Copenhagen, Battle of

Copenhagen, Battle of, (1801), engagement fought over the rights of the neutral countries of Denmark, Sweden, and Russia to sail freely in their own waters (the right of convoy), and the right claimed by the British fleet to stop and search their ships. Seeing their authority was being challenged and fearing a loss of sea power, in early 1801 the British sent a fleet commanded by Admiral Sir Hyde Parker to Copenhagen with the instructions to use the city as a base for operations against Russia.

Parker's second-in-command was Horatio Nelson, the brilliant English naval commander who devised the attack against the heavily defended port. Nelson led the 12 ships under his command into the sound, using their shallow draught to negotiate a channel which kept them out of range of the heavy Danish guns which protected the northern approaches to the city.

The following day he approached the city and battle was joined. At first it hung in the balance as the two fleets fired into each other at close range. At one point Admiral Parker, stationed some distance away, signalled to Nelson to withdraw, and legend has it that Nelson put his telescope to his blind eye so he could not see the order. At half past two, after the Danes had lost their commodore's ship and the British fleet had begun to gain the upper hand, they accepted Nelson's offer of surrender to avoid further bloodshed.

The battle was decisive, although the challenge to British seapower might well have faded anyway following the death of Russian tsar Paul. The battle added to Nelson's formidable reputation, and shortly after his return to England he was appointed commander-in-chief.