If The British Lost At Trafalgar | Waterloo Never Happens & America Is Not a Global Power

It's the 21st of October, 1805 Napoleon Bonaparte and his first French Empire are on a path to military domination in mainland Europe. Later that year, he'll enjoy one of his greatest victories in the Battle of Austerlitz as he looks to rule the entire continent.

Yet he also faces another enemy away from the east and across the English Channel in Britain and its feared Royal Navy, led by Vice Admiral Lord Nelson. But the French aren't alone. Allied with Spain, Vice Admiral Pierre Charles Villeneuve has both French and Spanish fleets at his disposal.

Nelson knows these need to be destroyed, and this culminates in a dramatic battle off on Spain's southwest coast, Trafalgar.

What would have happened if the British lost?

Watch our episode on the Battle of Midway here:    • If America Had LOST The Battle Of Midway: ...  

00:00 - Introduction
01:52 - First French Empire 1805
07:15 - Nelson's tactics at Trafalgar
12:40 - The battle begins
19:03 - Nelson's death
24:32 - Could the British have lost?
30:54 - What if Nelson wasn't Vice Admiral
33:40 - Would Napoleon invade Britain?
36:57 - Invasion of Russia & Waterloo
40:50 - Effect on Spanish colonies & U.S.
43:50 Nelson's legacy & conclusion

Welcome to History Undone with James Hanson, a channel that looks back at pivotal moments and asks 'What if?'. We'll be looking at key battles, strategic decisions and political outcomes with leading historians and current military experts and tacticians to see what might have happened differently, and more importantly, what impact those differences might have had on the world today.