Álvaro De Bazán The Elder

Álvaro de Bazán, called ''the Elder'' (1506–1558), was a Spanish admiral and shipbuilder, General-Captain of the Galleys of Spain for Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

He was a successful naval commander and ship designer, innovating in the design of galleons and galleasses. He worked extensively to expand and modernize the Spanish fleets to counter the threat of the dominant Ottoman Navy, as well as the new threats in the Atlantic. Along with the Genoese Andrea Doria, he was the main shipbuilder of Charles V's reign.

Biography

Mediterranean Sea

After taking part in the siege of Fuenterrabía in 1523–1524, he assumed the rank as General-Captain of the Galleys of Spain by the death in 1526 of previous captain Juan de Velasco. In 1532 he captured the city of Honaine with 10 galleys; using the treasure obtained from this capture, he increased the number of galleys for Spain. The following year he captured the Turkish corsair Xaban Arraez, in Falkavivas. He also led the Spanish galleys during the conquest of Tunis, serving under Andrea Doria. However, disagreements with Doria and Spanish bureaucracy drove Bazán to quit from his job as soon as it would be possible.

In 1536 Spain entered a new Italian War against France and the Ottoman Empire due to the death of Francesco I Sforza, which let the Duchy of Milan land in the hands of Philip, Prince of Asturias. Doria and Bazán captured port cities throughout the French Riviera, stopping only at Marseille, too well defended. In October, Bazán led 25 galleys, some of the Sicilian fleet captained by Berenguel de Olmos, when he came near Collioure upon a Franco-Ottoman fleet of 28 galleys and galliots commanded by Careor and the Algerian corsair Ali in route to pillage the Spanish coasts. The Franco-Ottomans fled as soon as they sighted him, although Bazán could reach and capture their biggest ship, the flagship of Algiers. The following year, not having grand orders to fulfill, and in spite of many pleas on Charles' part to stay, Bazán quit as he had planned and was replaced by Bernardino de Mendoza, although he continued building and administrating ships.

In 1539, Charles V sold him the villages of Viso del Marqués and Santa Cruz de Mudela, where his son would order the construction of a large palace that he would convert in the residence of its descendants. It currently houses the Spanish Navy's general archive.

Atlantic Ocean

In 1540, Bazán obtained a naval contract to guard the Atlantic coasts of Spain and the vital sea route to the Indies. He initiated the built of galleons and galleasses of his own design with multiple upgrades.''Asiento concedido a don Álvaro de Bazán sobre el armada'', included i
Colección de documentos inéditos para la historia de España
vol. L, pags. 265-284. He explored how to combine the different advantages between rowing ships and sailing ships, as well as how to build vessels of high tonnage and versatility at the same time. His galleons weighted often around 500-600 tons, bigger than the 200-500 vessels built at the time, while his models of galleasses weighted as much as 1,200 tons, all without falling in the usual shortage in maneuverability or speed shown by the age's biggest carracks, such as those built in France, England or Venice. His ships were greatly praised despite their improbable premise.

Three years into this stage, with the outbreak of the Italian War of 1542–1546, Charles I found the chance to redress Bazán for his former conflcts and reward him for his recent work, appointing him Captain General of the Ocean, with bases in Gipuzkoa and Biscay. The northern ports were of utmost importance for Castile's warring effort, with Biscayan privateers having captured 25 French naus from the war's beginning. Being ordered to transport the '' tercio'' of Pedro de Guzmán to the Habsburg Netherlands, and to gather an armada to counter the French Atlantic fleet, Bazán readied 40 ships of 200-500 tons, sending off Guzmán in 15 of them in June and leaving other 25 to his own command.

Similar preparations were being made in northern France, where vessels from the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts were being concentrated in order to face both Spain and England. In July, French admiral Jean de Clamorgan sailed off Bayonne with 30 ships to raid Biscayan trade. The French fleet passed Laredo, where Bazán was getting ready his own, and as soon as the Spanish admiral finished in pursue of Clamorgan. He found him in Fisterra, where Clamorgan was trying to get the surrender of the local lords after sacking around the coast of Galicia. In spite of Bazán's disadvantage in numbers, his galleons compensated it by their superior size and shipbuilding. In the subsequent Battle of Muros Bay, Bazán attacked the French fleet and rammed their flagships with his own, after which all of the French ships barring one were captured.

Last services

In 1548 Bazán made a series of propositions to improve the system of Spanish treasure fleets. He suggested to replace the existent fleet by 20 galleasses of 200 tons built by him, middle steps between galleys and galleons (''bastardas de galera y galeón''), which would perform five voyages per year on convoys of four. He found no support, as there was skpeticism towards the usage of galleasses to make the long travel to the Indies. The Council of the Indies and the Casa de Contratación also feared the contract would give Bazán an overwhelming monopoly on commercial navigation. He then presented a project improved by following on their criticism, featuring 12 great galleasses of 400 tons, which he assured would sail as easily as 300-ton ships, but it was rejected. They also rejected a more conservative proposition on his part which replaced the galleasses by 12 galleons.

His fourth and last proposition, in October 1549, was a system of three galleasses and six galleons with frigate traits (''afragatados'') also designed by him, which would make three yearly voyages heading other cargo ships. This project was finally accepted and earned Bazán a 15 year contract, but the Casa de Contratación opposed and caused a lawsuit. Although the court eventually favored Bazán, the contract was ultimately not realized. Bazán was forced to relegate his galleasses to escort the treasure fleets, although with notable success, to the point they would be reputed to be among the finest ships of their age.

In 1554, Bazán was part of the floot entasked with taking Prince Philip to England with his wife Mary I. He had readied a rich galleass to serve as the royal flagship, but Mary I had also send a royal carrack, and in order to affront neither the admiral nor the queen they decided to use a third ship, with Bazán accompanying Philip aboard. From that uear and until his death in 1558, Bazán the Elder defended the Spanish and American coasts against attacks, capturing routinely enemy ships. His son Álvaro de Bazán the Younger, who started his own career, served him as his lieutenant. Bazán's long desired renovation of the trasure fleets was finally undertaken in 1561 by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, who built a successful escort fleet of 12 medium galleasses.

Issue

Don Álvaro de Bazán came from an old Navarrese noble family. He was the father of Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, who surpassed him in fame. At the age of eight his son was appointed "Military Governor and captain of the fortress and city of Gibraltar". His command however was via his father. It has been speculated that this unusual appointment was intended to show Charles V's confidence but Bazán the Elder did not share that confidence and he suggested to no effect that Gibraltar's Line Wall Curtain be extended to the southern tip of the rock. Bazán the Elder was also father of Alonso de Bazán, a military commander who died during the conquest of the Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, and Juan Bazán.

References

Bibliography

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*Guilmartin, Francis John. ''Gunpowder and Galleys: Changing Technology and Mediterranean Warfare at Sea in the 16th Century'' Naval Institute Press; Revised edition (2004)
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*Hoffman E, Paul. ''Spanish Crown and the Defense of the Caribbean 1535-1585: Precedent, Patrimonialism, and Royal Parsimony'' Louisiana State University Press (June 1980)
*Perez-Mallaina E, Rahn Phillips Rahn, Carla. ''Spain's men of the sea: daily life on the Indies fleets in the sixteenth century'' The Johns Hopkins University Press (1998)
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*Trevor, Reginald. ''Davies The golden century of Spain, 1501-1621'' Ams Pr Inc (1996)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bazan, Alvaro De, Elder
Spanish admirals
1506 births
1558 deaths