Andrés Reggio y Brachiforte (1692–1780) was an officer of the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

Biography

He was born in the Spanish-controlled Sicilian city of

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , 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 ...

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 (1718–1720) was caused by Spanish attempts to recover territories in Italy (geographical region), Italy ceded in the 1713 Peace of Utrecht. Largely focused on Sicily, it included minor engagements in North Amer ...

serving in the invasion of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

and at the

Battle of Cape Passaro The Battle of Cape Passaro, also known as Battle of Avola or Battle of Syracuse, was a major 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 R ...

. In 1720, he took part in the relief expedition to besieged

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...

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 (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

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, or , was a conflict lasting from 1739 to 1748 between Britain and the Spanish Empire. The majority of the fighting took place in New Granada and the Caribbean Sea, with major operations largely ended by 1742. It is con ...

he was appointed to command in the Caribbean. He oversaw major construction work to

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

in preparation of a future British attack. In 1748, he lost the 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reggio, Andres Spanish admirals 1692 births 1780 deaths Military personnel from Palermo