Álvaro de Bazán y Guzmán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz (12 December 1526 – 9 February 1588), was a Spanish admiral and landlord. He took part, among others, in the seizure of the rock of Vélez de la Gomera (1564), the relief to the besieged during the

Great Siege of Malta The Great Siege of Malta (Maltese language, Maltese: ''L-Assedju l-Kbir'') occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May t ...

(1565), the quelling of the Alpujarras Rebellion (1569), the

Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was a naval warfare, naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League (1571), Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states arranged by Pope Pius V, inflicted a major defeat on the fleet of t ...

(1571), the conquest of Tunis (1573), the incorporation of Portugal to the Spanish monarchy (1580), and the conquest of Terceira (1582). A leading admiral in both the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

and the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, Bazán has been considered the prime naval commander in the history of Spain. He pioneered

amphibious warfare Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conduc ...

and strategic usage of several kinds of ships, refining the design of existent vessels and popularising

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships developed in Spain and Portugal. They were first used as armed cargo carriers by Europe, Europeans from the 16th to 18th centuries during the Age of Sail, and they were the principal vessels dr ...

s as warships, ultimately making possible many of the successes of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

since the 16th and 17th centuries. He was reputed to have never lost a battle under his command, a remarkable achievement in a fifty-year-long career. For his leadership and influence, Bazán was celebrated by

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...

as ''el Padre de los Soldados'' ("the Father of the Soldiers"). He was a

grandee Grandee (; , ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...

of Spain and a patron of the arts. He built the Palace of the Marquis of Santa Cruz in Viso, Spain, which currently houses the General Archive of the Spanish Navy.

Biography

Álvaro de Bazán y Guzmán was born in

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

on 12 December 1526, son to Álvaro de Bazán y Manuel "the Elder" and Ana de Guzmán. Just like his father and grandfather, he was a member of the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; ) is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the patron saint of Spain, ''Santiago'' ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of S ...

, having joined the order as a knight when he was a toddler, in 1529. Under the purview of his relationship with the order, he was granted ''encomiendas'' in

Villamayor Villamayor is a municipality located in the Salamanca (province), province of Salamanca, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2016 census (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain), INE), the municipality has a population of 7,047 inhabitant ...

(1568) and in Alhambra and

La Solana La Solana is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 15,340. It has a very arid climate. It is located in a zone of Spain that produces large quantities of wine and olive oil. ...

(1572). His grandfather, Álvaro de Bazán, took part in the

conquest of Granada The Granada War was a series of military campaigns between 1482 and 1492 during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, against the Nasrid dynasty's Emirate of Granada. It ended with the defeat of G ...

in 1492. Bazán's father took part together with

Giovanni Andrea Doria Giovanni Andrea Doria (1539 – 1606), also known as Gianandrea Doria, was an Italian admiral from Genoa, the Marquis of Tursi and Prince of Melfi. Biography Doria was born to a noble family of the Republic of Genoa. He was the son of Giann ...

and others marines in the recapture of Tunis in 1535, and was distinguished in the service of

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

, by whom he was made general of the

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

s, or commander-in-chief of the Spanish naval forces in the

. The future admiral followed his father into the navy in his youth and was employed in the high command of the Spanish officers at a very early age. At the age of eight, he was appointed "Military Governor and captain of the fortress and city of

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

". His 'command' was via his father, who was in command of the galleys of Spain. It has been speculated that this unusual appointment was intended to show

's confidence, but the commander of the galleys did not share that confidence. Bazán the Elder suggested to no effect that Gibraltar's

Line Wall Curtain The Line Wall Curtain is a defensive curtain wall that forms part of the fortifications of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Description The Line Wall runs from the North Bastion south along the western coast of the town to Engineer ...

be extended to the southern tip of the rock. In 1564, he aided in the capture of

Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera () also known as Hajar Badis () is a Spanish exclave and rocky tidal island in the western Mediterranean Sea connected to the Moroccan shore by a sandy isthmus. It is also connected to a smaller islet to the east, La Isleta, by a rocky isthm ...

