Battle of Trafalgar, naval battle fought on October 21, 1805, by a British fleet and a combined French and Spanish fleet. It is one of the most celebrated naval engagements in European history. The battle took place off Cape Trafalgar on the southern coast of Spain, pitting a British fleet of 27 ships under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson against a slightly larger combined fleet of France and Spain, commanded by Vice Admiral Pierre Charles de Villeneuve of France. The French admiral was under orders from Napoleon I to slip out of Cádiz, Spain, which was under British blockade,...