Horatio Nelson dies of Malaria

In 1780 (or is it '81? I don't think it matters too much.) Horatio Nelson (whom I've noticed this sight tends to love :p) fell ill with malaria while in Costa Rica. Now, IOTL, this doesn't kill him, but ITTL, it does. What happens next?

This could make the Napoleonic Wars rather interesting, methinks....
 
It still wouldn't change the fact that the French slaughtered their officer class in the Revolution and have no one who is even half as competitant as William Sidney Smith, Cuthbert Collingwood, Thomas Cochrane or the other British Naval Commanders of the time. While the loss of Nelson may effect the Naval War in some way (ie make it longer) I dont think it would have changed too much. The Royal Navy simply outclassed the French in all areas at that time as it did also to the Spanish.
 

mowque

Banned
Some other super aggressive Captain moves up. Nelson was a product of the times, not the other way around.
 
Nelson wasn't particularly unusual- as others have pointed out the RN of the times was set up to produce either superbly insipid or superbly aggressive officers. Where Nelson differred was that he was a colourful personality who polarised society and was incredibly good at leading men.
 
Collingwood was just as capable but not as much as a self publicist who actually invented the term the Nelson touch. Probably not much difference apart from there being no Nelson legend and the attack on the Danish fleet at Copenhagen may not have taken place
 
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