, and commanded the division of galleys employed to

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are ...

Tetuan, and to suppress the

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

carried on from that port. The service is said to have been successfully performed. The younger Bazán had a first showing serving under Sancho Martínez de Leyva during his failed expedition to the Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera. Bazán advised Leyva for a course of action that went unheeded, leading to a fiasco, during which Bazán was still instrumental in covering the Spanish retreat from his ships. He later defeated an English pirate fleet in Gibraltar. Bazán participated again in the next expedition to Vélez de la Gomera, leading to its final conquest. Actions like this earned the confidence of Philip II, by whom he was appointed in 1568 to command the galleys of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. This post brought him into close relations with

John of Austria John of Austria (, ; 24 February 1547 – 1 October 1578) was the illegitimate son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Charles V recognized him in a codicil to his will. John became a military leader in the service of his half-brother, King Phi ...

, when the Holy League was formed against the

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

in 1570. He was given the title of Marquis of Santa Cruz in 1569, in light of his role in the suffocation of the

Morisco Revolt ''Moriscos'' (, ; ; "Moorish") were former Muslims and their descendants whom the Catholic Church and Habsburg Spain commanded to forcibly convert to Christianity or face compulsory exile after Spain outlawed Islam. Spain had a sizeable Mus ...

and previous services. The title was named after

Santa Cruz de Mudela Santa Cruz de Mudela is a municipality of the Spanish Province of Ciudad Real located in the southeastern corner of the autonomous community Castilla–La Mancha. Geography Santa Cruz de Mudela has a Mediterranean–Continental climate that cons ...

, acquired from the Crown by his father back in 1539. Battaglia di Lepanto

During the operations which preceded and followed the

(7 October 1571), Bazán was always in favour of the more energetic course. His personal galley was known as ''La Loba'' ('The She-Wolf'), after her golden figurehead. In the battle, he commanded the reserve division, and his prompt energy averted a disaster when Uluj Ali, who commanded the left wing of the Turks, outmaneuvered the commander of the Christian right, Gian Andrea Doria, the nephew of his old comrade

Andrea Doria Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi (; ; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was an Italian statesman, ', and admiral, who played a key role in the Republic of Genoa during his lifetime. From 1528 until his death, Doria exercised a predominant influe ...

, and broke the Allied line. He later accompanied Don John of Austria at the taking of

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

in the following year. When Philip II enforced his claim as heir to the crown of Portugal in 1580–1581, Santa Cruz held a naval command but

António, Prior of Crato António, Prior of Crato (; 153126 August 1595), sometimes called "The Determined", "The Fighter", "The Independentist" or "The Resistant", was a grandson of King Manuel I of Portugal who claimed the Portuguese throne during the 1580 dynastic ...

, an illegitimate representative of the former

Portuguese royal family The Most Serene House of Braganza (), also known as the Brigantine dynasty (''dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese people, Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Americas. The hous ...

, who conducted some popular resistance to the crowning of what was seen as a foreign king, continued to hold the islands of the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

. António was supported by a number of French adventurers under Philip Strozzi, a Florentine exile in the service of France. Santa Cruz was sent as "Admiral of the Ocean" to drive the pretender and his friends away in 1582. Badly outnumbered, he won the

Battle of Ponta Delgada The naval Battle of Vila Franca do Campo, also known as Battle of Ponta Delgada and Naval Battle of Terceira Island, took place on 26 July 1582, off the coast of the island of São Miguel Island, São Miguel in the Portugal, Portuguese archipe ...

off

Terceira Island Terceira () is a volcanic island in the Azores archipelago, about a third of the way across the North Atlantic Ocean at a similar latitude to Portugal's capital Lisbon, with the island group forming an insular part of Portugal. It is one of the ...

against a loose confederation of Portuguese, French, English and Dutch adventurers and

privateers A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

, which decided the struggle for the Azores in favour of the Spanish Habsburgs. Santa Cruz, who recognised that England presented a grave threat to Spain's empire, became a zealous advocate of war. A letter written by him to King Philip from

Angra do Heroísmo Angra do Heroísmo (), or simply Angra, is a city and municipality on Terceira Island, Portugal, and one of the three capital cities of the Azores. Founded in 1478, Angra was historically the most important city in the Azores, as seat of the Roma ...

