D.Carlos de Amézola y el asalto a la costa inglesa

[DON COSME]

Carlos de Amézola

Corría el año 1.595 y con él nuestra querida España había dado un ventajoso vuelco a su política en torno a Inglaterra. Cansada de sufrir el acoso de la ralea pirática inglesa, decidió dejar de mesarse las barbas y pasar a la ofensiva. Por aquellos tiempos, en los que no se ponía el sol en nuestro imperio, nuestra querida España estaba inmersa en el cristiano mesester de desmochar ingleses y por ello desde los puertos flamencos, y Dunquerque principalmente, una legión de corsarios al servicio de nuestro monarca no dejaba de acosar a la pérfida Albión. Hay que dejar constancia, que tampoco se quedaban mancos a la hora de importunar a la flota holandesa, a la sazón igualmente enemiga de nuestra querida España.
En esta tesitura nos encontrábamos cuando el 26 de julio de 1.595, zarpan del puerto de Blavet cuatro galeras, "Capitana", "Patrona", Peregrina" y "Bazana", pertenecientes a las Galeras de la Guarda de la Costa de Bretaña y reforzadas con infantes y arcabuceros. Su destino no era otro que tocar un poco las narices a la reina virgen, que por su calificativo quizás no permitiera que le tocaran otras cosas, atacando por sorpresa las costas de Inglaterra.
Como decíamos la expedición zarpa de Blavet el 26 de julio de 1.595 en dirección al puerto francés de Penmarch en donde obtienen 3.000 ducados que se utilizarán en adquirir víveres y pertrechos. El 2 de agosto, avistan a las 8 de la mañana las costas de Cornwall después de navegar sin contratiempo las 100 millas que separaban a ambas costas y en apenas 24 horas de navegación favorable.
Efectuada la aproximación a la costa, ponen pie a tierra 400 arcabuceros y algunos piqueros, en la bahía de Mounts, entre los cabos Lands End y Lizard. Formando un escuadrón con una vanguardia y dos mangas de arcabuceros, enfilan la población de Mousehole, mientras que tres de las cuatro galeras lo cañonean para poner en fuga a las gentes que trataban de defenderlo. La cuarta galera, "La Peregrina" estaba guardando las espaldas del pequeño ejército español por si navíos enemigos, ingleses por más señas, osaban mostrar su pabellón y los aceros. Después de esta población cayeron también Newlyn, Saint Paul, Church Town y posiblemente otras villas cercanas.
Esta pequeña expecición además, consigue rendir el fuerte inglés de Penzance, defendido por alrededor de 1.200 hombres entre soldados y lugareños...sin sufrir una sola baja y poniéndo en fuga a tan gallarda y valiente oposición. Al día siguiente, 4 de agosto, después de pernoctar en las galeras, desmontar la artillería del fuerte y traspasarla a las galeras y de incluso celebrar una misa, los soldados españoles tienen noticia que, como los 1.200 ingleses no han bastado para parar los pies a 400 de los nuestros, los súbditos de la reina virgen preparan una fuerza de 8.000 hombre además de la salida de la flota amarrada en Plymouth. Los españoles piensan en combatir atrincherándose en el fuerte recientemente conquistado, pero se percatan de la debilidad de las defensas y los muros y optan por abandonar sus correrías en tierras de Cornwall. Para ello tienen que burlar no solo al ejército inglés, cuyas vanguardias se aproximan, sino a la flota inglesa salida de Plymouth para darles caza.
Nuestros compatriotas no solo reembarcan con la celeridad y buen tino que les libra del ejército inglés, sino que además durante la noche burlan a los primeros barcos ingleses que habían acudido para darles escarmiento, sino que el día 5, con el alba y quizás con fuerte viento de poniente, encontraron una flota holandesa de alrededor de 46 bajeles de unos 200 toneles de porte, todos además artillados e incluso protegidos por cuatro buques de guerra de la misma nacionalidad, que les corta el paso. Lo normal, habría sido escabullirse entre las brumas y nieblas de aquellos mares, pero los españoles quizás algo contrariados por no haber podido despacharse a gusto con unos cuantos ingleses más, deciden que verdes las han segado y que tendrán que ir a por ellos si quieren que se rindan. "Pardiez, no sería de caballeros que el cacareo de una gallina luterana nos haga temblar. Cargad pues los cañones."
Dicho y hecho. Se entabla combate y contra todo pronóstico, no solo pasan entre esa flota, sino que dos bajeles holandeses son enviados al fondo y otros dos seriemente dañados, hasta el punto que debieron ser abandonados por sus tripulaciones. A cambio, los españoles dejan 20 muertos y dos galeras con numerosos impactos, aunque a flote y con el pabellón en alto.
Por fin, después de vencer al inglés y al holandés, el día 10 de agosto, quince después de la partida, las cuatro galeras, hacen su entrada de nuevo en Blavet.
Quien fue el capitán de tal expedición, se preguntarán vuesas mercedes, después de leer tan buen suceso. Pues, un brioso capitán, vive Dios que sirvió a las órdenes de Diego Brochero e hizo muchas veces a bordo de las galeras de Su majestad, el corso contra los herejes ingleses, un tal Carlos Amézola.

