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The Rest Is HistoryOctober 12, 2025

608. Nelson: Slaughter in Naples (Part 1)

About This Episode
What happened when the heroic Horatio Nelson, victor of the Battle of the Nile, sailed into the seething city of Naples? Why would his meeting with the glamorous celebrity, Lady Emma Hamilton, shape the rest of his life? And, why would his decision to lend his support to the foolhardy Neapolitan campaign to “liberate all of Italy” from the formidable French, prove to be one of the most controversial episodes of Nelson’s career? Join Dominic and Tom as they voyage deeper into the life of Nelson, and the incident that nearly destroyed his reputation forever…. Start generating your own greener electricity for less, with £500 off Solar. Visit https://www.hivehome.com/history for more information. T&Cs apply**Output and savings varies by season, electricity usage and system size. Paid-for surplus requires an eligible SEG tariff. Offer for new customers only. Ends 17th November. Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at therestishistory.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editor: Harry Swan Social Producer: Harry Baldwin Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude Producer: Tabby Syrett Senior Producer: Theo Young-Smith Exec Producer: Dom Johnson
Book Mentions
7 book mentions in this episode.
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Books Mentioned

Nelson, Hero of the Seas cover
Nelson, Hero of the Seas
Dominic Sandbrook

This biography describes the moment when Horatio Nelson arrives in Naples, kicking off a controversial episode in his life.

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Nelson cover
Nelson
John Sugden

There's a sort of sense, I think when you sort of read the Nelson biographies by the John Sugden and Roger Knight and whatnot, I think there's a sense that Nelson is, you know, is he depressed?

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Emma cover

And it's probably around now. So first months of 1799. Yeah. It's probably around 1799. And he's working on a new design that he finds in Emma, an increasing source, not just of

ASIN: 0141439580
Buy on Amazon
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Master and Commander cover
Master and Commander
Patrick O'Brien

The mention refers to the destabilizing effect of having a glamorous woman on board a ship, as discussed in the context of the Master and Commander books.

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titanic Nelson cover
titanic Nelson
John Sugden

His biography is probably the definitive one, discussing Nelson's impossible situation during a controversial episode in his career.

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Nelson at Naples cover
Nelson at Naples
Jonathan North

His book came out just before the pandemic in 2018, and he concludes that Nelson did indeed commit a crime at Naples and was guilty of betraying the prisoners.

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Losing Nelson cover
Losing Nelson
Barry Unsworth

The novel is about a scholar of Nelson, a biographer of Nelson, who's so obsessed by him that he's driven mad by the possibility that Nelson might have behaved poorly.

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