Pedro de la Plesa (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

1622) was a 17th-century Spanish privateer. He served as a

Dunkirker During the Dutch Revolt (1568–1648), the Dunkirkers or Dunkirk Privateers were commerce raiders in the service of the Spanish monarchy. They were also part of the ''Dunkirk fleet'', which consequently was a part of the Spanish monarchy's ''Fle ...

in the service of the Spanish Crown during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

. He and Juan Garcia gained notoriety for abandoning their comrade Captain

Jan Jacobsen Jan Jacobsen (1588/89 – 1622) was a Flemish naval commander and Dunkirker during the Eighty Years' War. He became a posthumous hero when, after battling an enemy fleet for over 13 hours, he destroyed his own ship rather than surrender. B ...

in his final naval battle against the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

Biography

In October 1622, he left from Dunkirk along with Juan Garcia and Jan Jacobsen in an attempt to break through the enemy blockade. However, de la Plesa was immediately sighted by a passing Dutch yacht as he sailed out of

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

. The ship's captain, Jacob Volckertzoon Vinck, cut his mooring lines and sailed out to a nearby fleet under Admiral

Harman Kleuter Harman may refer to: People * Harman (surname) Places * Harman, Australian Capital Territory * Hărman, Romania * Harman, West Virginia * Harmans, Maryland * Harman, Virginia * Harman's Cross, Dorset, England Other uses * Harman Intern ...

. Being informed of the Dunkirkers activities, he set out after them at once. He was later joined by another squadron from Den Briel under the command of Captain

Lambert Hendrikszoon Lambert may refer to People *Lambert (name), a given name and surname * Lambert, Bishop of Ostia (c. 1036–1130), became Pope Honorius II *Lambert, Margrave of Tuscany (fl. 929–931), also count and duke of Lucca *Lambert (pianist), stage-name ...

. As the combined fleet appeared, the two Spaniards realizing they were outnumbered chose to retreat. Sailing toward

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Jan Jacobsen chose to fight the nine pursuing warships. Whether Jacobsen had decided to make a final stand or to cover the retreat of Juan Garcia and Pedro de la Plesa is uncertain, however he died in the long, hard-fought battle.

Biography

References

Further reading