¿Tendrá alguna calle o plaza este marinero español?

http://es.geocities.com/capitancontreras/

[DON COSME]

The Spanish Raid
on Mount's Bay

July 1595

by John Barratt



INTRODUCTION


By the early 1590's, the war between Spain and England had settled into an uneasy stalemate, with no prospect of a quick ending. For England, especially the West Country, an ominous new development had occurred in October, 1590, with the landing of Spanish forces in Brittany. This move seemed to increase the threat of an invasion of Cornwall, and led the English authorities to commence somewhat spasmodic efforts to fortify Plymouth and the Scilly Isles, regarded as the most likely targets for Spanish attack.
Control of local defence efforts in Cornwall lay in the hands of the Deputy Lieutenants, Sir William Mohun and Sir Francis Godolphin. In 1588, at any rate in theory, Cornwall had claimed to be able to furnish for its defence 5,560 men, including 1,395 shot, 633 corselets, 1956 bills and halberds, 1528 bows, 4 lances and 96 light horse, and the totals were probably roughly similar seven years later.
The main problem with the defence of Cornwall lay in its isolation, and the great length of coastline, with its many bays and deepwater inlets, such as Falmouth, which were potential landing points.
During the next few years, the Spanish threat remained a potential cause for concern. By 1591 there were reported to be 5,000 Spanish troops in Brittany, faced by a fairly inadequate English force led by Sir John Norris, which was able to prevent the fall of Brest, but could achieve little else.
In January, 1595, the English forces were withdrawn from Brittany, leaving the Spaniards with a freer hand for operations by land and sea. In the spring there were reported to be 4 galleys and 10 lighter warships based on the port of Blavet in Brittany, and there were increasing reports of Spanish vessels being active around the coast of South-West England.
For Expedition Information
To a large extent this increased activity was a result of attempts to gain information about the expedition to the West Indies which Drake and Hawkins were fitting out in Plymouth, and in May a light Spanish warship seized some Mount's Bay Fishermen for interrogation. By July 10th, Sir Francis Godolphin, conscientious, if no soldier, was writing to the Earl of Essex expressing considerable concern for the safety of the Scilly Isles, which he felt to be the most likely Spanish objectives, in order to set up a new base for their raiders. "I rest still of the same mind that it needeth a stronger garrison, for the gathering of those Spaniards seemeth as a cloud that is like to fall shortly in some part of her Majesty's dominions".
By the following week, the threat of invasion seemed imminent; Spanish galleys were reported to be off the coast at various points. An apparent attempt to land had been made on the North Cornish coast at St. Eval near Padstow, but had been deterred by the local Trained Bands, which had mustered on the shoreline in strength. On July 21st, Godolphin was sifting increasingly alarmist reports and rumours of large numbers of Spanish vessels being sighted along the coast, and can have been little surprised, when, early on the 23rd, news arrived that the Spaniards were landing in Mount's Bay. THE RIVAL FORCES


