Hugo of Montcada i Gralla was the commander of the ''

Galleasses Galleasses were military ships developed from large merchant galleys, and intended to combine galley speed with the sea-worthiness and artillery of a galleon. While perhaps never quite matching up to their full expectations, galleasses neverthel ...

'' of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...

. He was the second son of Francesc I de Montcada, first Marquess of Aitona and Count of Osona, and his wife, Lucrècia Gralla. Belonging to the noble

House of Montcada The House of Montcada (in Catalan; Moncada in Spanish and Italian) is an aristocratic and noble Spanish Catalan House with important ramifications in Sicily. Queen Elisenda of the Crown of Aragon was a member of the family. History The H ...

, his brother Gastó of Montcada i Gralla (first-born of 17 children) inherited the immense family fortune. His other brother was Joan of Montcada i Gralla,

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Tarragona Tarragona (, ; Phoenician: ''Tarqon''; la, Tarraco) is a port city located in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. Founded before the fifth century BC, it is the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tarr ...

(1613-1622) and Bishop of Barcelona (1610-1612).

Participation in the Spanish Armada

Charge

Hugo of Montcada was appointed commander of the fleet of Naples. The flagship was the

Galleass Galleasses were military ships developed from large merchant galleys, and intended to combine galley speed with the sea-worthiness and artillery of a galleon. While perhaps never quite matching up to their full expectations, galleasses neverthel ...

''San Lorenzo''. The Galleass-galleon ''La Girona'' was part of that fleet. The

were: * The ''San Lorenzo'' (captain-ship of the fleet of Naples)-Captain Joan Setantí. * The ''Zúñiga'' (patron-ship of the fleet of Naples)-Captain Pere Centelles * ''La Girona''-Captain Fabrizio Spínola, Genoese. * ''La Napolitana''-Captain Perrucchio Morán

Galleass ''San Lorenzo''

This ship had 124 sailors, 50 guns, 300 oarsmen and 270 soldiers. It was built in Naples. It displaced 762 tones and was the largest ship and, according to some, the most splendid of the entire

Nautical difficulties

One of the most difficult variables that made navigating the British Channel so dangerous were (and still are) the currents caused by the tides. Local pilots had good knowledge of those currents.

Battle actions

* According to various testimonials (documentaries and film documentaries), the Galleass ''San Lorenzo'' could not progress rowing against the current caused by the tide. * Alonso, Duke of Medina Sidonia did not give Hugo of Montcada permission to attack the ''

Ark Royal Five ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Ark Royal'': * , the flagship of the English fleet during the Spanish Armada campaign of 1588 * , planned as freighter, built as seaplane carrier during the First World War, renamed ''Pegasu ...

'' when she was within his reach and in conditions of superiority. * The ''San Lorenzo'' was the first ship that warned of the danger of the eight ships sent by Francis Drake against the anchored Spanish navy. * The order of the Duke of Medina Sidonia to cut the chains of the anchors of all the ships of the armada caused chaos and many collisions between them.

Final disaster

The references to the fact are numerous and not always coincident. In the confusion brought about by the collisions, a shock rendered unusable the rudder of the ''San Lorenzo''. The maneuver with the oars was not sufficiently agile to fight under the attack of the enemies (from the ''Ark Royal'' in particular). Hugo of Montcada decided to go to refuge in the port of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

(under French control and, in theory, neutral). He did not reach the entrance by sailing or the oars. The galleass tried to enter the port of Calais but bogged down near the entrance and lay half sideways. The soldiers (probably terrified by the incident) deserted the ship, jumping into the water. Many of them drowned. Only a few faithful remained aboard. The English sent a few boats with soldiers to seize the galleass. Finally Charles Howard sent reinforcements with the ''Ark Royal''s Panescalm boat to reduce the last resistance. Hugo of Montcada was killed with an arquebus shot to his head, and Joan Setantí and other Catalans defenders died as well.

Important testimonial

According to the work "Armada Invencible" by Cesáreo Fernández Duro, there is a description of the final attack and the death of Hugo of Montcada according to the statements of a slave of the Marquis de Santa Cruz (Volume I, page 118, document K.1467, item 18).Armada Invencible. Duro. Vol. 1.
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References

External links

The Story of the Tobermory Spanish Galleon

* ttp://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T108200/index.html English translation of Francisco de Cuellar's account of his service in the Armada and on the run in Ireland
Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada
– a learning resource and teachers notes from the British Library
The story of the Armada battles with pictures from the House of Lords tapestries
* BBC-ZDF etc. TV coproduction ''Natural History of Europe'' * Discovery Civilization ''Battlefield Detectives – What Sank The Armada?'' {{Authority control Spanish Armada Spanish naval officers