move anyone ever pulled off after what I did at St. Vincent xD
@@Wonderwhoopin that's great to hear. I wish there were more videos on naval battles. But they're producing them now so I can't wait to see more of these videos.
Although I'm well aware that this channel covers historical events, I, in the comfort of my home and in this modern time, can still sometimes not fathom without grand awe that this is a reality so many people actually lived through. Especially when it's presented in such a high quality manner, production wise.
@@2138Dude bro he is a towering figure and inspirational for all who died for this country who loses his arm, eye and became a legend for all. 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳.
Thank you. This research and presentation of your team has brought me back to my late father's memory. He admired Admiral Nelson, and brought me to St Paul to see his final resting place when we visited London. And yet we are Indonesian, not part of your Commonwealth nor part of your colony. I missed him.
'No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy'. The risk taken by the Goliath and the ships that followed him could have run aground and it would have been a different battle. The risk ended up enhancing the original battle plan. This is constant theme of successful war time leaders. Make sure your subordinates are strategically capable and given freedom to exploit the opportunities or react to developments as needed.
The major problem is the fog of war. Lesser commanders would have followed the battle plan. Taking that gap took balls and the captains following Goliath had to trust that he knew what he was doing deviating
to be honest there was also a big portion of luck involved, as they already had to sound their approach there was no way he could have known or seen that the gap to the shore was safe to pass for them, it was probably just a moment of wanting his moment of glory by the captain.
@13redlion13 The French new it was shallow and misjudged the protection it would provide. You would have your ships sunk for your inability to pay attention to detail. My comment was meant to be a lesson for today's potential military leaders.
Superb is a word not enough to describe your videos of these great sea battles. We will be waiting for more. And the most awaited one of course, Trafalgar.
Remarkable how the entire battle stopped for about 10 minutes after the explosion. Really makes it clear just how horrifying the destruction of L’Orient was, that concern on a base human level overtook the din of battle for a time.
I don’t know why but hearing about ships grand magazines exploding is horrifying, for obvious reasons. Imagine watching the flames spread deck by deck, knowing that there is only one fate for the ship. You can try to evade or shelter, but it’s a matter of time. Then when it does explode, the sound and sight must have been hellish. Also the lull in the fighting is also terrifying.
Britain was master of the world's seas. We want an account of how Britain became a great naval power in that time period. Thanks for this amazing video.
you need to go back further than this, to the Elizabethan times or even Henry VIIIth. Britain realised sea power to the new world and trade was key. The navy was the first "professional" force created, hence the term "senior service" for the navy. See Drake, Raleigh and others. Keep in perspective that the French, British, Spanish and the Dutch were in almost permanent conflict of some sort with shifting alliances all through these times.
The ability to draw the audience directly into the conflict is astounding. Epic History never fails to immerse us into the battle at hand and convey the decisive momentum changes that determine the outcome of the fight.
Just watched the battle of St Vincent and watched this immediately afterwards. F ing excellent. Can't fault a single thing. The narration, the visual and audio explanations and descriptions, all flawless👌👍👌👍 If history was taught like this in schools, history would have become my favourite lesson.
Nelson is my Hero. The shit he put up with is super human. Edit. Please research how the ships were painted. It would make the ships look more authentic. Otherwise awesome video, just awesome.
Respect to the bravery of these men these Salours on both sides. A great detailed account of this battle. Well done to everyone who was involved in making this video.
This series is my favorite historical videos I've ever come across! There's nothing more interesting than Nelson at Sea, and your approach is so perfectly captivating. Please keep these coming!!!
Nelson came from my county, Norfolk, England. He was the son of a local Vicar, and still very highly regarded here. His name is everywhere, and there are memorials to, and statues of him. 🇬🇧
The commander of the French fleet was a total badass. His face and hands were devastated by shrapnel and wood splinters and both his legs were blown off by a cannonball but he still remained at his post until the end. I think that even Nelson had to admire that man's bravery and devotion to duty.
This is why you are my favourite Channel on UA-cam! Quality over Quantity Love and Passion Wonderful animations Paintings/ Quotes of the time And so on.... Simply Perfection!
These Nelson videos are fantastic. Incredible boldness by the captain of Goliath to slip in behind and risk running aground. The gambit won it for them. It’s wild how, despite fairly even technology, the British navy just absolutely handed it to the French throughout all of Napoleon’s conquests. That ultimately is what prevented Napoleon from conquering the known world (attacking Russia in winter wasn’t too swift either).
It’s genuinely disgusting that Nelson and iconic British figures like him are not taught in British schools. Mind blowing we have entire generations that have no idea who he is and what he achieved
That's heartbreaking I'm a 75-year-old American that has been fascinated with his story it's still sort of bums me out the way they treated him in regard to his request about his wife and child he's got a nice statue now but.....
@@GeraldWalker-p6l Nelson is *the* British hero though. We are talking about someone who surpasses Churchill, Wellington, Monty, Drake, Henry V, Richard Lionheart, the Black Prince etc etc. Nelson is to British wartime history what Shakespeare is to English literature. Within his field there is simply no comparison and he is still utterly feted.
And what those idiots in Parliament have done to his navy! Britain has a bigger economy than Russia, but a military less than a quarter Russia's! Britain too could field 280+ ships, but same clowns who could blow half a trillion pounds on lock downs can't spend a hundred billion a year for a properly sized military
Another smash hit from my favourite history channels on YT. Judging from the teaser, the next instalment will be Trafalgar, but it would be awesome if we could get one for the Battle of Copenhagen as well. It's such a different battle and one that is often overlooked and harder to find quality content on. Anyway, thanks again for the fantastic content.
I cant tell you how excited o was when i seen this video came out. I absolutely love this channel and been inlove with the Nelson videos. These battles are by far the best and most epic . I cant believe these sre free on youtube. This channel has been climbing and climbing in my list of fav History youtube channels. Stuff like this makes it above the rest. Thank you so much!!!
20:20 - "British ships lower boats, to rescue the few survivors..." Say what you like about the British; their gallantry and honour in combat was often exceptional. This is just another example. 🇬🇧⚓️👍
those sailors gonna need a new job... may as well be replacing losses.. an experienced sailor is hard to come by.. an if they don't like it , well, they can swim home... i wouldnt attribute to honour that which might be more appropriate to practicality...
It was and still is common among European navies During ww2 when the German uboats would sink allied shipping. They would throw down food to the survivors
The British army commited an increadible number of atrocities, and even greater number of betrayals of their allies. But navies are a different matter, as stated bellow even the Kriegsmarine behaved mostly honorably.
