Editing Battle of Trafalgar (section)

==Consequences==
[[File:Broadside titled "The Battle of Trafalgar".jpg|thumb|A [[Broadside (printing)|broadside]] from the 1850s recounts the story]]

Following the battle, the Royal Navy was never again seriously challenged by the French fleet in a large-scale engagement. Napoleon had already abandoned his plans of invasion before the battle and they were never revived. The battle did not mean, however, that the French naval challenge to Britain was over. First, as the French control over the continent expanded, Britain had to take active steps with the [[Battle of Copenhagen (1807)|Battle of Copenhagen]] in 1807 and elsewhere in 1808 to prevent the ships of smaller European navies from falling into French hands. This effort was largely successful, but did not end the French threat as Napoleon instituted a large-scale shipbuilding programme that had produced a fleet of 80&nbsp;ships of the line at the time of his fall from power in 1814, with more under construction.{{sfnp|Glover|1967|pp=233–252}} However, despite constituting a substantial [[fleet in being]], these had no impact on Britain's naval superiority throughout the conflict. For almost 10&nbsp;years after Trafalgar, the Royal Navy maintained a close blockade of French bases and observed the growth of the French fleet. In the end, Napoleon's Empire was destroyed by land before his ambitious naval build-up could be completed. The next naval battles between the British and Spanish would be the British Invasions of the River Plate in 1806 and 1807, where the British Navy would fail to capture [[Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata]].

The Royal Navy proceeded to dominate the sea until the [[Second World War]].<ref>{{cite book |title = Nelson's Navy: The ships, men, and organization, 1793–1815 |first = Brian |last = Lavery}}</ref>{{full citation needed|date=April 2024}} Although the victory at Trafalgar was typically given as the reason at the time, modern historical analyses suggest that relative economic strength was an important underlying cause of British naval mastery.

[[File:Battle of Trafalgar Poster 1805.jpg|thumb|left|Detail from a modern reproduction of an 1805 poster commemorating the battle]]

[[File:Admiral Horatio Nelson, Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square, London.JPG|thumb|right|Nelson on top of [[Nelson's Column]] in [[Trafalgar Square]] in London]]

Nelson became – and remains – Britain's greatest naval war hero, and an inspiration to the Royal Navy, yet his unorthodox tactics were seldom emulated by later generations. The first monument to be erected in Britain to commemorate Nelson may be that raised on [[Glasgow Green]] in 1806, albeit possibly preceded by a monument at [[Taynuilt]], near [[Oban]] in Scotland dated 1805, both also commemorating the many Scots crew and captains at the battle.{{sfnp|Spicer|2005}}{{efn|Five of Nelson's 27&nbsp;captains of the fleet were Scottish, as were almost 30% of the crew {{harvp|MercoPress staff|2005}}}} The {{convert|144|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall|0}} ''Nelson Monument'' on Glasgow Green was designed by [[David Hamilton (architect)|David Hamilton]] and paid for by public subscription. Around the base are the names of his major victories: [[Battle of Aboukir Bay|Aboukir]] (1798), [[Battle of Copenhagen (1801)|Copenhagen]] (1801) and Trafalgar (1805). [[The Nelson Monument, Portsdown Hill|The Nelson Monument overlooking Portsmouth]] was built in 1807–08 with money subscribed by sailors and marines who served at Trafalgar.<ref>{{cite web |title = Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson 1758–1805 |publisher = Portsmouth City Council |series = Economy, Culture, and Community Safety |website = visitportsmouth.co.uk |url = http://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/history/207.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070503002811/http://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/history/207.htm |archive-date=3 May 2007}}</ref> In 1808, [[Nelson's Pillar]] was erected by leading members of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy in [[Dublin]] to commemorate Nelson and his achievements (between 10% and 20% of the sailors at Trafalgar had been from Ireland{{sfnp|Cowan|2005}}{{sfnp|Poppyland staff|2012}}), and remained until it was destroyed in a bombing by "Old [[Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)|IRA]]" members in 1966.{{sfnp|Spicer|2005}} [[Nelson Monument, Edinburgh|Nelson's Monument]] in Edinburgh was built between 1807 and 1815 in the form of an upturned [[telescope]], and in 1853 a [[time ball]] was added which still drops at noon [[GMT]] to give a time signal to ships in [[Leith]] and the [[Firth of Forth]]. In summer this coincides with the ''one o'clock gun'' being fired. The [[Britannia Monument]] in [[Great Yarmouth]] was raised by 1819. [[Nelson's Column, Montreal]] began public subscriptions soon after news of the victory at Trafalgar arrived; the column was completed in the autumn of 1809 and still stands in [[Place Jacques Cartier]]. A [[Statue of Lord Nelson, Bridgetown|statue of Lord Nelson]] stood in Bridgetown, Barbados, in what was also once known as [[National Heroes Square|Trafalgar Square]], from 1813 to 2020.

London's [[Trafalgar Square]] was named in honour of Nelson's victory. At the centre of the square there is the {{convert|45.1|m|ft|abbr=on}} [[Nelson's Column]], with a {{convert|5.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} statue of Nelson on top. It was finished in 1843.