Blas de Lezo

Blas de Lezo
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	Kingdom of Spain
Service/branch	Royal Spanish Navy
Years of service	1704–1741
Rank	Admiral
Battles/wars	War of the Spanish Succession Battle of Málaga; First Siege of Barcelona; Battle of Toulon; Second Siege of Barcelona; ; Spanish-Algerian War Spanish conquest of Oran; ; War of the Austrian Succession War of Jenkins' Ear Battle of Cartagena de Indias; ; ;
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. 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.

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.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.