The battles, the politics, and the personal rivalries that led to Britain's most momentous naval victory.

Horatio Nelson is Britain's greatest naval hero; Trafalgar, 1805, her greatest naval victory. Through the prism of the events of the preceding years, historian Christopher Lee reexamines the myths surrounding Trafalgar. He also paints a detailed picture of the personalities and the intrigues, particularly the creation of Nelson as national hero and his intense rivalry with Napoleon. Finally, he explores the "what ifs" of Trafalgar: for instance, what if Nelson had lived? An illuminating account of a victory that changed the course of the Napoleonic wars and led to Britannia ruling the waves for more than a hundred years. Christopher Lee is the author of the prize-winning history of Britain, This Sceptered Isle.