Trafalgar Squared

As our story enters its last chapter Emma and Nelson finally see a possible future together as Sir William dies of old age. But their dream of living as a family at Paradise Merton is threatened by resumption of hostilities with France and Nelson has now become indispensable to his country as he stands between Napoleon and his ambition to totally dominate Europe. After pursuing the French fleet for two years without once setting foot on land Nelson finally returns to enjoy a scant few days with Emma and Horatia - before being asked to go out to fight for his country one more time...

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As Emma prepares a home for a hero Nelson has become essential to his country's defence. During the brief Peace of Amiens Nelson and Emma enjoy precious time together but it is only with the passing of Sir William that they get to live as man and wife with their child Horatia - but when it comes to it, with war once again declared, this brief idyl is cut cruelly short. After just two weeks together at 'Paradise Merton' Nelson sets out to defend his country one more time...

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When Nelson, with his lover Emma and her husband in tow, met his wife at Nerots Hotel in London, after a two year separation, the one thing that was certain was that he was entering choppy waters. Nelson's hope of putting on a respectable front while continuing his affair was hopelessly unrealistic and things soon fell apart.

His untidy private life now affected his professional standing, and despite his great victory at The Nile he was placed second in command of his next great expedition. And with Emma pregnant and the Prince of Wales infatuated with her, things were about to get even more complicated. But one thing was almost always certain with nelson - send him to fight and the sparks would fly. At Copenhagen Nelson endured his bloodiest and most controversial battle, and it was one that proved, once and for all, that he was his country' most reliable and terrifying weapon.

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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!

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