Horatio Nelson

Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, was born on 29 September 1758. He was a British officer in the Royal Navy, which, under his leadership, proved its supremacy over the French, during the Napoleonic Wars (1797–1815). He is regarded as one of the greatest naval commanders in history.
He died on 21 October 1805 at Trafalgar.

⚓ “England expects that every man will do his duty” was the signal sent by Admiral Nelson as the Battle of Trafalgar was about to commence.

⚓ “Thank God, I have done my duty”, he said on the same day while dying. After being shot he was carried below to the cockpit, where he requested that his possessions be passed on to Lady Hamilton and that his hair be cut off and given to her. He died at 4.30 pm, after having learned that he had won a great victory. He was 47 years old. His body was preserved in brandy mixed with camphor and myrrh, and transported back to England where he was given a state funeral.

⚓“My greatest happiness is to serve my gracious King and Country and I am envious only of glory; for if it be a sin to covet glory I am the most offending soul alive.” He had written in a letter to his mistress, Lady Hamilton, quoting Shakespeare’s Henry V : “But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive.”

Il vice ammiraglio Horatio Nelson, primo visconte Nelson nacque il 29 settembre 1758. Era un ufficiale britannico nella Royal Navy che, sotto la sua guida, dimostrò la sua supremazia sui francesi, durante le guerre napoleoniche (1797–1815). È considerato come uno dei più grandi comandanti navali della storia.
Morì il 21 ottobre 1805 a Trafalgar.

⚓ “L’Inghilterra si aspetta che ogni uomo faccia il proprio dovere” fu il segnale inviato dall’ammiraglio Nelson poco prima dell’inizio della battaglia di Trafalgar.

⚓ “Grazie a Dio, ho fatto il mio dovere”, disse lo stesso giorno morendo. Dopo essere stato colpito, fu trasportato sottocoperta, dove chiese che i suoi beni fossero passati a Lady Hamilton e che anche i suoi capelli fossero tagliati e dati a lei. Morì alle 16:30, dopo aver appreso di aver ottenuto una grande vittoria. Aveva 47 anni. Il suo corpo fu conservato in brandy, mescolato con canfora e mirra, e trasportato in Inghilterra dove gli furono tributati i funerali di stato.

⚓ “La mia più grande felicità è servire il mio grazioso Re e Paese e sono invidioso solo della gloria; poiché se è un peccato desiderare la gloria, io sono l’anima più offensiva che esista“, aveva scritto in una lettere alla sua amante, Lady Hamilton, citando una frase di “Enrico V” di Shakespeare : “Ma se è un peccato desiderare l’onore, io sono l’anima più offensiva che esista”.

Image: Wikimedia Commons: Admiral Nelson and Lady Hamilton in Naples

84 thoughts on “Horatio Nelson”

    1. Luisa ! Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson , a victorious man in the Nepoleonic Wars (1797 to 1815) truly held that ‘ England expects that every man will do his duty ‘. And before his death he said ,’ Thank God , I have done my duty ‘. These words of Nelson show his commitments to the cause of his beloved nation and his wife . And he died at an young age of only 47 . Luisa Madame , we have forgotten such commitments to our nation and wife nowadays . Not only he was committed to the cause of his nation but he was also committed to his duty towards his wife Hamilton also . That’s way at the time of his death , he requested his aids to pass his possessions to his wife Hamilton including his haircut from his head . But I don’t understand why his pious dead body was preserved in brandy mixed with camphor and myrrh as such ? Thanks !

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Because they had to keep it without decomposing, before arriving home.

        Lady Hamilton was not his regular wife, and In spite of the instructions he left to the government to provide for Emma Hamilton and their daughter, Horatia, these were ignored. They also ignored his wishes that she should sing at his funeral.

