Trafalgar belonged to the Wars of the Coalitions, a series in which states changed sides and revolutionary France organized allied or dependent republics. The First Coalition included Britain, the Holy Roman Empire, Prussia, Naples, Portugal, Sardinia, Spain, and smaller Italian states at different stages, while France fought alongside the Batavian Republic and the Polish Legions. The Second Coalition brought another rearrangement, with Spain, Denmark-Norway, and several French-backed sister republics opposed by Britain, Austria, Russia, Portugal, Naples, the Ottoman Empire, and others. By the Third Coalition, Britain was aligned with Russia, Sweden, Naples, Sicily, and the Holy Roman Empire against France, Spain, the Batavian Republic, Italy, and Württemberg. Trafalgar therefore took place within a fluid alliance system and a much wider European war.
Chapter · 3:54-6:46
The shifting coalitions behind Trafalgar
The First, Second, and Third Coalitions repeatedly rearranged states and French-backed sister republics, placing Trafalgar inside a fluid European war.