the life of blas de lezo

The life of Blas de Lezo takes place in an exciting period in the history of Spain, at the beginning of its imperial decline, and at a time when the seafaring profession retained all its romanticism, hardness and heroism.

Blas de Lezo is considered one of the most important sailors in Spanish naval history, considered a living legend by his contemporaries and today almost forgotten. His naval exploits, his participation in key episodes of the European 18th century, his courage in combat, his unshakable convictions, his honesty in the defense of Spain’s interests and his enlightened education, trace an epic account of his life and a biography that in itself portrays a century of our history?

He joined the navy when he was only fifteen years old, and soon stood out for his courage. Given his status as a nobleman and the proximity to France, his training as an officer took place in that country. The military positions and ranks are merged in the Bourbon armies, so that at the beginning of his career, in the War of Succession, he served on ships of the French navy, reaching the rank of captain when he was only twenty-three years old. At the age of twenty-five he became lame, one-eyed and one-armed due to wounds suffered in combat, but this did not prevent him from serving. Rather, it served as an incentive for him to continue his career as a sailor.

After ten years of service in the South Seas, in 1730 and on his return to Spain, Blas de Lezo was promoted to chief of the Mediterranean naval squadron. It was during his first mission in these waters that the famous episode with the Republic of Genoa took place, with which differences had arisen, and which Blas de Lezo resolved satisfactorily for the interests of Spain in just a few hours.

A year later, in 1732, Blas de Lezo commanded an expedition of 54 ships and 30,000 men to Oran, a hotbed of piracy in the Mediterranean, and surrendered the city. After his departure, the Algerian pirates of Bay Hassan besieged the city, so Lezo returned to its rescue with part of his squadron, managing to scare off the pirates, who took refuge in the bay of Mostaganem; Lezo, defying the danger of simultaneously facing a ship with greater firepower, as well as the support it received from bastions on land, entered the bay, setting fire to the enemy ship and causing the ruin of the castles. After this confrontation, it patrolled these waters for months to prevent the Algerians from receiving reinforcements from Istanbul.

Thanks to his actions in arms, the King promoted him in 1734 to lieutenant general of the Navy. He returned to America with the ships Fuerte and Conquistador in 1737 as commander general of Cartagena de Indias. It is in this place where Blas de Lezo culminated his career with the heroic defense of the city, inflicting on England the greatest naval defeat in its history, in addition to securing for Spain a strategic place, considered by its location as the key to America.

King George II of England declared war on Spain and sent a fleet to the Caribbean, under the command of Admiral Edward Vernon, with the mission of taking the Spanish strongholds, so that the Spanish empire would be dislocated, cutting off communication and trade routes with the metropolis. Hoping for an easy and safe victory, Vernon decided to besiege Cartagena de Indias, designing the largest naval landing operation to date.

So convinced was the English admiral of his victory, that with reckless arrogance, he gave news of the capture of Cartagena before it took place, and in England medals commemorating his supposed victory were put into circulation with inscriptions such as “The British heroes took Cartagena on April 1, 1741” and “Spanish pride humiliated by Vernon”. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The British fleet consisted of 186 ships (including ships of the line, frigates, brullets and transports) with a firepower of 2,000 cannons, as well as 27,600 combatants for the landing, including 4,000 Virginia militiamen under the orders of Lawrence Washington. For its part, the defenses of Cartagena were reduced to 6 warships and a contingent of about 3,000 men, including regular troops, militiamen, Indians and the sailors themselves.

In spite of the great disproportion of forces between both sides, the Spanish defenders counted on Lezo’s military talent and experience. Spain kept the square inflicting a humiliating defeat on England, thus assuring the survival of the empire for almost a century more.

A great show that will delight everyone, as it is suitable for all audiences, where the way the play is told will captivate you as much as the story itself.

However, three months and twenty-nine days after the victory over the English, Blas de Lezo dies in shameful abandonment. Not only did he fall ill and lack resources because he did not receive his fees, but Viceroy Eslava accused him before the King of the crimes of “insubordination and incompetence”. The hero, undefeated in a thousand battles, dedicated body (literally) and soul to his country, is defeated by the “friendly fire” of envy. Given his nobility and rectitude, of which his biography leaves no room for doubt, it is not difficult to suppose the devastating effect that this situation must have had on him, deprived of his honor and prestige, which also left his wife and children without the resources so deservedly obtained.

Lezo’s efforts to restore his honor during his lifetime were unsuccessful. Only after his death, on the accession to the throne of Ferdinand VI, and thanks to the efforts of his sons, the honors won on the battlefield were restored to him, and he was posthumously awarded the Marquisate of Ovieco. Since then, and in his honor, there is always a ship of the Spanish Navy that bears the name of Blas de Lezo, at present the frigate F-103.