Blas de Lezo | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Lezo, Museo Naval de Madrid | |
| Birth name | Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta |
| Born | February 3, 1689 Pasajes, Guipúzcoa, Spain |
| Died | September 7, 1741 (aged 52) Cartagena de Indias, New Granada |
| Allegiance | .svg){kind=small} Kingdom of Spain |
| Service | Royal Spanish Navy |
| Years of service | 1704–1741 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Battles / wars | |
| Signature |  |
Admiral Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta (3 February 1689 – 7 September 1741) was a Spanish navy officer best remembered for the Battle of Cartagena de Indias (1741), where Spanish imperial forces under his command decisively defeated a large British invasion fleet under Admiral Edward Vernon.
Throughout his naval career, Lezo sustained many severe wounds; he lost his left eye, left hand, complete mobility of the right arm, and had his left leg amputated in situ after being hit by the projectile of a cannon.[1] He perceived his wounds and physical limitations as medals, refusing to wear an eye patch to hide his blind eye. Wearing his past battles history on his flesh won the respect of his peers and soldiers.[2] Lezo used to say that the lack of a leg does not imply the lack of a brave heart. It is said that he sometimes recalled famous Dutch admiral Cornelis Jol, called "pegleg" because of his wooden prosthesis, as an example of a sailor who undertook great enterprises and achieved great renown, especially in piracy and privateering, despite his theoretical disability.[3]
Lezo's defense of Cartagena de Indias against a vastly larger British fleet consolidated his legacy as one of the most heroic figures in the history of Spain. He is often recognized as one of the greatest strategists in naval history.[4][5]
- ^ "Pérez-Piqueras, Antonio: Blas de Lezo, sus cirujanos y el nacimiento de la cirugía española moderna (2015)" (PDF). Complutense University of Madrid.
- ^ Henao, Jesús María; Arrubla, Gerardo. Historia de Colombia para la Enseñanza Secundaria (Bogotá, 1920) "...el famoso General de los galeones don Blas de Lezo, marino vascongado, quien en combates anteriores, en Málaga, Tolón y Barcelona había perdido la pierna izquierda, el ojo izquierdo y el brazo derecho a la edad de 25 años; este medio hombre contribuyó poderosamente al triunfo que obtuvieron las armas castellanas."
- ^ Cesáreo Fernández Duro, Historia de la Armada española desde la unión de los reinos de Castilla y Aragón (Madrid, 1895-1903).
- ^ "Lezo, el héroe español mas valiente de la historia". Intereconomía.
- ^ Larrie D. Ferreiro, Measure of the Earth: The Enlightenment Expedition That Reshaped Our World, (Basic Books, 2011), 191.