Major Events
- Feb 14 Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeats larger Spanish fleet under Admiral Don José de Córdoba y Ramos near Cape St. Vincent, Portugal. Captain Horatio Nelson distinguishes himself.
- Feb 22 The Last Invasion of Britain, launched by the French during the Revolutionary Wars, begins near Fishguard, Wales
- Feb 26 Bank of England issues first £1 note
- Oct 11 Battle of Camperdown (Kamperduin): British navy defeats Dutch fleet
- More 1797 Events
Did You Know?
Franz Schubert
Wilhelm I
Abraham Gesner
Mary Shelley
Charles Lyell
Sojourner TruthMore People Born in 1797
James Hutton
Mary Wollstonecraft
John WilkesMore 1797 Deaths
Articles About 1797
'Terrifying' Top Hat Causes Sensation
The first time a man stepped out in London wearing a topper it caused a sensation, then a court case. Who now could imagine Fred Astaire without his famous top hat?January 15
Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1797)
British ships with captured Spanish vessels in the foreground and the rest of the British fleet in pursuit of the fleeing SpanishFebruary 14
Last Invasion of Britain
French troops surrendering to British forces at Goodwick Sands near Fishguard in Wales. Drawing by James Baker.February 22
Jumping Jacques Makes First Parachute Descent
Daredevil André-Jacques Garnerin took to the sky in a hydrogen balloon on this day and after cutting himself adrift performed the first ‘parachute’ descent.October 22
Famous Weddings in 1797
- Mar 29 Writer Mary Wollstonecraft marries philosopher and journalist William Godwin
- May 5 Napoleon I's sister Elisa marries Felix Bacciochi
- May 30 Abolitionist William Wilberforce (37) weds Barbara Spooner (25) at St Swithins Church in Walcot, Bath
More Weddings in 1797
Ludwig van Beethoven
John Adams
William Pitt the Younger