The bulk of the militia and Trained Bands at Godolphin's disposal would have been "shot", probably armed with calivers, though their ability to used them must have been variable. His pikemen would, in theory, have been equipped with back and breast plates, tassets, and headpiece, and armed with sword, dagger and 18-foot pike. In reality, it seems that many or most had no armour, either because they did not possess it, or because they abandoned it in the panic and confusion of the moment.
Many of the Cornish would have been armed with bills, 6 - 8 feet in length, and in the face of superior enemy firepower, virtually useless. Much the same could be said of the bowmen, of whom a number still survived in the Cornish militia. Godolphin would also have had a few light horsemen at his disposal armed with back and breast, headpiece, carbine, sword and dagger. His main potential advantage lay in numbers, but how effective this would prove to be would depend upon how quickly his forces could be mustered, and the degree of their commitment to the fight.
The Spaniards, though considerably fewer in numbers, had a number of advantages. Firstly, so long as they remained close to the shoreline, they had the backing of the firepower of the highly manoeuvrable galleys. Each of these may have carried up to a score of guns of up to 51b calibre, which could be expected to have at least considerable moral effect on untrained opponents. The galleys were, of course, highly vulnerable to any intervention by the heavier ships of the Royal Navy, should wind conditions permit.
It is unclear what calibre of troops were embarked aboard the galleys, but it is safe to assume that they were men of some experience. There seems to have been about 400 of them altogether, a mixture of pike and shot. In theory the foot companies of the Spanish tercios were of two main types. One was formed from 10 officers, 219 pikemen (half armoured, half unarmoured) and 20 musketeers; the other consisted of 11 officers, 224 arqubusiers and 15 pikemen. Something along the latter lines seems perhaps most likely. The shot would have been unarmoured, and it seems unlikely that the pikemen, because of the need for easy movement in embarking and disembarking, would have worn more than half-armour. THE LANDING


The four Spanish galleys, their movements partially concealed by early morning mist, had slipped into Mount's Bay and caused widespread panic among the local inhabitants, most of whom did not wait to dispute the landing. In fact, the Spaniards' intentions were by no means as far-reaching as the increasingly panicky English authorities were to suppose. Commanded by Don Carlos de Amesquita, and with the valuable local knowledge of an English renegade, Captain Richard Burley, the Spanish force had engaged on a normal raiding cruise along the Channel, in the course of which they had already raided a Breton fishing village, when they had been blown across the Channel by adverse winds.
Later, the Spaniards were to feed information to prisoners, before they released them, that their intention had been to raid around St. Ives, Padstow and against the shipping in the Bristol Channel, but it seems more likely that the real reason for their landing in Mount's Bay was a shortage of drinking water, and that what followed was an intelligent exploitation of the lack of effective opposition.
The galleys dropped anchor off Mousehole, and ferried ashore a force estimated at 200 pike and shot, which burnt the village and some surrounding hamlets, including the village of Paul. The inhabitants had made off in panic.
News of the landing had reached Godolphin at his home about half way between Mousehole and Helston, and he hastily mustered his household servants, and rode into Penzance, where he found a scene of milling fugitives, chaos and panic. He gathered such men as he could on a green to the West of the town, but discovered that most of them were virtually unarmed, presumably because they had left their weapons behind in the haste of their flight. Indeed the local inhabitants seem to have had little stomach to resist the invaders, in part, apparently (or so a cynical English professional soldier later claimed) because of a local tradition that any enemy would land at "Merlin's Rock", the Spaniards' actual landing point, and burn Mousehole and Paul! This has the sound of a piece of special pleading after the event; more probably the key factors were lack of organisation and effective leadership, and a realistic appraisal of the opposition.
Godolphin sent urgently to Plymouth with news of the landing, urging Drake and Hawkins "to consider what is to be done for your own safety and our defence". He pointed out that Cornwall might be faced with a full-scale invasion, and "here is assembled 200 naked men. I attend the coming of more and so to make head towards the enemy."
Spanish Re-Embark
The Spaniards now re-embarked, and moving slightly Eastwards, landed their full force of 400 men at Newlyn, and sent an advance guard of about 50 men on to the hill above the village, from where they could look down on the scenes of confusion and lack of preparedness in Penzance.
Covered by fire from the guns aboard the galleys, the full Spanish force advanced along the shore towards the town. Once again, the Cornish forces were seized with panic; Godolphin vainly tried to make them stand in the marketplace, beating at the fugitives with his sword, but found himself deserted by all but his own servants and four or five of the local gentry.
The Spaniards, largely ignoring his efforts, were occupying the town all around him, and putting it to the torch. As Penzance went up in flames, Godolphin and his followers retired in haste about 2 miles eastwards around the Bay to the village of Marazion, intending to defend the causeway leading to St. Michael's Mount, which was already garrisoned, but must have seemed a likely enemy objective.
The Spaniards, after reportedly celebrating Mass on a hillside above Penzance, had returned to their ships, which now lay at anchor in the Bay. By evening several hundred more of the Cornish Trained Band had arrived at Marazion, and were preparing, with an unknown degree of enthusiasm, to defend that place against any further landing. If the Spaniards had come ashore again that evening, the amount of effective resistance which they would have encountered must be questionable, but in the event they made no further move until next day, when they made an apparent attempt to land again on the West side of the Bay, but were deterred by the increasing numbers of Cornish militia now appearing, who opened fire on the Spaniards with sufficient effect as to cause them to draw further out into the Bay out of range.
Godolphin's situation was now improving considerably; he had been joined from Plymouth by a professional soldier, Sir Nicholas Clifford, with up to 200 regulars, and some ships from Drake and Hawkins' force were reported to be off the Lizard. Whether the Spaniards attempted another landing or not, their best opportunity had passed, and indeed their position was becoming increasingly perilous. Apart from the fact that the prevailing South Easterly wind favoured the English ships, making it impossible for the galleys to use their sails to get out of Mount's Bay, they were also still short of water.
But now, before the Royal Navy could come up, the wind suddenly shifted to the North West, and the galleys quickly headed for the safety of the open sea, having dumped ashore such prisoners as they had taken.
The remainder of Don Carlos de Amesquita's cruise was undistinguished; the galleys sighted a large fleet of hulks, and attacked some stragglers, sinking one, but one of the Spanish galleys was so badly damaged that its crew were forced to scuttle it, and the expedition returned to Blavet without further incident. AFTERMATH


