Capture Of The Galleon Lion Couronné
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The Capture of the galleon ''Lion Couronné'' was a naval engagement that took place off
Formentera Formentera (, ) is a Spanish island located in the Mediterranean Sea, which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community (Spain) together with Mallorca, Menorca, and Ibiza. Formentera is the smallest and most southerly island of the ...
on 17 June 1651, during the
Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659) The Franco-Spanish War , May 1635 to November 1659, was fought between Kingdom of France, France and Habsburg Spain, Spain, each supported by various allies at different points. The first phase, beginning in May 1635 and ending with the 1648 Peac ...
. A squadron of eleven Spanish galleys under
John of Austria the Younger John Joseph of Austria or John of Austria (the Younger) (; 7 April 1629 – 17 September 1679) was a Spanish general and Politician, political figure. He was the only illegitimate son of Philip IV of Spain to be acknowledged by the King and tr ...
captured the French galleon ''Lion Couronné'' after a fight.


Events


Background

In early 1651, the Spaniards began preparations for a military campaign against the Catalan Revolt and its ally France, taking advantage of several favorable circumstances to carry it out. The viceroy of
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, John of Austria, was chosen by the Spanish government to lead this campaign, which consisted of recovering
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. On May 28, John sailed from
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to
Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
with a squadron of eleven galleys and four transport ships with 40,000 bushels of wheat. Six of the galleys were from
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, under Alvaro de Meló, due to the temporary absence of Commander Joanetín Doria; and five galleys from Sicily, under the Marquis of
Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
.


Capture

On the way to Catalonia, John passed through Trapana, Caller,
Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...
, and
Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...
. In this last place he took refuge with the Spanish squadron, protecting himself from the strong wind of Levante that was blowing with great force. From the heights of that place, the Spaniards saw that in
Formentera Formentera (, ) is a Spanish island located in the Mediterranean Sea, which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community (Spain) together with Mallorca, Menorca, and Ibiza. Formentera is the smallest and most southerly island of the ...
, off Ibiza, there was a French galleon and a saetía
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that were also protecting themselves from the strong wind. It was the galleon ''Lion Couronné'', under Captain La Chesnaye. John consulted with the commanders of his galleys about the possibility of attacking the French galleon, deciding to do it once the wind calms down. To carry out the attack, John placed the eleven galleys behind a point of the islands to await the departure of the ''Lion Couronné'' and the saetía. On 17 June, the French ships sailed from the place, so the Spanish galleys left the hiding place to approach the French galleon and board it. The French observed this movement, La Chesnaye sank the saetia and moved the crew to defend the galleon, then proceeded to attack the galleys with the guns to repel them. The guns of the French galleon caused serious damage to the Spanish galleys, but that did not stop them, and they reached the galleon, under the batteries, clinging to their sides, especially the bow, beginning the fight to dominate the ship's deck. The initial advantage that the French had, since the galleon had high sides and good artillery, was soon surpassed by the number of Spanish attackers. Finally, after an hour and a half or more of fighting, the Spanish capture the French galleon. In this action, both parties had heavy casualties. The French casualties were 103 or 200 killed and 102 or 200 prisoners (including 58 or 70 wounded), taking into account the divergence between French and Spanish sources. Among the dead were the commander of the galleon and four
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. The Spanish casualties were 99 killed and 227 wounded. The Spanish galleys ended up damaged during the approach time towards the galleon; the galley commanded by Fernando Carrillo was almost undone, so the Spaniards were forced to return to Ibiza to repair them and disembark the wounded.


Aftermath

After this event, John of Austria continued his trip to Catalonia. When he arrived in the area in July, he held the position assigned to him, beginning the campaign against Catalan rebels of Barcelona. In
Mataró Mataró () is the capital and largest town of the Maresme county in Catalonia, Spain. It is located on the Costa del Maresme, Maresme coast, to the south of Costa Brava, between Cabrera de Mar and Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, north-east of Barcel ...
, he captured the 30-gun Catalan ship ''Nuestra Señora de la Estrella'', which was protected by a coastal battery. In that same month the Siege of Barcelona began, which would last until October 1652, ending the Catalan Revolt. John of Austria's squadron, strengthened with more ships, was decisive in the blockade of Barcelona. In that squadron there were several previously captured French ships, including the ''Lion Couronné''.


See also

*
List of ships of the line of France This is a list of French ships of the line of the period 1621–1870 (plus some from the period before 1621). Battlefleet units in the French Navy (''Marine Royale'' before the French Revolution established a republic) were categorised as ''vais ...
* List of galleons of Spain


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lion Couronné, Capture of the galleon Naval battles involving Spain Naval battles involving France Naval battles of the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659) Military history of the Balearic Islands Military history of the Mediterranean Conflicts in 1651 1651 in Europe 1651 in Spain