Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta, a Spanish Hero

by YAROSLAV

Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta was born in Pasajes, a town of Guipúzcoa, in the Basque Country (Northen Spain).

The war of Sucession

The last will of Charles II, altered by French agents in Spain, was to give the throne of the powerful Spanish Empire to the grandson of the king of France. (known as Philip V). The Empire comprised vast territories: Spain, Spaniard-America, current Belgium, Naples, Sicily, and many other places around Europe. The other candidate to the Spanish crown; Charles of Austria, started a war to claim the throne, supported by England, Portugal, the Austrian Empire and the Netherlands. In this war (a very insteresting war, curiously not studied too much), Blas de Lezo entered in the Spanish-French Navy. His first famous battle was the Battle of Velez-Malaga (also known as Battle of Gribaltar) were he in a brave action, lost his left leg, but gained Admiral's praise. He was rewarded by higher positions in the Navy, and he lost his left eye against the English in the ,Battle of Toulon and again, he lost his right arm in the siege of Barcelona. For all this losses, he was called sometimes half-man, or wooden-leg.

From this war is one of his more famous and brave deeds: the capture of the Stanhope, a much bigger ship that his own.

The Stanhope was only one of the between ten and thirteen (sources differ) ships that Blas de Lezo alone captured in the War of Sucession; securing the reign of Phillip V.

The First American Age:

As the war of Sucession ended, Blas de Lezo was rewarded with a ship of 60 guns, Lanfranco (he was already captain of another ship), and the supreme commander of the South American Fleet, were he defeated many pirate ships in the Caribbean.


In this stance in South America, two of the most important facts of his life happened:

a) He married his wife in the great high lands of Peru 1725
b) He took part in the war of 1727 when Spain fought against the Dutch and the English, capturing twelve ships (6 dutch and 6 english), worth millions.

Back to Europe

He was so admired in the Spanish Navy that he was called again to Europe, where his help was needed. His first task was to recover money that Spain stored in the Bank of Genoa, and that Genoa refused to return to Spain. He sieged the city, and when the Senate of Genoa refused to give the money, he attacked the city and force the Senate to salute the flag and return the money.

He was also comissioned to attack the muslim pirates in Oran, with a fleet of 54 ships, leaded by the Santiago. He took the city and left a garrison and part of the fleet, but Bay Hassan, a former muslim commander took more troops from his Turkey's allies and sieged Oran, trying to regain it. When Lezo discovered it, he came to the support of the city again, forcing Bay Hassan to retreat until untill he had to take refuge at Mostagan, a heavily protected port (two castles and around 4,000 men). But they didn't know what kind of man Lezo was. He burned Bay Hassan's ship and heavily damaged the two castles.

Lezo mantained Oran and stopped all Istambul's attempts to retake the city, until Sickness forced him to go back to Cadiz. The King rewarded him once again and he was declared General of the Navy. Later on, fate will step in and in 1737 he was sent back to America, with the ships Fuerte (Strong) and Conquistador (Conqueror), to the place where he will do his most famous deed, Cartagena de Indias.

The second American Age: 

Cartagena de Indias

Cartagena de Indias, in today's Colombia, was the main place for American trade with Spain, because of its position in the Caribbean Sea. Many times plunder, the city was now defended with a very strong castle (Fort-Castle of San Felipe) and was a place that England wanted more than any other in all the world.

San Felipe's massive structure

Admiral Vernon

In 1739, the "War of Jenkins' ear" started as Juan León Fradiño captured Captain jenkin's ship: Rebbeca, that was pirating the coast of Florida. Fradiño cut one of Jenkins' ears and sent it back to England with this message: "Tell your King that I'll do the same to him if he keeps pirating our shores". The war started, and admiral Vernon of England captured easily the port of Portobelo (today's Panama City), with only 6 ships.
Vernon, impressed by his own success, said that it was the time to capture the most important Spanish city - Cartagena de Indias. He gathered an impressive fleet, 180 ships (The "Armada Invencible" had 126) with 2,000 guns and more than 28,000 men (including two thousand of Jamaican men and 2,7000 more men from the English-American colonies, (today's U.S.A.) including Lawrence Washington, half-brother of George Washington). However, this was a difficult secret to keep and Cartagena was ready in no time, although with only 6,000 defenders. Vernon did not tried to hide his plans. He sent offensive letters to Lezo, who replied:

"Had I been in Portobelo, you would have not taken so easily the place of my lord, the King, because the courage that failed in Portobelo, I have it in abundance"
Vernon landed on Tierrabomba (a fair sized island close to Cartagena), attacking San Luis' castle on top of the hill. The entry point of the city, was defended by three batteries (Chamba, San Sebastian and Santiago), The enourmous fortress of San Felipe and four ships Galicia, San Felipe, San Carlos and Africa. But the entry point, although heavily defended, could not sustain the continous fire of English ships, and despise desperate attempts by Blas de Lezo to sink his last ship, Galicia, to stop the English advance, Vernon was able to enter the harbour and bombard the city street by street. Lezo was wounded in his last remaining arm.

Although the harbor was lost, Lezo tried to sustain the defense of the channel of Bocagrande (Big Mounth) with two ships, the Dragon and the Conquistador. But he was forced to retire to the last stronghold of the city, the mighty castle of San Felipe.

Vernon entered the city and sent notice to England that the city was going to fall. The English people coined inmediately medals of Victory, with the image of Lezo surrendering to Vernon, with gold letters "Spanish pride humilliated by Vernon" and "True British Heroes Took Cartagena"

But the castle of San Felipe was not taken yet. Lezo and 600 men still resisted in the castle. Vernon bombarded the mighty fortress for many days and then, resolving that the castle was ready to be taken, ordered his men, Lawrence Washington and the Jamaicans to launch an assault. Big mistake. The Spanish were far from defeated, and Lezo lead the defense. The english were unable to take the castle, and suffered heavy losses. At the dawn of the next day, Lezo orderded his men to charge with bayonets against the English, taking more than 1,000 prisioners and killing 800 englishmen.

Although the English keep the siege of the caste for 30 days, the malary and other diseases crumbled the English effort (and also the Spanish's one), so England retreated, defeated.

Lezo died a few weeks later, wounded in his remaining arm and infected by diseases. The English were never able to launch such a powerful attack against Cartagena again, despise some Vernon efforts as soon as he learned that Lezo was dead.

Cartagena de Indias remained INVINCIBLE, thanks to the resolve and might of a brave man and his powerful fortress.

Don Blas de Lezo's statue can bee seen in front of the Fort Castle of San Felipe in Cartagena