Military history of Spain Portugal and engage French forces on the frontiers while Spanish "guerrilleros" wore down the occupiers. Acting in concert, regular and irregular allied forces prevented Napoleon's marshals from subduing the rebellious Spanish provinces. The Spanish navy, put to sea in support of France during the War of the Third Coalition in 1805, suffered terrible losses at the Battle of Trafalgar, having been weakened by yellow fever in the preceding years; in many ways this marked the nadir of Spanish naval history. The events in mainland Spain had extensive consequences for her empire. Spain's colonies in the Americas had shown an increasing
The Battle of Trafalgar (painting) early works was "The Battle of Trafalgar, as Seen from the Mizen Starboard Shrouds of the Victory". This work was well received and provided the foundation from which Turner would develop "Trafalgar" into a scene representing an overall account of the whole battle. This earlier depiction is closer to Turner’s style in that it leans away from traditional maritime paintings and more toward the ambiguity and sublime that Turner would later be known for. In preparation for "Trafalgar" Turner created two preparatory oil sketches, with the "First Sketch for ‘The Battle of Trafalgar’" aligning its composition with the traditional maritime