Martin George Guisse, born Martin George Guise (12 March 1780 – 23 November 1828), and later known as Jorge Martín Guisse in Spanish, was a British naval officer who served in

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He later served in the Chilean Navy during the

Peruvian War of Independence The Peruvian War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia del Perú, links=no) consisted in a series of military conflicts in Peru beginning with viceroy Abascal military victories in the south frontier in 1809, in La Paz revolution an ...

and, as Vice-Admiral, in the Peruvian Navy in the

Gran Colombia–Peru War The Gran Colombia–Peru War (Spanish: ''Guerra Grancolombo-Peruana'') of 1828 and 1829 was the first international conflict fought by the Republic of Peru, which had gained its independence from Spain in 1821, and Gran Colombia, that existed b ...

, during which he was killed.

Biography

He was a younger son of Sir John Guise, 1st Baronet, of

Elmore Court Elmore Court is a grade II* listed mansion, located at Elmore in the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England. The original building dates from between 1564 and 1588. History The house has been the family seat of the Guise Baronets for near ...

, Gloucester, and Elizabeth Wright, and joined the Royal Navy, receiving a commission as a lieutenant on 6 March 1801, and taking part in the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805. He commanded the 14-gun brig between 1811 and 1813, which captured the American ship ''Freeman'' on 29 July 1812. Guisse was promoted to commander 29 March 1815. When Guisse heard of the

South American wars of independence The decolonization of the Americas occurred over several centuries as most of the countries in the Americas gained their independence from European rule. The American Revolution was the first in the Americas, and the British defeat in the Ameri ...

he resigned from the Navy, bought his own ship, HMS , and set sail never to return to Britain. He arrived in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

and quickly came to an agreement with Lord Cochrane to join the Chilean Navy. Guisse's role in the battles that followed was significant, in spite of frequent, bitter disagreements with Cochrane. It was his contribution to the attack on the Spanish '' Esmeralda'' in

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists o ...

that made its capture possible. After the war and in poor health, he retired to Miraflores,

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

where he married the young Limenian, Juana Valle Riestra. But his civilian life was short. When

broke out in 1829, he was asked to take command of the Peruvian Navy. Appointed Vice-Admiral, his fleet captured

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

but he was killed by a sniper during the battle. His body was brought to

in honour and he was buried there in the clothes of a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

friar. In 1926 his remains were transferred to the

Panteón de los Próceres The Panteón de los Próceres (Spanish for ''Heroes' Pantheon'') is a crypt inside the old Church of the ''Real Convictorio de San Carlos'' (Royal College of San Carlos) that holds the remains of the heroes of the Peruvian War of Independence. Th ...

. One of the four

houses A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

Markham College Markham College is an international school in Lima, Peru. Founded by British immigrants, Markham promotes a mixture of British and Peruvian education. Markham is an independent, non-profit, co-educational, bilingual, secular, day school of approx ...

, Lima, is named in his honour, as is ''Liceo Naval Almirante Guisse'', a school founded in 1964 for the children of Peruvian naval officers. Guisse was the grandfather of Peruvian aviator George Chavez.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guise, Martin 1780 births 1829 deaths Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars British emigrants to Peru Peruvian Navy admirals Military personnel killed in action People of the Peruvian War of Independence People of the Chilean War of Independence

Biography

See also

Notes

References