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The Battle Of Trafalgar: A Just War

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The Battle of Trafalgar was a just war according to the criteria outlined in the Jus Ad Bellum and Jus in Bello just war theory. The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval conflict between Napoleon Bonaparte’s French army allied with the Spanish army against Lord Horatio Nelson British army on the 21st of October, 1805. Lord Horatio Nelson gave up his life to a shoulder musket shot in ensuring Britain become the most powerful and largest sea force in the world for 100 years. The Battle of Trafalgar was a just war according to the criteria of the Jus Ad Bellum just war theory because it had a just cause/right intention and the probability of success. According to the Jus in Bello just war theory the Battle of Trafalgar was a just war because non-combatants …show more content…

This means the battle couldn’t have been fought if it was in the interest of the nation along with its people, in this case the interest of the British people. It had to be fought to grant peace to the nation’s people so that they didn’t have to live in fear of having their freedom and landed stripped away from them by Napoleon. The Battle of Trafalgar had a just cause because France was the largest and most powerful army in Europe at the time and Britain had a treaty with them. This treaty was made on the 25th of March, 1802 which promoted a number of promises such as abandoning hostility between the two nations. When this treaty ended in May 1803 Napoleon of France wanted to invade to take the land and resources of Britain along with gaining power. Britain declared war on France after being notified of this news in the hope of not losing the land of their nation they called home along with the resources it provided. The Battle of Trafalgar had a just cause as it was fought in responce to the threat of invasion and to re-establish peace among the nation’s people. (Shelley Barclay, What Were the Causes of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805?, Creation date unknown, Accessed 16th August, 2014; Andrew Lambert, The Battle of Trafalgar, 2011, Accessed 16th August, …show more content…

This means that all acts of war in the battle should only be against combatants of the enemy side. The acts of war cannot be against non-combatants or innocent people in other words such as women, children and the elderly people. It cannot be targeted at these non-combatants for the reason because they did not create the circumstances for the war. The Battle of Trafalgar had distinction because when the Royal British Navy was fighting against Napoleons French force, the only people fighting were the combatants on board the ships of either opposition. No non-combatants were on board the ships meaning that the battle was only against trained and skilled soldiers who were there to fight. (History channel, Battle of Trafalgar, Creation date unknown, accessed 17th August

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