        Like

  3. Grande ammiraglio e gran figlio di buonadonna: fu Nelson a convincere Ferdinando IV a usare la mano pesante con i rivoluzionari napoletani dopo la loro resa – fra l’altro ignominiosamente tradendo i patti che aveva con loro sottoscritto.
    È ben noto che gli inglesi conquistarono la supremazia sui mari grazie soprattutto a pirati e criminali. Nelson non fu l’ultimo.
    Buona giornata, Luisa 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Awesome, dear Luisa. Actually, I never found History interesting until I started reading your blogs. ♥️♥️♥️😊😊😊. Love to read all the interesting and fascinating posts of yours. Horatio Nelson was indeed very heroic.

      Liked by 2 people

  5. I agree with you Luisa that he was indeed one of the greatest naval commanders in history. Unfortunately it doesn’t stop some people wanting Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square from being torn down, citing him as a “white supremacist”.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Pure io ho fatto il mio dovere, tenendo presente alcuni principi nel campo privato, che nel tempo non ho, come ho peraltro reso mai cambiato

    N O N C A M B I O

    Che io cambi, no . . . non ci contare,
    io resto sempre quello di una volta,
    quel pazzo che non sa altro che amare
    la vita, la saggezza e la rivolta.

    La prima perchè è molto molto bella,
    perchè t’entra nel cuore e nella mente
    in forma di carezza o fiore o stella
    o verso di poeta impertinente.

    Per quanto attiene poi alla saggezza
    l’amo perchè fa viver ben la vita,
    chè senza lei pur anche la bellezza
    diventa cosa inutile e scipita,

    in grado d’ingannar con l’apparenza
    chi oltre l’apparenza non ci va.
    E il terzo amor? Lottare sempre e senza
    nessuna tregua la stupidità.

    In vero un altro amore io ce l’ho
    . . . e manco in questo, spero, cambierò.

    (Cassandro)

    Liked by 1 person

  9. We were lucky enough to go aboard the HMS Victory when we were in Portsmouth. It was amazing to be in such a historic ship. Turns out Admiral Nelson at 5′ 5.5″ had the misfortune to be picked off by an enemy sniper in the rigging of the Redoubtable as Nelson stood next to the captain of the Victory, who was over 6 feet tall. Our guide, in describing how his body was preserved, described the barrel of brandy as a “full bodied brandy”. Thanks for sharing Luisa. Allan

    Like

  10. Hi Luisa. As to the full bodied joke, often a deep flavoured wine or brandy is said to be “full bodied” meaning the flavour has depth rather than just a simple single flavour. So, the tour guide was cracking a joke at Nelson’s expense, because his body was preserved in a barrel of brandy. We also learned the the term “3 square meals a day referred to the fact that sailors plates in the mess were often square in shape. The term rubbing “salt in the wounds” (adding insult to injury) also originated in the navy, as many sailors were punished by lashings for their minor crimes. As there was no antiseptic in those days, salt was rubbed into the open wounds to hold off infection until the wounds healed. Interesting how many familiar phrases originated. Allan

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Dearest Allan, I hadn’t noticed the pun. I thought they simply wanted to appreciate the quality of the cognac: I was a bit superficial, because I didn’t take into account British humour 🙃
      I thank you very much also for the precious explanation of the other idioms

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Quindi la signora che lo cinge era l’amante? Non so perché ma tutti i grandi avevano l’amante! Ma allora era ammirazione, galanteria, con tutti quei vestiti!

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Un grande capitano, oltre alla data, non conoscevo tutti questi particolari al riguardo del suo decesso. Grazie Luisa è sempre più che mai interessante e istruttivo leggerti 🥀🥀🥀 Buona serata 😘

    Liked by 2 people

  17. He may have done his duty by men, but certainly not by women ~ Lady Hamilton had been trying to get him to alter his will for years by the time he made that very belated “request.”

    It was not honored, and she died a forgotten pauper.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Se è un peccato desiderare l’amicizia e il bene delle persone io sono l’anima più offensiva che esista.
    Non credo proprio fosse un peccato desiderare di fare il proprio dovere!
    Un grande abbraccio Luisa! 🥰

    Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment