Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy, officially the Armada, is the Navy, maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation ...
officer.
Biography
He was born in the Spanish-controlled Sicilian city of
Palermo
Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
in 1692. He joined the navy as a young man and served throughout the
War of the Quadruple Alliance
The War of the Quadruple Alliance, 1718 to 1720, was a conflict between Spain and a coalition of Austria, Great Britain, France, and Savoy, joined in 1719 by the Dutch Republic. Most of the fighting took place in Sicily and Spain, with minor engag ...
serving in the invasion of
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...
and at the
Battle of Cape Passaro
The Battle of Cape Passaro (also known as the Battle of Avola or the Battle of Syracuse) was a naval battle fought on 11 August 1718 between a fleet of the British Royal Navy under Admiral Sir George Byng and a fleet of the Spanish Navy under ...
.
In 1720, he took part in the relief expedition to besieged
Ceuta
Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...
and then moved to America, into the fleet of galleons in charge of bringing the money to the port of Cadiz. He returned to the Mediterranean in 1730, where he took part in operations including the reconquest of Oran in 1732 and
Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
in 1733. For the next few years, he commanded the Spanish fleet in Ferrol.
In 1739, at the outbreak of the
War of Jenkins' Ear
The War of Jenkins' Ear was fought by Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and History of Spain (1700–1808), Spain between 1739 and 1748. The majority of the fighting took place in Viceroyalty of New Granada, New Granada and the Caribbean ...
he was appointed to command in the Caribbean. He oversaw major construction work to
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Battle of Havana to the British Admiral Charles Knowles, but Knowles was unable to capitalise: the bullion-laden convoy passed unmolested. Reggio was court-martialled, but was then pardoned and commended by the King for his actions.
In 1749, he returned to Spain, and was appointed Captain-General of the navy, holding this position, he had a meeting on March 1, 1770, 4 days before the Boston Massacre, with a man with whom he had already met in the Antilles and who will have a key role in world history: the governor
Luis de Unzaga
Luis de Unzaga y Amézaga (1717–1793), also known as Louis Unzaga y Amezéga le Conciliateur, Luigi de Unzaga Panizza and Lewis de Onzaga, was governor of Spanish Louisiana from late 1769 to mid-1777, as well as a Captain General of Venezuela ...
and Amézaga 'le Conciliateur' to whom he will transfer various things of his own for his new position as governor of Louisiana and also a matter of maximum discretion and security such as the spy network that Unzaga will expand to help create the United States.
He would hold as Captain-General of the navy until his death in 1780, thirty one years later.