The affair at Mount's Bay is an interesting "might have been" of history, and for the wargamer provides an opportunity to fight some small-scale or skirmish actions of the period on home soil. It also possibly provides a not altogether encouraging insight for the English into what might have happened if the Spaniards had ever succeeded in making a large-scale landing on English soil. Although the regular forces saw no action, the lack of motivation displayed by the local forces, who played a key part in defence plans was a source of alarm to the authorities, who launched a full-scale enquiry into what had happened. Ralegh was sent on what he described as "a miserable journey into Cornwall" to recommend improvements in defence measures, though he pointed out that the main problems were caused by geography.
In the event there was a good deal of discussion, and numerous proposals made, but it is not clear that very much was actually done. If either of the later Armadas of the 1590's had succeeded in making a landing, it is arguable that Cornish resistance would have been no more effective than in 1595. But, though the galleys continued to prowl the Channel until the end of the war, no other landing of note ever took place.
Related Article

• Later Elizabethan Defense Plans

Sources


Graham, Winston "The Spanish Armadas" 1972.
Historical .Manuscripts Commission "Salisbury MSS"
Rowse, A.L. "Tudor Cornwall" 1941.
Tincey, John "The Armada Campaign, 1588". 1988. Back to Renaissance Notes & Queries Subscription Info
© Copyright 1992 by Partizan Press. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com



Carlos de Amézola = Carlos de Amesquita

[Hyeronimus]

UNA PICA EN... ¿CORNUALLES?

No mucho tiempo ha pasado desde mi primera encamisada, de la cual hoy todavía curo mis heridas. Convaleciente aún, pero con las ganas que la inexperiencia procura, aguardo la próxima con la misma inquietud, pero con la serenidad que la experiencia proporciona, pues habiendo sentido el frío del acero en mi piel, resulta menos pesaroso encaminarse a su encuentro.
Cada día que pasa, se abren más y más frentes en la campaña en la que me hallo, siendo difícil distinguir cual será la más honrosa, o cual me procurará más lauros. Entonces como buen Rodelero, sigo las ordenes que mi ímpetu me dicta, dejando atrás las aspiraciones que un día me hicieron enrolarme al sonido de la caja.