Man, just the speed of Nelson's fleet to intercept the already sailing French fleet to Egypt already captures just how eager and committed Nelson was to get his slice of glory after missing Camperdown. A really great "what if" of how history would have turned out if Brueys's and Nelson fought each other right there that night if it weren't for the fog. If Nelson took down the French fleet, not only would it dramatically alter Europe's fate without Napoleon but also the savonts on board that would give rise to Egyptology. I'd like to think history had a hand to play by delaying Nelson's moment of history in order to not destroy others that are going to revive it for Ancient Egypt and Antiquity. Another great video Epic History!
Hearing Nelson's plan of attack half the French fleet by the whole British fleet was a brilliant one, but hearing that his captains make their own way to both side of the French was crazier.
I'm sooo glad I found this channel. This was epic! Your channel name fits, it was more gripping than watching any recent hollywood movie, and you provide it for free! This is a channel I might actually patreon, as soon as my finances stabilise that is. Anyways well done all involved in this production.
To be honest, when I read you're comment it really surprised me that any Egyptian would like any British Imperial icon like Nelson, but I do know the French were pretty awful to Egyptians (and other Middle Eastern peoples) at this time. Out of interest, in your opinion, is Nelson the only British officer to still be highly regarded in Egypt, or are there others? I've heard conflicting Egyptian accounts of Bernard Montgomery, for example. Some Egyptians seem grudgingly grateful to him because he stopped Rommel's Afrika Corps from reaching Cairo, thus sparing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Egyptian civilians from being displaced or caught in the crossfire between British and German forces (which is probably true). Others just see him as just another colonial enforcer who did what he did to protect the Suez Canal, not the Egyptian people (which is also overwhelmingly true) and think very little of him.
@@seamuskavanagh2566 Long ago, Egypt and Europe countries lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the fire nation attacked .. i mean Napoleon, ( sorry i love avatar meme 😂 ) so when he attacked us he was invincible, he had big ships full of weapons, we tried to stop him but no one made a big affect on him , until nelson came and make this epic battle against the invincible army and made them look like they were nothing, so we thought he would take our land like Napoleon did but he didn't take anything and he was like a hero who appeared from no where and vanished. After this battle Napoleon stopped his politics and started to make alot of blood trails of the innocent, so we all remembered that he isn't that invincible and there were a hero who defeated his army , so nelson became a hero to us . So we kinda loved the British because they didn't made any harm to us , and they were the enemies of our enemy. But some one like a British general in ww2 , is another story , because before ww2 British conquered Egypt and made alot of horrible crimes to the poor people of Egypt, and made a borders between arab country to separate us , so we hated the British so much , so watching German men come and fight those criminals were kinda cool but we didn't like both of them , we just wanted to be in peace again before this Europe crazy conquest trend that all Europe loved so much. So we don't actually know any thing about this general and we don't even mentioned any thing about him in schools , but some one like nelson we made him like an angel.
@@mohamedragab6023 That's a good point you make about Nelson, how he came, conquered and disappeared so quickly. If you think about it, for such an established and battle-hardened army such as the French had, to land on Egyptian shores from a far away land, led by a brutal, but brilliant military commander such as Napoleon, conquering all in front of them and cannot be stopped. Then a one-armed naval commander from an even farther away island, arrives with his fleet, destroys the fleet of the seemingly invincible French, destroying their supplies and stranding them whilst losing an eye in the process. And then after all that, he simply leaves because his job is done, he has his prizes (the French ships) and leaves the innocent Egyptians alone. There is something mystical about that story, like something you would read about in a fantasy novel. And of course, it helps that it happened hundreds of years ago, before the British consolidated their power over Egypt. And your comments on more contemporary British commanders in the latter years of the British Empire are more or less what I was expecting. I wasn't expecting any love for them since British-occupied Egypt and the crimes committed there are still in living memory, as well as the Suez War (not that Montgomery was involved in that to be clear), but I am surprised Egyptians don't study Britain's (and German) WW2 commanders in Egypt/North Africa more. This is because if Britain lost there, especially in the early days of the North African campaign before the American's joined, the Allies could have lost the entire war to the Axis powers. If that happened the entire history of Egypt, the Middle East and the world could have been VERY different. Your remarkable country has witnessed some of the most important and defining moments in history and I would love to go there someday. Thanks for replying.
@@seamuskavanagh2566 any Egyptian or Tunisian i talked with, tend to overwhelmingly side with Rommel and the germans than anyone else really in WW2, the general opinion is 100% towards them. While their opinion on British generals varies from negative to neutral
Well...i think Waterloo, Salamanca, Vitoria ect proved Britain could also prove itself on land too. France was powerful on land but as a military force Britain was way more balanced across it's sea and land forces...it's no surprise the resulting effect is Pax Britannica for 100 years and no Pax Francorum.
@@EnglandVersus I seriously doubt that. Firstly, the reference to Waterloo is completely unwarranted. Without the prussians to save him in the nick of time, Wellington was getting his bottom spanked by a out-of-prime, ill Napoleon. Secondly, Salamanca and Vitoria prouved that the British were good as seizing opportunities and good at running backwards and forwards as well, but nothing else. If the British were capable of taking on Napoleon and France more generally in a face to face matchup, they would have landed an army directly, or close to, french shores. Actually, they tried twice, both in French-occupied holland, in 1799 with the help of the russians, in which they got humiliated by an inferior French Army and were forced to capitulate. The second time was in 1809, using only british and german troops, they occupied some territory in holland for a couple of weeks before evacuating right back across the channel after suffering too many casulties. So no, the British are nowhere near the French when it comes to land warfare and vice versa when it comes to naval warfare. So yeah, Lady Britannia ( The Whale) rules the wave against the Mister Monster ( the Elephant) on the Continent, neither able to challenge each other in the opposing realm.
@@EnglandVersus The problem is manpower, Britain simply didn't have enough men to match the French Army, the British navy was also superior due to how men were promoted based on merit. In the British Army, commissions were purchased, men were promoted based on money not merit.
@@EnglandVersus Are you ignoring Prussia, Russia, Austria and others ? Whitout them, never Britain would have stant a chance against France on land.... Britain was not balanced at all. It's land army was small in contrast of others more classical "land army" nations
@@IPendragonI British navy superiority over its french counterpart during the napoleonic era and french revolution is due to multiples factors; 1: The french revolution saw massives witch hunts against the french noblesmans which were the backbone of the french navy, most of its officers were nobles. The vast majority of nobles fled France and most of them left the french navy, leading to a massive shortage of skilled officers. 2: France geography. France had to maintain a powerful land army and land forifications for centuries as the french frontiers led to the greatest french rivals. Spain during the 16-17 century / Austria and HRE during 16-17 century / Britain during 18-19 century. The french navy didnt received the same amount of money than its british counterpart except for a few short periods. Most of the money going as I said to the french army and fortifications. 3: Man shortage. Issue coming directly from the "low" amount of money, there were never enough good sailors to fill the ranks of the french vessels, lots of fishermans and sailors from the trade fleet casually joined the ranks of the french navy, good sailors yet lacked of military training. There were some periods were some kings heavily financed their navies leading to great victories and succcess, but most of the time durign the french history, the navy was the less loved child. While, Britain heavily financed their navy as it was seen as their main weapon to strike their rivals.
