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40 Animals that Changed History

Tim Flight November 5, 2019 26 min

Medieval Dogs - Dog — King John of England with his dogs, England, c.1307-27. British Library

29. A turbot helped Britain win the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801

The Battle of Copenhagen painted by Nicholas Pocock, early 19th century. Wikimedia Commons

When Norway and Denmark insisted on trading with Revolutionary France in 1801, the British declared war. The combined Danish-Norwegian fleet lay near Copenhagen, but Admiral Hyde Parker felt reluctant to attack. His Vice-Admiral, Horatio Nelson, had other ideas and wanted to launch a full-on assault. Still, Parker dilly-dallied, until one of Nelson’s men caught a turbot. Knowing Parker loved fine food, Nelson sent the fish over to his ship. The unexpected gift seems to have changed Parker’s mind, and he let Nelson lead a daring offensive. Nelson’s aggressive strategy paid off, and British defeated the Danish-Norwegian fleet.

Written by

Tim Flight

I am a freelance historical and literary writer based in West Yorkshire, UK. I read for a funded PhD in English at the University of Oxford (Magdalen College) and graduated in 2016. I am a former lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. My publications include peer-reviewed articles in academic publications, and pieces in mainstream magazines such as History Today and Fortean Times. For more information, please see www.drflight.co.uk