The Battle of the Nile, in which the Royal Navy decimated a French fleet off the Egyptian coast, would assure British control of the Mediterranean for the duration of the Napoleonic wars, catapulting the victorious admiral, Horatio Nelson, to national fame. In 1798, the rising star of the French military, Napoleon Bonaparte, embarked on an ambitious campaign to secure Egypt for the Republic. As his fleet made its way to Alexandria, it was closely pursued by Nelson, who had been chasing the French Fleet around the Mediterranean for three months often missing them by a margin of hours. While Napoleon was able to successfully land his troops, on the 1st of August the Royal Navy was able to locate the French at Aboukir Bay off the Egyptian coast and immediately made to attack. While Nelson approached, the French ships opted to remain at anchor and form a defensive line, a detail captured by the chains holding Conquerant in place at the right of Moortgat’s painting.
Rather than attempting to capture the confusion of nearly forty ships meeting in battle, Moortgat has chosen to focus on a singular turning point within the engagement. With the French ships at defensive anchor, Nelson led his fleet directly into their main battle line, trusting superior manoeuvrability and seamanship to carry the day. While this confrontational plan of action would likely have resulted in victory, it was a bold plan concocted by Nelson’s subcommander, Thomas Foley, which sealed the destruction of the French fleet. Aboard his ship Goliath, Foley lead four further vessels between the enemy flank and the Egyptian shore, a movement which had been considered impossible by French commanders due to the presence of dangerous shallows; alluded to by the palm trees of the shoreline edging into view on the left of the painting. As Nelson’s vanguard broke the French centre, resulting in the famous explosion of their Flagship Orient, Foley surrounded and captured Guerrier and Conquerant in the fierce fighting that Moortgat depicts. The independent action of Foley, unplanned before the battle, was characteristic of Nelson’s ability to get the best out of his subcommanders.
While Napoleon would succeed in taking Egypt for the Republic, British control of the seas would neutralise any strategic advantage he might have gained. Nelson would move his fleet to Naples, where he would famously meet his great love Emma Hamilton for the first time. He returned to Britain a hero.