Back in the 1970s, my history teacher spent a 1 hour lesson describing this battle narrating it almost as well, with the same detail, using a poster sized piece of cardboard with strips of cardboard behind, showing through holes he had cut, changing what we saw when he pulled them. I cannot imagine how long it took, but the combination of his oratory and his craftwork, created an experience that I (a least), if not all on the room, still remember fondly and vividly some 50 years later, and sparked my love of history ever since. Thank you for creating an experience to rival that for children and adults alike, today. I wanted to say this, because all those years ago as a child, I never had the thought to tell that teacher how much I enjoyed his class, and I am sure he would have appreciated it.
It certainly would have helped but the biggest issue plaguing the french navy at the time was the lack of experienced officers at all levels as thanks to the revolution and the beheadings that followed alot of experienced naval officers were killed for being aristocrats
@@fuzzblightyear145i don’t think there’s any examples of Napoleon purging brilliant officers because he saw them as a threat. The man’s personal charisma was godlike, I don’t think anyone could be a threat to him.
Royal Naval seaman and gunnery training was far superior. The Royal Navy practiced, practiced and practiced constantly to fire their guns as quick and efficiently as possible - sometimes 3 shots to every 1 French or Spanish shot. Their seamanship was also superior, as Nelson at St Vincent and many of the British captains in this battle: they manoeuvred their ships superbly often in tight situations and low wind conditions - and even this battle at night. Something you very seldom saw from French and Spanish crews during the Napoleonic wars. The Royal Navy was simply a better run navy than most of the others and initiative was actively encouraged. There was a whole conveyor belt of fantastic captains and admirals in the Royal Navy so much so that even when Nelson was killed it never really diminished the efficiency of the 'bloody killing machine' that was the Royal Navy in close combat. Training, at the end of the day, won most of the battles for the Royal Navy during this era. Great admirals and captains got the ships in position to bring about battle but once battle was closed it was the seamen, gunners, powder monkeys etc, who won the battles.
That wouldn't prevent France's navy from being steamrolled, there was a systemic error within their Fleet. And Britain's Royal Navy was both much larger and had much better quality
Not since the days of Tim Piggott Smith narrating history programmes have I enjoyed and been enthralled by so such high quality factual information. This is such a top notch channel, long may it continue.
Respect for french commender Admiral Brueys who refused to remove his post with injured face and hands and getting hit by a Canon ball that removed his legs... Who knows what would happen if nelson died first?
Thing is....Nelson was one of many great British Admirals of the time....he would have been replaced by someone just as capable for later battles. But in the Nile as soon as he formed his plan, briefed his Captains, it was all over....they would have followed the plan and used their initiative. They did at Trafalgar as well. Once the guns started firing with all the smoke there was no real chance of exercising anything more than cursory control as signals would not be seen. Thats why training and initiative were so important.
As some of the other comments below the graphics for these are insane. Nearing my 70's now but history lessons when I went to school would have been sooooooo different if these were available back then!
King Henry VIII created the Royal Navy in 1546. He saw our Island as a castle so created a defensive force to defend it. That defensive force was tested many times and soon became an offensive force. Our Royal Navy is what allowed us to become a world power with the largest Empire the world has ever seen. We owe a lot to King Henry VIII.
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Thank you for watching. We'll be back with the final instalment in this series - The Battle of Trafalgar!
We'll be waiting for it!
@@windowcatproductionsyou can say that again.
@@EpichistoryTv is there a specific reason you wont cover Copenhagen 1801?
Magnifique!!!!
Love this!
"He still refuses to leave his post on deck - and dies there."
Now THERE is a true Captain to behold!
Yes, but… he overestimated the strength of his fleets position, and fatally underestimated the capabilities of his enemy. So there’s that.
Because he lost his legs he was strapped to an armchair and commanded from that
@@greva2904 this is totally incorrect the reason he had chosen that position was because he knew his fleet was not as good as the British fleet. He was in a defensive position. It was only excellent navigation and depth sounding on the british side and the French rearguard not doing much that made the battle unfold as it did, which made his defensive position his own downfall.
@@Alex-cw3rz To say that their statement is incorrect is a bit of a stretch. The French did indeed overestimate the strength of their position, and indeed they underestimated the tactical prowess of the British. You said the same thing as them, just with more words lol
It's actually crazier than that. He had his torso placed on a round table and still giving orders until he bled to death.
Fun fact: HMS Bellerophon was known affectionately as 'Billy Ruffian' as the ordinary seamen had difficulty with the classical Greek name. She had a distinguished career in which she always wound up in the hottest action, particularly at the Nile and at Trafalgar, was the ship on which Napoleon surrendered to the British in 1815, and would be a favorite of folk songs, satire and novella in the early 19th century
I find it ironic that they would name the ship after a greek character who grew too ambitious, challenged the gods, and was then essentially beaten beyond recognition.
I also find it odd that they would name a ship Bellerophon. "Oh yes, sire, the one with the most terrible fate. That shall be us, yes indeed."
@@madchillaxin8505 There was an HMS Tartarus ,an HMS Tantalus, an HMS Erebus, an HMS Terror and many more HMSs with much more menacing names than Bellerophon. In other words the British know how to name their ships!
@@TeutonicEmperor1198
I see your HMS Tartarus ,HMS Tantalus, HMS Erebus, and HMS Terror and raise you HMS Periwinkle and HMS Rhododendron.
@@DomWeaselyou can't be that surprised that the flower class Corvettes are named after flowers 😂
@@madchillaxin8505you mean the ship that attacked the l'orient that massively outgunned her and fought another ship of the line at the same time. Fought valiantly and then was beaten beyond recognition. Sounds like they gave her the perfect name
These videos are absolutely INSANE. Top tier quality.
Indeed you could even say First Rate
Not really lol Yarnhub is better
@@SamMackrill Ba dum tsss
Amazing yeah
Aye Sir
"I am killed! Remember me to my wife!"
I can just picture Nelson screaming this out as guns fire all around him. Paints such a dramatic and oddly hilarious scene, can't help but laugh.
Wonder what his staff's faces looked like after yelled that, then the surgeon patched and sent him back a-deck with an "off you go, sir!" British imperturbability has its limits.....
@@MM22966 "Forgive me my earlier outburst, Hardy. My wits fled me when I was hit by that errant piece of shrapnel."
By all accounts, he was a rather melodramatic man, especially when you consider this was the era of classical British understatement. This flair for the dramatic did however make him very popular with the men because it made him seem warm, rather than cold and aloof like a typical officer.
