what if..?-alternative battles inside-

Federico Gravina instead Villeneuve had commanded the Allied forces against England at the Battle of Trafalgar?

Hmm. Well Lord Nelson, was a sublime and cunning Admiral. So was Gravina, but, thinking as Nelson died in the Battle of The Trafalgar, it wasnt a great victory for Britian. But thats a good question: what would have happened? Hope someone can give you the answer. xD

Originally Posted by -.Alucard.-

...as Nelson died in the Battle of The Trafalgar, it wasnt a great victory for Britian.

I'd have to disagree with you there. Trafalgar was a great victory from both a tactical and strategic point of view. While the death of Lord Nelson took the shine off, you cannot claim that it significantly changed the impact of the battle.

Ask yourself if the Royal Navy missed Nelson after Trafalgar (i.e. did they suffer for not having him in command)? The answer is probably no. That's because the victory at Trafalgar was so great that the Royal Navy didn't have to fight another major naval battle for over a hundred years.

In all fairness, the Royal navy had plenty of very competent officers during this time, such as John Jervis, and Edward Pellew. Nelson was perhaps the most cunning, as evidenced by his decision to form two columns at Trafalgar as opposed to the usual one column, but his loss by no means left the Royal Navy devoid of talent.

The loss of Nelson actually had some positive consequences: For Nelson himself, it turned him from a rather unpopular upstart into a national hero. For Britain, it gave the country a hero to look up to and attempt to emulate, not to mention that the victory itself had a huge impact on the future of the wars.

I'm not at all convinced that Gravina would've won Trafalgar had he been in command, though I strongly suspect that either Gravina or Villeneuve would have stood a greater chance had the fleet been composed enitirely from the navy of either France or Spain, but not both, as it's no secret that the French and Spanish officers in the fleet had great difficulty working together.

Also, bear in mind what Gravina said on his deathbed: "I am a dying man, but I die happy; I am going, I hope and trust, to join Nelson, the greatest hero that the world perhaps has produced." I suspect even Gravina himself didn't think the battle would have gone any differently under his command.

I think is the matter of confidence. Villenueve was just super scared by Nelson because he witnessed Nelson bashing the French fleet at Nile. All Villenueve want is to leave Cadiz and Nelson. If Gravina was brave enough to stand up against Nelson, things may change, but the quality of British sailors and seamanship vastly surpass the Franco-Spanish, so eventually Nelson will win anyway.