The Raid on Malaga was a military action by the English against the Spanish city of
Málaga
Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...
on July 21, 1656 as part of the
Anglo–Spanish War (1654–1660).
Five English ships,
HMS Henry,
HMS Ruby,
HMS Antelope,
HMS Greyhound
Sixteen different ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Greyhound'', after the greyhound, a breed of dog notable for its speed.
* was a 45-gun ship built in 1545, rebuilt 1558, and wrecked 1563
* ''Greyhound'' was a ship in servic ...
and HMS Bryan, appeared at six in the morning in the Bay of Málaga. The Marquis of Mondéjar, governor of the city, raised the alarm. At 13:00 the English frigates approached the harbor and attacked a Genoese and a Sicilian galley. The Sicilian galley succeeded in escaping at the cost of two killed and the captain being wounded. The Genoese galley was less lucky: it was seized and set on fire, together with all other ships found in the harbor.
After this, the English started shelling the city and its defenses for four hours, seriously damaging
Málaga Cathedral. Meeting little resistance, the English went ashore and destroyed the greater part of the city's munition supply. All the harbor guns were spiked as well.
There were at least fourteen killed and many wounded in the city. A large part of the population fled to the countryside.
Sources
;Notes
;External Sources
''Anglo-Spanish War – The Spanish Blockade''* Alfonso Vallejo:
Balada sobre el ataque a Málaga de cinco fragatas inglesas en 1656'. Jábega, ISSN 0210-8496, Nº. 7, 1974, pags. 40–44
*
Spanish Wikipedia
Conflicts in 1656
Battles involving England
Battles involving Spain
1656 in Europe
1656 in Spain
Anglo-Spanish War (1654–1660)
History of Málaga
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