@@dassemultor6940 Is that a actual quote? (I'm not an expert on him)
@@DomWeasel he also had a very good sense of humor, like ignoring the signal to retreat during the battle of Copenaghen while holding his telescope up to his blind eye and saying: "You know, Foley, I have only one eye,- I have a right to be blind sometimes . . . I really do not see the signal!"
A few months after the Battle of the Nile, Captain Ben Hallowell of the HMS Swiftsure presented Rear Admiral Sir Nelson with a macabre souvenir - a coffin made from pieces of the main mast of the L'Orient that were salvaged by the Swiftsure's boat crews. It is in this coffin that Nelson will be laid to rest after he was killed in the Battle of Trafalgar seven years later.
Of L'Orient's complement of 1,000 men, only 60 were saved by the British. One of the survivors was Lt. Charles Berthelot, who was fished out of the water by the Swiftsure's crew, naked except for his cocked hat, which he recovered at great risk from the burning French flagship moments before the massive explosion; without it, he reasoned, he would not be recognized as an officer and a gentleman.
Few battles bring more tears to my eyes than the Nile. It was at this point that our great enemy, the French, were truly beaten. It would take several more victories and a decade more to convince them of the fact, but nonetheless the history was written here at Alexandria. I weep at their defeat. The Frankish giant which had long plagued British interest was broken. A thousand of their men were dead, thousands more captured, and all for nought but a couple hundred of our own. Agincourt brings me tears, but the Nile makes me weep.
@@Jaxck77what are you on about? Napoleon would go on to smash and humiliate the European coalition armies for the next decade despite being isolated and heavily outnumbered.
Napoelons own arrogance and not knowing when to quit brought him down
@@Jaxck77 They were so broken that they dismantled the HRE, ended Venice forever, singlehanded humiliated 2 emperors with one stone, and etc.. over the next decade. The French were actually defeated by themselves.
@@Andreygnm
'Nothing can stop me!'
*Six months of heatstroke, disease, frostbite, starvation and battle later
'... I may have made a misjudgement.'
@@Jaxck77 dork
I really love the detailed animation that you do in your videos keep up the good work...
Thank you so much for your support!
And that's why giving subordinates a degree of autonomy to follow their inventive often makes the difference in these battles! Also, much respect for the French admiral who, despite being severely injured, refused to abandon his men remaining on the bridge to give orders until the end
Absolutely, and that encouragement of initiative is one of Nelson's greatest characteristics that often gets overshadowed. Nelson recognized that one of the Royal Navy's greatest assets and advantages was their collection of highly experienced and competent captains, and he utilized that asset by giving his captains the freedom to seek out and exploit opportunities that their experience led them to find. The trust and confidence he clearly showed in his captains by doing so is one of the reasons they were so famously devoted to him as a leader - they didn't call his captains the band of brothers for nothing.
Makes you wonder had someone else been in command of the fleet, would Foley have acted how he did, or would he have followed the original line? The Nelson effect.
He used AGILE before it was cool
it hinges on small decisions or big decisions so many times in history. Sometimes taking a decision is the way to victory sometimes it brings you/the army/nation straight down to hell. It is a bit like rock paper scissor
yeah, that's all very honorable.... but to bleed out on the deck it a silly decision. Appoint your second in command while you get some medical care.... take a 1/2 days sick leave.
Excellent! Please make more! I look forward to Copenhagen, Malta, and Trafalgar!!
Thank you for your support!
Drachinifel is one of my favorite UA-cam channels. Really glad to see you collaborated with him on this, and the quality really shows
100%
Drachinifel is hillarious
Thanks :)
@@Drachinifel THE NAVAL AI IS HERE
@@Aelxi He hasn't been a robot for nearly a decade, or maybe he just got better at hiding it?
Even the small details like using the Royal Navy ensign instead of the Union Flag on RN ships is what helps make this channel great
We’re even checking, where possible, which type of ensign! (colours vary according to admiral’s rank in this period, eg Admiral of the Blue).
@@EpichistoryTv that’s awesome! As someone who’s studied history, I appreciate the attention to those kinds of details and the quotes to help build the scene. The Napoleons Generals series was so good, I’ve watched the whole thing through twice. It’s a brilliant watch and keep it up!
Perhaps you could do a series on the Hundred Years’ War and the instability with the English crown after you’ve finished your current projects!
Yea, the quotes really add to the overall feeling as you're watching. It's so badass. @charlescarson4337
@@charlescarson4337Oh stop you only have a cursory knowledge, everyone knows about the ensign FFS, stop trying to demonstrate your knowledge like it's expert.
@@Zwia. All due respect, I only have casual knowledge, and wouldn't have known the difference between a ship flying the Union Jack versus the ensign. So this comment was informative for me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The British do sure know how to name their ship.
Don't look up the Flower-class corvettes.
HMS Candytuft and HMS Coriander are two of the funniest.
@@DomWeaselthey pale in comparison to HMS Cockchafer
Tbh the names of our ships are pretty fire. My favorite being HMS warspite and HMS dreadnought
@@dbz9393
Warspite gets its name from an old term for a woodpecker; literally it would peck holes in its enemies hulls.
@@DomWeasel According to Google " The name may also have come from the Elizabethan-era word "spight", which was a variation of "spite" and "speight". "Spight" may have been used to express contempt for the Navy's enemies." Either way its a badass name
I'm really impressed by the leadership Admiral Brueys displayed he led with courage despite the situation
Great video! Already Nelson proving why it is so important to allow your subordinates to act on their own initiative. The battle would have been won by the British surely, but it really was a genius move by the ships in the front that gave them an enormous advantage in the battle. Genius movement, showing the quality of Nelson's leadership and the quality of the Royal Navy's officers and captains
Not just that but to do this Nelson had to trust his men to if they do go on their own to not do anything too reckless and screw everything up
It’s a shame that non of this is the case in the modern navy 😒
This is why western armies encourage promotion by merit and independence of action. There is a recognition that people on the ground know more than the planners in the rear, especially when battles don't go according to plan.
Look at Russia or Egypt to see the failures of top down armies.
I could see why Nelson would be all in on their initiative, if it works, and it did then Nelson wins, but if it didn't Nelson could have simply disowned the idea and blamed it on them. Nelson really suffered no risk in that decision, and they probably knew that.
@@pax6833 Napoleon did this with ground forces beforehand, Genghis Khan also did this and many more, it is learning by history.
The battle of the Nile is by far one of Britain's greatest naval victories. It really illustrated the superiority of British, thinking, crew quality and naval doctrine of the age. They've even written an article on British naval dominance applied to business management: "Why Trafalgar was won before it was fought".
"The superiority of British thinking"? Rather a broad brush...
