Battle of the Nile

A painting showing the wreck of a French ship, L'Orient, during the battle.

The Battle of the Nile was an important naval battle (fought by ships) between the British and the French. It happened from 1 to 3 August 1798, during the Napoleonic Wars. The British Royal Navy, led by Horatio Nelson, defeated the French, who were led by Napoleon Bonaparte. The name comes because the battle was fought in an estuary of the River Nile, off the coast of Egypt.

Great Britain took control of the eastern Mediterranean. Napoleon had won the earlier Battle of the Pyramids, but his army was now cut off from France. France eventually surrendered at the Capitulation of Alexandria.