10 Incredible What-Ifs That Could Have Changed The Course Of History

3. ...Napoleon Had Invaded Australia?

Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson's dominant and impressive British naval victory over the combined fleets of the French and Spanish forces on 21st October, 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar not only proved crucial in preventing Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte from threatening the supremacy of the seas, but also in stopping the latter from invading Australia.

Napoleon had already given up hope of invading the British Isles themselves, realising this was folly as he tried to conquer the majority of Europe, but he continued to harbour ambitions of gaining control of the Pacific Ocean and of Australasia. Indeed, in 1802, explorer Nicholas Baudin reported to Napoleon that the colony of Australia could thrive better under their French governance than it was currently under British control - and that an invading force of more than 1,800 soldiers should set sail for the huge island, before acquiring support from Irish prisoners once they arrived in order to achieve this.

However, the loss of 11 ships (10 were captured by Nelson's forces and one was destroyed) during the Battle of Trafalgar off the coast of Spain to Britain's none meant that Napoleon's naval resources were greatly depleted. It is extremely likely that the Battle of Trafalgar directly influenced Napoleon's decision against eventually invading Australia. If he had, then it is likely the Napoleonic Wars would have spread further than just Europe - effectively establishing a global conflict more than 100 years before the start of World War I.