@@penultimateh766 Completely warranted, decisive naval victories at Camperdown, the Nile and Trafalgar prove this. British gunnery was focused on aiming for the hulls of enemy ships, whereas the enemy was usually focussed on dismasting the enemy. The British also clearly outsmarted their enemies numerous times due to their encouragement of seizing the initiative by their commanders. Frankly if their thinking wasn’t superior, they wouldn’t have had such a dominant navy, and wouldn’t have become the most powerful nation in the world. It’s called the Pax Brittanica for a reason.
@@penultimateh766 in relation to naval power bud. dont make it something its not
There is a dipiction of british ship layout...near me😊
Agreed. Though may I ask , counter factual world , if the French hadn’t ballsed-up by not closing the front of their line properly , would this have been the walk over it was ?
Answer freely without my views , I feel that pound for pound an individual French 80-gun or 100+-gun really took some beating in one-on-one match ups. But - the coordination required for this “champions league” level, full battle fleet confrontation just wasn’t there so soon after the revolution.
From the French point of view this loss was caused by an unforgivable mistake.
One must have imagined the pure shockwave the Orient created when she detonated that between that and the huge flash left an entire battlefield awestruck for several minutes
i apreciated the addition of the wind as a factor in the video. The wind is a paramount information about the battlefield in naval warfare. It was lacking in the Cape St-Vincent video. I'm glad it was included in this one.
Great video as always. Watching these ships in 3D brings them to life.
It was included, but not as much. When Nelson was sailing alone towards the main Spanish fleet, it's mentioned that he's sailing into the wind and it will take him 45 minutes to reach the enemy.
And nor is it the only time you mentioned the wind. As a lifelong sailor I had no difficulty following the wind direction at virtually all stages of a fascinating narrative. Thank you. @@moonwatcher4047
Youre description of the explosion was so well done. I listened to it without visuals while working and you really got across the panic the surrounding ships had.
One dares to think what was going through the heads of any crewmen left on that ship when the fire was out of control
These Drachinifel collabs are amazing!
Brueys flagship L'Orient was commanded by Captain Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca, whose 10 year old son died with him. And was then immortalized in the poem titled Casabianca which begins: "The boy stood on the burning deck..."
And sadly the first line of many a doggerel verse. 😉
@@notshapedforsportivetricks2912 Back in the day before schools became more interested in teaching "Suzie has two Mommies" than actual education it was usually memorized at some point in the curriculum. And of course us kids came up with some... er, interesting verses.
Taking your children to war with you is ... not a sound idea
@@FusionCoreHoarder Yet it was completely normal in the Navies of the day. 10 to 12 was considered the perfect age for kids to start learning the ropes. Some embarked on their way to rise to officer status, some before the mast as powder monkeys and doing other menial ships work. On a British 74 gun ship of that era, about 50 of the crew would be kids like that.
The most famous line from Casabianca however is "Here's looking at you, kid".
Nelson was a long time like a shadow of Napoleon. Whenever Napoleon found success Nelson was there to remind that his superiority was not spotless.
Its just a damn shame that he perished when he did. Imagine what he could’ve accomplished later on
@@Kat-jk7zqwell i know what you mean, but was really that much left for him to accomplish?
Napoleon: "I'm invincible!"
Nelson: "Hold my rum..."
@@MrSteveK1138obviously when you are fighting a coalition of enemies you have to make sacrifices and so Napoleon neglected his fleet to be able to finance war on land. Napoleon was a genius with no match to him. Cannot compare both. The royal navy had such an advantage without Nelson they would have won too
@@Kat-jk7zq He destroyed the French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar, stopping Napoleon from every landing an army on Britain. He's a legend
Blown away how riveting this content is. The narrator is KILLING it!
We don't deserve such a high level colab. Drac's research with Epic History's animation, voiceover, and music is something special.
I would like to express my desire to watch a full "french revolutionary wars" series from you. And also the political theater of the Revolution. This should be a very interesting topic that no other channel has covered.
Id like to see the Seven Years' war/Frederick the Great and Napoleon III from this channel tbh
@@aleemizcool3654i completely agree with you on that.
@@aleemizcool3654Omgg yess i just stsrted learning about frederick the great from house of history a epic history series on tje Silesian wars then the 7 years war focusing on prussia would be amazing
I'm all in for this as well!!!
@@aleemizcool3654 There's a channel that's doing/done Frederick the Great - House of History.
My favourite UA-cam channel with a second part of the Lord Nelson series. My night just got even better. Thank You....
Imagine how history could've changed if nelson managed to sink the French fleet before it reaches Egypt
Le Nelson has arrived when?
Egyptology as an academic discipline would not exist
Whats amazing is that the state that HMS bellerophon (or billy ruffian as the crew called her) ended up in after the battle of the nile is the same state she would be in after the battle of trafalgar.
11:05 Brilliant from Captain Thomas Foley. Nelson's directive for captains to act on their initiative really helped him. Just like when Nelson did at Cape St. Vincent, Foley spotted an opportunity and took it. Bravo. Having such a wealth of bold and intelligent officers really aided in making the Royal Navy the dominant naval power.
For sure after the battle then these to met Nelson was like: Hey Mate, you´re great. That was the boldest and best move anyone ever pulled off after what I did at St. Vincent xD
Dude you have sent me down a damn rabbit hole. I’m new to the navy warfare history stuff but just watched master and commander! I’m hooked!!!
@@Wonderwhoopin that's great to hear. I wish there were more videos on naval battles. But they're producing them now so I can't wait to see more of these videos.
L
?.
ok
Thanks for the incredible quality and captivating storytelling that only get better with every new episode ❤
Great, Drachinifel teams up with Epic History, now I'll never get any work done. Thanks a lot, guys.
Although I'm well aware that this channel covers historical events, I, in the comfort of my home and in this modern time, can still sometimes not fathom without grand awe that this is a reality so many people actually lived through. Especially when it's presented in such a high quality manner, production wise.
Nelson was a hero of British and astonishing figure in naval history.
That's why you are watching a video about him ......
Hard disagree.
@@ragnarok6521Good troll dicklips 🐈
Not anymore
@@2138Dude bro he is a towering figure and inspirational for all who died for this country who loses his arm, eye and became a legend for all. 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳.
Rear Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson - shiver inducing!
This series is amazing guys! Thanks For all your hardwork! It's always appreciated! You guys never dissapoint 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thank you. This research and presentation of your team has brought me back to my late father's memory. He admired Admiral Nelson, and brought me to St Paul to see his final resting place when we visited London. And yet we are Indonesian, not part of your Commonwealth nor part of your colony. I missed him.
'No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy'. The risk taken by the Goliath and the ships that followed him could have run aground and it would have been a different battle. The risk ended up enhancing the original battle plan. This is constant theme of successful war time leaders. Make sure your subordinates are strategically capable and given freedom to exploit the opportunities or react to developments as needed.
