Trafalgar Squared

Emma and Nelson had met briefly five years before but it was when they met in Naples in 1798 following his victory at The Battle of the Nile that they began to fall in love. In the heady atmosphere of a lavish Bourbon court, where both held significant influence, their regard for each other grew apace as chaos engulfed the kingdom. Forced to evacuate the royal family to Sicily Nelson began to fall seriously in love with Emma when he witnessed her strength and courage in the violent storm that hit Nelson's squadron during the crossing. In Palermo Emma and Nelson spent more and more time together and gossip was soon tarnishing the hero's reputation. By the time Nelson and the Hamilton's embarked on a somewhat bizarre tour of the courts and capitals of Europe few had not heard about the notorious affair of the one armed admiral and the ambassador's wife. Yet everywhere he went Nelson was mobbed by the populace and crowds fought to catch a glimpse of him and 'Milady Emma' whose impact on European fashion was such that ladies even wore copies of the medal she wore for helping the people of Malta. But despite the parties and celebrations there was one thing that could not be avoided. As they progressed towards England a woman awaited them who had seen these events unfold from afar. Lady Nelson had seen the unforgiving satirical prints, the 'Nelson merchandise' that featured Emma as a fixture on his arm. Now she would get to meet her rival in person. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/trafalgar-squared. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The tale of the love affair between Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton is one of the great true stories in history. In the first in a series of podcasts on this subject we discover that Nelson had been in love before - several times, and that his love for his wife was genuine. We learn of Emma incredibly impoverished childhood and her years of struggle in London, during which time she posed at a bizarre temple of health, was forced into prostitution to survive, was the mistress of a wild young aristocrat and was made to give up a child - before being cynically given away by another lover to his widowed uncle. This is a story filled with remarkable and startling detail, in which many of the myths about nelson and Emma are shown to be much less interesting than the truth. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/trafalgar-squared. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Any maritime tale about the Napoleonic wars is likely to feature a frigate or a seventy four gun ship. In this episode we learn a host of fascinating facts about these two types of ships with some fascinating facts thrown in for good measure. Find out where the word 'nipper' comes from or why something might be referred to as 'copper bottomed'. There's stuff here for experts to argue about and newcomers to this subject will find themselves armed with a enough knowledge about these essential ships to really bring many seafaring yarns to life. Particular credit must got to the excellent book 'Life in Nelson's Navy' by Dudley Pope (Chatham Publishing) Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/trafalgar-squared. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Preston looks at the qualities that make Nelson stand out as the foremost naval commander of his day - and one of the greatest naval commanders in all of history, by examining how he conducted himself during the great battles for which he is commemorated - and an almost completely forgotten engagement as well. If you want to know why Nelson stands quite so high on the his column in Trafalgar Square - this episode helps to explain it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/trafalgar-squared. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Immediately after The Battle of Trafalgar, as Lord Nelson lay dead on the orlop deck of HMS Victory, the new Commander in Chief Admiral Collingwood was faced with the challenge of his career as a hurricane swept in, threatening to turn victory into catastrophe. It was days before he could even think of communicating news of what had happened - and when he did the only ship he could spare for this vital task was a seventy three foot schooner, HMS Pickle. Tasked with taking despatches to London her captain soon found himself in a race for glory with another officer who saw a chance to force himself into the history books. The story of The Trafalgar Way highlights how things were done at the beginning of the 19th Century in terms of communications at land and sea. It brings startlingly to life the intense zeal and competitiveness of British officers of the day and vividly brings to life the utter chaos of a major sea battle that is then immediately hit with a violent storm. So thrilling is this story that its legacy lives on today at thetrafalgarway.org - and organisation dedicated to raising awareness of this sea and land adventure. This podcast tells the whole story in remarkable detail. Hear about the rescue of a completely naked woman from the French ship Achille during the raging storm, how the messenger came within a hairs breadth of sinking with the loss of all hands, and the immortal words he spoke as he entered the Admiralty Board Room at 1AM on the 6th November 1805.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/trafalgar-squared. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Time to grow a pair of sea legs and dive in to Trafalgar Squared - a new podcast about the Georgian navy during the period of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. In this trailer you will hear about how this series has its origins in a major commission to write a television series about Lord Nelson, what to expect in the podcast and how it can change your life for the better!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/trafalgar-squared. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.