Nelson

A captain before he was 21; a household name throughout most of Europe at 39; killed in action just after his 47th birthday; Nelson lived a colourful, crowded and short life.

He master-minded some of British history's most resounding victories - at the Nile in 1798, Copenhagen in 1801 and Trafalgar in 1805 - losing an arm and the sight in one eye in the process.

He also had a tempestuous and very public love affair with Emma Hamilton, one of the most beautiful women of her day.

Affectionate, engaging, a devoted friend and father, he was also ruthless and occasionally even cruel.

Uninspiring and less than heroic in his personal appearance, he was still one of Britain's most charismatic leaders, able to inspire devotion, even love, in those who served with him.