The major problem is the fog of war. Lesser commanders would have followed the battle plan. Taking that gap took balls and the captains following Goliath had to trust that he knew what he was doing deviating
to be honest there was also a big portion of luck involved, as they already had to sound their approach there was no way he could have known or seen that the gap to the shore was safe to pass for them, it was probably just a moment of wanting his moment of glory by the captain.
@13redlion13 The French new it was shallow and misjudged the protection it would provide. You would have your ships sunk for your inability to pay attention to detail. My comment was meant to be a lesson for today's potential military leaders.
To be honest. This content creator about historical education is much superior from other. Love it!
Superb is a word not enough to describe your videos of these great sea battles. We will be waiting for more. And the most awaited one of course, Trafalgar.
Nobody does history like Epic History TV. Simply brilliant
Remarkable how the entire battle stopped for about 10 minutes after the explosion.
Really makes it clear just how horrifying the destruction of L’Orient was, that concern on a base human level overtook the din of battle for a time.
I find it remarkable how every ship in the battle new L’Orient was going to explode and tried to get out the way
Indeed, and the Brits also went to rescue survivors, until the French starting firing again so they had to have it in-kind. :)
I don’t know why but hearing about ships grand magazines exploding is horrifying, for obvious reasons. Imagine watching the flames spread deck by deck, knowing that there is only one fate for the ship. You can try to evade or shelter, but it’s a matter of time. Then when it does explode, the sound and sight must have been hellish. Also the lull in the fighting is also terrifying.
Britain was master of the world's seas. We want an account of how Britain became a great naval power in that time period. Thanks for this amazing video.
you need to go back further than this, to the Elizabethan times or even Henry VIIIth. Britain realised sea power to the new world and trade was key. The navy was the first "professional" force created, hence the term "senior service" for the navy. See Drake, Raleigh and others. Keep in perspective that the French, British, Spanish and the Dutch were in almost permanent conflict of some sort with shifting alliances all through these times.
More than 200 hundred years later, L’Orient’s death is still shocking to behold.
Another masterpiece love these videos! Thanks EH as always.
The ability to draw the audience directly into the conflict is astounding. Epic History never fails to immerse us into the battle at hand and convey the decisive momentum changes that determine the outcome of the fight.
Just watched the battle of St Vincent and watched this immediately afterwards.
F ing excellent. Can't fault a single thing. The narration, the visual and audio explanations and descriptions, all flawless👌👍👌👍
If history was taught like this in schools, history would have become my favourite lesson.
Already a classic and it isnt even out yet. Keep up the great production guys. I am so glad I found this great channel
Nelson is my Hero. The shit he put up with is super human. Edit. Please research how the ships were painted. It would make the ships look more authentic. Otherwise awesome video, just awesome.
Respect to the bravery of these men these Salours on both sides. A great detailed account of this battle. Well done to everyone who was involved in making this video.
This is some of the best content I've seen on UA-cam. It's visually beautiful. Compelling. Masterful.
These collabs with Drachinifel are amazing. Absolutely top quality work.
When some say that the Napoleonic calendar is too expensive, think that this masterpiece Is for free!
Nelson is arguably the greatest and most influential battle Admiral of all time.
Yep. Yi Sun-sin too
Nope.
@@ragnarok6521yes cry
@@franciscovelasco5422Admiral Yi was a legend in his own right. What a man
This series is my favorite historical videos I've ever come across! There's nothing more interesting than Nelson at Sea, and your approach is so perfectly captivating. Please keep these coming!!!
Nelson came from my county, Norfolk, England. He was the son of a local Vicar, and still very highly regarded here. His name is everywhere, and there are memorials to, and statues of him. 🇬🇧
As a fan of marshal lannes...admiral Horatio Nelson's daring and aggressive nature makes him the marshal jean lannes of the seas 🔥🔥
In my past life I fought in Marshall lannes corps
The commander of the French fleet was a total badass. His face and hands were devastated by shrapnel and wood splinters and both his legs were blown off by a cannonball but he still remained at his post until the end. I think that even Nelson had to admire that man's bravery and devotion to duty.
Awesome video, thank you guys so much for your hard work. Hopefully this serie will include the 1801 battle of Copenhagen !
Thanks!
Thank you!
This is why you are my favourite Channel on UA-cam!
Quality over Quantity
Love and Passion
Wonderful animations
Paintings/ Quotes of the time
And so on....
Simply Perfection!
Definitely the best Napoleonic history channel by far.
“England knows Lady Hamilton is a virgin. Poke my eye out and cut off my arm if I'm wrong”…..couldn’t resist 😂
These Nelson videos are fantastic. Incredible boldness by the captain of Goliath to slip in behind and risk running aground. The gambit won it for them. It’s wild how, despite fairly even technology, the British navy just absolutely handed it to the French throughout all of Napoleon’s conquests. That ultimately is what prevented Napoleon from conquering the known world (attacking Russia in winter wasn’t too swift either).
This is RIDICULOUSLY good. my god.
Thanks
Thank you for your support!
It's not called 'Epic History TV' for nothing. Fantastic!
Awesome video, this is one of, if not the best, history video I've ever seen. The quotes by Nelson added in was the chefs kiss on top of it all !
VERY happy i found this amazing channel! You guys always make My day! You're the Best friend 😊😊😊😊😊
Outstanding, just when you thought Epic History couldn't get better, they create this masterpiece. Incredible storytelling.
It’s genuinely disgusting that Nelson and iconic British figures like him are not taught in British schools. Mind blowing we have entire generations that have no idea who he is and what he achieved
That's heartbreaking I'm a 75-year-old American that has been fascinated with his story it's still sort of bums me out the way they treated him in regard to his request about his wife and child he's got a nice statue now but.....
@@GeraldWalker-p6l Nelson is *the* British hero though. We are talking about someone who surpasses Churchill, Wellington, Monty, Drake, Henry V, Richard Lionheart, the Black Prince etc etc. Nelson is to British wartime history what Shakespeare is to English literature. Within his field there is simply no comparison and he is still utterly feted.
And what those idiots in Parliament have done to his navy!
Britain has a bigger economy than Russia, but a military less than a quarter Russia's! Britain too could field 280+ ships, but same clowns who could blow half a trillion pounds on lock downs can't spend a hundred billion a year for a properly sized military
I was taught about Nelson at school. Don’t know what you’re talking about mate.
@@decoyslois It’s on no national curriculum, you know as well as i do your just virtue signalling to try push liberal view point.
Another smash hit from my favourite history channels on YT. Judging from the teaser, the next instalment will be Trafalgar, but it would be awesome if we could get one for the Battle of Copenhagen as well. It's such a different battle and one that is often overlooked and harder to find quality content on.
Anyway, thanks again for the fantastic content.
I'm loving all those naval battle animations. Such a unique presentation
I cant tell you how excited o was when i seen this video came out. I absolutely love this channel and been inlove with the Nelson videos. These battles are by far the best and most epic . I cant believe these sre free on youtube. This channel has been climbing and climbing in my list of fav History youtube channels. Stuff like this makes it above the rest. Thank you so much!!!
Beautifully made! Thank you so much!
Just wanted to point out how incredibly beautiful and engaging this series has been.
20:20 - "British ships lower boats, to rescue the few survivors..." Say what you like about the British; their gallantry and honour in combat was often exceptional. This is just another example. 🇬🇧⚓️👍
those sailors gonna need a new job... may as well be replacing losses.. an experienced sailor is hard to come by.. an if they don't like it , well, they can swim home... i wouldnt attribute to honour that which might be more appropriate to practicality...
Navies may have other navies as enemies, but both lots of sailors are aware of their shared common enemy, the sea.
It was and still is common among European navies
During ww2 when the German uboats would sink allied shipping. They would throw down food to the survivors
The British army commited an increadible number of atrocities, and even greater number of betrayals of their allies. But navies are a different matter, as stated bellow even the Kriegsmarine behaved mostly honorably.
Not only are these incredible animations, the videos are also full of beautifully presented information without hyperbole
Man, just the speed of Nelson's fleet to intercept the already sailing French fleet to Egypt already captures just how eager and committed Nelson was to get his slice of glory after missing Camperdown. A really great "what if" of how history would have turned out if Brueys's and Nelson fought each other right there that night if it weren't for the fog. If Nelson took down the French fleet, not only would it dramatically alter Europe's fate without Napoleon but also the savonts on board that would give rise to Egyptology.
I'd like to think history had a hand to play by delaying Nelson's moment of history in order to not destroy others that are going to revive it for Ancient Egypt and Antiquity. Another great video Epic History!
Hearing Nelson's plan of attack half the French fleet by the whole British fleet was a brilliant one, but hearing that his captains make their own way to both side of the French was crazier.
Absolutely beautiful, heartwrenching, and powerful depiction of the battle. Thank you. Brilliantly executed video.
Hervorragender Kanal! Schade das man nicht so tolle Videos über dieses Thema auf Deutsch findet.
Ich bin völlig einverstanden. Sogar zum Thema deutscher Geschichte gibt es keine.
I'm sooo glad I found this channel. This was epic! Your channel name fits, it was more gripping than watching any recent hollywood movie, and you provide it for free! This is a channel I might actually patreon, as soon as my finances stabilise that is. Anyways well done all involved in this production.
As an Egyptian, we really love Nelson, he is a hero to us who made a great wound in Napoleon for ever.
To be honest, when I read you're comment it really surprised me that any Egyptian would like any British Imperial icon like Nelson, but I do know the French were pretty awful to Egyptians (and other Middle Eastern peoples) at this time.
Out of interest, in your opinion, is Nelson the only British officer to still be highly regarded in Egypt, or are there others? I've heard conflicting Egyptian accounts of Bernard Montgomery, for example.
Some Egyptians seem grudgingly grateful to him because he stopped Rommel's Afrika Corps from reaching Cairo, thus sparing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Egyptian civilians from being displaced or caught in the crossfire between British and German forces (which is probably true).
Others just see him as just another colonial enforcer who did what he did to protect the Suez Canal, not the Egyptian people (which is also overwhelmingly true) and think very little of him.
@@seamuskavanagh2566
Long ago, Egypt and Europe countries lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the fire nation attacked .. i mean Napoleon, ( sorry i love avatar meme 😂 ) so when he attacked us he was invincible, he had big ships full of weapons, we tried to stop him but no one made a big affect on him , until nelson came and make this epic battle against the invincible army and made them look like they were nothing, so we thought he would take our land like Napoleon did but he didn't take anything and he was like a hero who appeared from no where and vanished. After this battle Napoleon stopped his politics and started to make alot of blood trails of the innocent, so we all remembered that he isn't that invincible and there were a hero who defeated his army , so nelson became a hero to us .
So we kinda loved the British because they didn't made any harm to us , and they were the enemies of our enemy.
But some one like a British general in ww2 , is another story , because before ww2 British conquered Egypt and made alot of horrible crimes to the poor people of Egypt, and made a borders between arab country to separate us , so we hated the British so much , so watching German men come and fight those criminals were kinda cool but we didn't like both of them , we just wanted to be in peace again before this Europe crazy conquest trend that all Europe loved so much.
So we don't actually know any thing about this general and we don't even mentioned any thing about him in schools , but some one like nelson we made him like an angel.
@@mohamedragab6023 That's a good point you make about Nelson, how he came, conquered and disappeared so quickly. If you think about it, for such an established and battle-hardened army such as the French had, to land on Egyptian shores from a far away land, led by a brutal, but brilliant military commander such as Napoleon, conquering all in front of them and cannot be stopped.
Then a one-armed naval commander from an even farther away island, arrives with his fleet, destroys the fleet of the seemingly invincible French, destroying their supplies and stranding them whilst losing an eye in the process.
And then after all that, he simply leaves because his job is done, he has his prizes (the French ships) and leaves the innocent Egyptians alone.
There is something mystical about that story, like something you would read about in a fantasy novel.
And of course, it helps that it happened hundreds of years ago, before the British consolidated their power over Egypt.
And your comments on more contemporary British commanders in the latter years of the British Empire are more or less what I was expecting. I wasn't expecting any love for them since British-occupied Egypt and the crimes committed there are still in living memory, as well as the Suez War (not that Montgomery was involved in that to be clear), but I am surprised Egyptians don't study Britain's (and German) WW2 commanders in Egypt/North Africa more.
This is because if Britain lost there, especially in the early days of the North African campaign before the American's joined, the Allies could have lost the entire war to the Axis powers.
If that happened the entire history of Egypt, the Middle East and the world could have been VERY different. Your remarkable country has witnessed some of the most important and defining moments in history and I would love to go there someday.
Thanks for replying.
@@seamuskavanagh2566 any Egyptian or Tunisian i talked with, tend to overwhelmingly side with Rommel and the germans than anyone else really in WW2, the general opinion is 100% towards them. While their opinion on British generals varies from negative to neutral
@@SirDrakeFrancis Completely true. Some people in south of Tunisia greeted the germans with candy and flowers lol
Danke!
Vielen Dank!
What absolutely incredible quality! If we get a video with this level of animation for Trafalgar, that would be incredible!
Nelson. One of the greatest Brits ever to live. Tactical genius in this battle. Brave too.
Wow this one was brutal!
