The Battle of the Bay of Biscay of 1592 was a naval engagement that took place in waters of the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...

, in November 1592, between a Spanish naval force of 5

flyboat The flyboat (also spelled fly-boat or fly boat) was a European light vessel of Dutch origin developed primarily as a mercantile cargo carrier, although many served as warships in an auxiliary role because of their agility. These vessels could displ ...

s commanded by Captain Don

Pedro de Zubiaur Pedro de Zubiaur, Zubiaurre or Çubiaurre (1540 – 3 August 1605) was a Spanish naval officer, general of the Spanish Navy, distinguished for his achievements in the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604). Biography Born into a seafaring family from ...

and an English convoy of 40 ships, supported by a 6-warship squadron, as part of the

Brittany Campaign The Brittany Campaign or the Campaign of Brittany was a military occupation of the Brittany region of France by Spain. It began in the summer 1590 when Philippe-Emmanuel de Lorraine, Duke of Mercœur and governor of Brittany, offered the ...

during the

Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) The Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) was an intermittent conflict between the Habsburg Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of England. It was never formally declared. The war included much English privateering against Spanish ships, and several wid ...

and the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mil ...

. The Spanish force led by Captain Zubiaur, despite being outnumbered, engaged the English ships, achieving a resounding success. The English

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the ...

was boarded and burned, causing great confusion among the English convoy. Shortly after, another English force composed of six warships (sent by Queen

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectu ...

to support the French

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

s), arrived at the battle, and tried to defend the convoy. After long and intense fighting, the Spaniards were victorious in battle, and three more English ships were captured, besides several ships seriously damaged. The next year, on 18 April, in the same waters, another English naval force, commanded by Admiral Wilkenson, was defeated by Zubiaur's naval forces off the coasts of

Blaye Blaye (; oc, Blaia ) is a commune and subprefecture in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. For centuries, Blaye was a particularly convenient crossing point for those who came from the north and went to Bordea ...

, a town besieged by land and sea by Protestant forces in the context of the French Wars of Religion.Fernández Duro p.86''Extractos de las juntas celebradas por la Real Sociedad Bascongada''
pp.80–81

Notes

References

* Arsenal, León./Prado, Fernando. ''Rincones De Historia Española''. Editorial EDAF S.L. Madrid 2008. * Fernández Duro, Cesáreo (1898). ''Armada Española desde la unión de los reinos de Castilla y Aragón.'' Vol. III. Madrid.
''Extractos de las juntas celebradas por la Real Sociedad Bascongada de los amigos del país, en la villa de Bilbao por julio de 1790''.
Vitoria. 1790. * MacCaffrey, Wallace T. (1994). ''Elizabeth I: War and Politics, 1588-1603''. Princeton. Princeton University Press. USA. * Gracia Rivas, Manuel
''En el IV Centenario del fallecimiento de Pedro Zubiaur, un marino vasco del siglo XVI''
Itsas Memoria. Untzi Museo Naval. San Sebastián 2006.

External links

Biografía de Don Pedro de Zubiaur
{{coord missing, Atlantic Ocean Bay of Biscay 1592 the Bay of Biscay 1592 the Bay of Biscay 1592 the Bay of Biscay 1592 1592 in Europe the Bay of Biscay 1592 1592 in the British Empire 1592 in Spain 16th-century military history of Spain

See also

Notes

References

External links