The Battle of Trafalgar took place on 21 October 1805 during the Napoleonic War (1803–1815), as Napoleon Bonaparte and his armies tried to conquer Europe. Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson, commanding the British fleet, devised an ambitious plan of attack, ambushing the Franco-Spanish fleet off the Cape of Trafalgar, in south-west Spain. His attack would prove a decisive victory for the British, but casualties were high, including Nelson himself, who was fatally wounded.