Terceira Terceira () is a volcanic island in the Azores archipelago, about a third of the way across the North Atlantic Ocean at a similar latitude to Portugal's capital Lisbon, with the island group forming an insular part of Portugal. It is one of the ...

, on 9 August 1583, contains the first definite suggestion of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

. Santa Cruz was to have commanded the fleet. His plans, schemes and estimates occupy a conspicuous place in the documents concerning the Armada collected by Cesáreo Fernández Duro. The hesitant character of the king, and his many embarrassments, political and financial, caused many delays and left Santa Cruz unable to take action. He was at

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

without the means to fit out his fleet, when

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( 1540 – 28 January 1596) was an English Exploration, explorer and privateer best known for making the Francis Drake's circumnavigation, second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580 (bein ...

burnt the Spanish ships at

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

during his 1587 expedition. The king was offended by Santa Cruz's independence of judgement, and he held the admiral responsible for the failures and delays, although these are better attributed to the Crown. Santa Cruz died on 9 February 1588 at Lisbon, reportedly in part because of the unjustified reproaches of the king. The great

s employed to carry the trade between Cádiz and Vera Cruz in

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

were the joint creation of Santa Cruz and

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés Pedro Menéndez de Avilés (; ; 15 February 1519 – 17 September 1574) was a Spanish admiral, explorer and conquistador from Avilés, in Asturias, Spain. He is notable for planning the first regular trans-oceanic convoys, which became known as ...

.Albert C. Manucy , ''Menéndez: Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Captain General of the Ocean Sea'', Pineapple Press, Inc., 1992, p. 100

Legacy and popular culture

The documents relating to the Spanish Armada have been collected by

Cesáreo Fernández Duro Cesáreo Fernández Duro (25 February 1830 – 5 June 1908) was a Spanish professional naval officer, writer, scholar and historian. Childhood and family background Fernández Duro was born into a good family in Zamora; that is to say, a noble ...

in ''La Armada Invencible'' (1895–1903), and he gives a biography of the Santa Cruz in his ''Conquista de las Islas Azores''. A separate life has been published by Don Ángel de Altolaguirre. There are various notices of Santa Cruz in Sir W. Stirling Maxwell's ''Don John of Austria''. Several ships of the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy, officially the Armada, is the Navy, maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation ...

were named ''Álvaro de Bazán'' in his honour. Currently, a class of frigates is in service with the Spanish Navy, and the lead ship is named ''Álvaro de Bazán'' (F101). He was depicted on the 1953 one- peseta banknote. In the Chapter XXXIX of ''Don Quixote'', Cervantes says: ''Tomóla la capitana de Nápoles, llamada La Loba, regida por aquel rayo de la guerra, por el padre de los soldados, por aquel venturoso y jamás vencido capitán don Álvaro de Bazán, marqués de Santa Cruz.'' ("She was taken by the Captain of the Naples-galleys, called ''La Loba'' (The She-Wolf), commanded by that lightning of war, by the father of soldiers, for that fortunate and never defeated captain, Don Álvaro de Bazán, marquess of Santa Cruz.") In the episode "The Enterprise of England" in the 1971 BBC series ''

Elizabeth R ''Elizabeth R'' is a BBC television drama serial of six 90-minute plays starring Glenda Jackson as Queen Elizabeth I of England. It was first broadcast on BBC2 from February to March 1971, through the ABC in Australia and broadcast in the Un ...

'', he is portrayed by Geoffrey Wincott in a historically accurate script, in which King Philip's meddling clearly dooms his plans and exacerbates his declining health.

References

Attribution: * * * *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bazan, Alvaro de 1526 births 1588 deaths People from Granada Alvaro 01 Knights of Santiago Spanish admirals People of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) Governors of Gibraltar People of the Battle of Lepanto 16th-century Spanish nobility Spanish military officers People of the War of the Portuguese Succession