Brilliant, epic story telling and narration. I was riveted and even a bit misty eyed at the devastation
Britain- the whale
France- the elephant
Each dominant on his own domain.
Well...i think Waterloo, Salamanca, Vitoria ect proved Britain could also prove itself on land too.
France was powerful on land but as a military force Britain was way more balanced across it's sea and land forces...it's no surprise the resulting effect is Pax Britannica for 100 years and no Pax Francorum.
@@EnglandVersus I seriously doubt that.
Firstly, the reference to Waterloo is completely unwarranted. Without the prussians to save him in the nick of time, Wellington was getting his bottom spanked by a out-of-prime, ill Napoleon.
Secondly, Salamanca and Vitoria prouved that the British were good as seizing opportunities and good at running backwards and forwards as well, but nothing else.
If the British were capable of taking on Napoleon and France more generally in a face to face matchup, they would have landed an army directly, or close to, french shores.
Actually, they tried twice, both in French-occupied holland, in 1799 with the help of the russians, in which they got humiliated by an inferior French Army and were forced to capitulate. The second time was in 1809, using only british and german troops, they occupied some territory in holland for a couple of weeks before evacuating right back across the channel after suffering too many casulties.
So no, the British are nowhere near the French when it comes to land warfare and vice versa when it comes to naval warfare. So yeah, Lady Britannia ( The Whale) rules the wave against the Mister Monster ( the Elephant) on the Continent, neither able to challenge each other in the opposing realm.
@@EnglandVersus The problem is manpower, Britain simply didn't have enough men to match the French Army, the British navy was also superior due to how men were promoted based on merit. In the British Army, commissions were purchased, men were promoted based on money not merit.
@@EnglandVersus Are you ignoring Prussia, Russia, Austria and others ? Whitout them, never Britain would have stant a chance against France on land.... Britain was not balanced at all. It's land army was small in contrast of others more classical "land army" nations
@@IPendragonI British navy superiority over its french counterpart during the napoleonic era and french revolution is due to multiples factors;
1: The french revolution saw massives witch hunts against the french noblesmans which were the backbone of the french navy, most of its officers were nobles. The vast majority of nobles fled France and most of them left the french navy, leading to a massive shortage of skilled officers.
2: France geography. France had to maintain a powerful land army and land forifications for centuries as the french frontiers led to the greatest french rivals. Spain during the 16-17 century / Austria and HRE during 16-17 century / Britain during 18-19 century. The french navy didnt received the same amount of money than its british counterpart except for a few short periods. Most of the money going as I said to the french army and fortifications.
3: Man shortage. Issue coming directly from the "low" amount of money, there were never enough good sailors to fill the ranks of the french vessels, lots of fishermans and sailors from the trade fleet casually joined the ranks of the french navy, good sailors yet lacked of military training.
There were some periods were some kings heavily financed their navies leading to great victories and succcess, but most of the time durign the french history, the navy was the less loved child.
While, Britain heavily financed their navy as it was seen as their main weapon to strike their rivals.
Wow! This sent shivers down my spine. Outstanding video, very well done!
Epic History is the best channel on YT
Back in the 1970s, my history teacher spent a 1 hour lesson describing this battle narrating it almost as well, with the same detail, using a poster sized piece of cardboard with strips of cardboard behind, showing through holes he had cut, changing what we saw when he pulled them.
I cannot imagine how long it took, but the combination of his oratory and his craftwork, created an experience that I (a least), if not all on the room, still remember fondly and vividly some 50 years later, and sparked my love of history ever since.
Thank you for creating an experience to rival that for children and adults alike, today. I wanted to say this, because all those years ago as a child, I never had the thought to tell that teacher how much I enjoyed his class, and I am sure he would have appreciated it.
Imagine Napoleon had an admiral beside him as brilliant as Nelson. That would make him an unstoppable force both on land and sea.
It certainly would have helped but the biggest issue plaguing the french navy at the time was the lack of experienced officers at all levels as thanks to the revolution and the beheadings that followed alot of experienced naval officers were killed for being aristocrats
@@harryberning3621 On the other hand, would a megalomaniac Napoleon tolerate another brilliant commander and not see him as a threat to his own power.
@@fuzzblightyear145i don’t think there’s any examples of Napoleon purging brilliant officers because he saw them as a threat. The man’s personal charisma was godlike, I don’t think anyone could be a threat to him.
Royal Naval seaman and gunnery training was far superior. The Royal Navy practiced, practiced and practiced constantly to fire their guns as quick and efficiently as possible - sometimes 3 shots to every 1 French or Spanish shot. Their seamanship was also superior, as Nelson at St Vincent and many of the British captains in this battle: they manoeuvred their ships superbly often in tight situations and low wind conditions - and even this battle at night. Something you very seldom saw from French and Spanish crews during the Napoleonic wars. The Royal Navy was simply a better run navy than most of the others and initiative was actively encouraged. There was a whole conveyor belt of fantastic captains and admirals in the Royal Navy so much so that even when Nelson was killed it never really diminished the efficiency of the 'bloody killing machine' that was the Royal Navy in close combat. Training, at the end of the day, won most of the battles for the Royal Navy during this era. Great admirals and captains got the ships in position to bring about battle but once battle was closed it was the seamen, gunners, powder monkeys etc, who won the battles.
That wouldn't prevent France's navy from being steamrolled, there was a systemic error within their Fleet. And Britain's Royal Navy was both much larger and had much better quality
Not since the days of Tim Piggott Smith narrating history programmes have I enjoyed and been enthralled by so such high quality factual information. This is such a top notch channel, long may it continue.
Respect for french commender Admiral Brueys who refused to remove his post with injured face and hands and getting hit by a Canon ball that removed his legs...
Who knows what would happen if nelson died first?
Yep - I ponder much of this as well. The battle could've played out very differently!
Thing is....Nelson was one of many great British Admirals of the time....he would have been replaced by someone just as capable for later battles. But in the Nile as soon as he formed his plan, briefed his Captains, it was all over....they would have followed the plan and used their initiative. They did at Trafalgar as well. Once the guns started firing with all the smoke there was no real chance of exercising anything more than cursory control as signals would not be seen. Thats why training and initiative were so important.
As some of the other comments below the graphics for these are insane. Nearing my 70's now but history lessons when I went to school would have been sooooooo different if these were available back then!
King Henry VIII created the Royal Navy in 1546. He saw our Island as a castle so created a defensive force to defend it. That defensive force was tested many times and soon became an offensive force. Our Royal Navy is what allowed us to become a world power with the largest Empire the world has ever seen. We owe a lot to King Henry VIII.
Absolutely fantastic video. Such a decisive naval battle, but also such a tragedy of war to behold.
I always learn something new, thank you!
This stuff is some of the best content on UA-cam. It makes me smile whenever I see epic history has a new video out. Thanks epic history!!!