DON ÁLVARO DE BAZÁN: THE INVINCIBLE ADMIRAL

Álvaro de Bazán was born in Granada in 1526.

From childhood, he was trained by his father in naval strategy and military tactics that took him to the level of admiral in the Spanish Armada during the reign of Philip II.

After victory at the battle of Buros Bay (Galicia) against the French in 1543, his father momentarily transferred control of entire fleet to him at the age of just 17.

In 1565, facing an attack from the Turks on the island of Malta, Bazán suggested to his admiral that they form a small naval fleet with some of the ships that were assisting the siege and boarding the marine infantry on them, quickly crossing the island of Gozo to then disembark in Malta. The operation was a rousing success.

Álvaro de Bazán played a decisive role in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.

The Holy League coalition led by Spain under the orders of Don Juan de Austria defeated the Ottoman fleet led by Ali Pasha.

Bazán, now General-Captain of the Galleys of Spain, in 1580 led the Spanish fleet, aiding the Duke of Alba’s victory in Lisbon and managing to annex Portugal to Spain, which culminated in other military victories in the Azores which deprived English and French privateers of an important operations base on the expeditionary route between Spain and America.

In 1588, Philipp II entrusted the preparations for the Spanish Armada, known as the Invincible Armada, to Bazán. The aim was to invade England in order to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I and put an end to her support of the Protestant rebels of Flanders, who were at war against Spain.

Before setting sail to England, Don Álvaro de Bazán died on the 9th of February 1588 in Lisbon.

Álvaro de Bazán also enjoyed a refined education in the arts, which enabled him to build a palace in Viso del Marqués, a province of Ciudad Real, which has today been turned into the Spanish Navy’s general archive.

In short, Don Álvaro de Bazán was an extraordinary admiral whose life was marked by a series of naval achievements that strengthened Spain’s naval supremacy in the 16th century.