Mi destino hoy se encamina hacia un gran hecho poco conocido, - la historia se encuentra llena de ellos -, pero a causa de la memoria intencionada de los países, o mejor dicho de sus gobernantes, quedan difusos u ocultos entre otros muchos de una inusitada importancia, haciendo de ellos una verdad imperecedera.


Creo que es hora de comenzar, para ello nos subiremos a la línea del tiempo que va desde el 1585 hasta 1604, periodo en que el Imperio Español se encontraba en constante guerra con Inglaterra, el Imperio Otomano, Francia, las provincias rebeldes de Flandes, y como no, la incesante salvaguarda de sus provincias de ultramar.


Ya situados en ese lugar, todo comienza a oler a madera, acero y cuero, por cuanto como digo, era una época de guerra, sitios, batallas y tomas. Batallas que se libraban en tierra firme, pero que también se libraban en el mar y en mayor medida - creo yo- se libraron en escritos, textos, libros y soflamas inteligentemente dirigidas a confundir y cambiar la realidad de los hechos, consiguiéndolo en ocasiones.


La más conocida fue la mal llamada DERROTA DE LA ARMADA INVENCIBLE en 1588, calificada así por los ingleses para aumentar más conscientemente las proporciones de la derrota infligida a las naves hispánicas, ya que la armada fue inicialmente bautizada por su patrocinador Felipe II como la GRANDE Y FELICÍSIMA ARMADA. Debió ser que la Grande, se les quedó Pequeña...en fin, esa es otra guerra.





Pero no, no voy a hablar de la Felicísima Armada como a mí y a Felipe II nos gusta llamarla...sino como dije antes, de un hecho menos conocido.


Diferentes historiadores británicos, han afirmado - no sin cierto alarde - que desde la invasión Normanda en 1066, ninguna otra tropa o fuerza extranjera había podido desembarcar en sus islas. Bien, sabemos que esto nunca lo consiguieron otros países o coaliciones, con una excepción, ESPAÑA.


Año 1595.


Sí, así es, Inglaterra fue invadida. Sus costas fueron tomadas por un puñado de soldados españoles, robados sus cañones, saqueadas y quemadas varias ciudades. Pero todo esto ocurrió como les cuento a continuación.
Tras la llegada al trono de Francia del protestante Enrique III de Navarra, ni el Papa ni el Rey de España le reconocieron como Rey de Francia, por lo que Felipe II mandó tropas al país Galo. Inglaterra como enemigo natural de España y protestante, apoyó al monarca sobrevenido mandando también tropas. Fue entonces donde comienza la historia que les voy a contar...
Una vez más los intereses de estas dos naciones se enfrentaban, y como reacción, nuestro rey ordenó a Juan de Águila, organizar una operación de castigo contra Inglaterra.
Juan de Águila no era cualquier persona, o pudiera decirse que en el contexto de esa época sí lo era, puesto que hablamos de un tiempo de hombres de fortuna, honor y valentía, y cierto es que en España también eso abundaba y mucho. Para describirlo, solo citaré las palabras con las que fue presentado a Felipe II " Señor, conozca Vuestra Majestad a un hombre que nació sin miedo". Dicho y retratado queda.
El "hombre sin miedo", encomendó organizar la expedición a Amésquita, el cual reunió tres Compañías de Arcabuceros - que no serían mas de unos 400 hombres- y con cuatro Galeras (Patrona, Peregrina, Capitana y Bazana), el 26 de Julio partieron desde Blavet rumbo a Inglaterra, nada más y nada menos. Podemos imaginar a ese puñado de hombres navegando rumbo a Inglaterra, con la orden expresa de tomar sus playas, campos, ciudades y bosques, ah, y enfrentados a los elementos que siempre les fueron hostiles.





Antes de llegar a su destino, fondearon en Penmarch con la finalidad de aprovisionarse. Ya quedaba poco, así el 2 de Agosto, sin hacer ruido desembarcaron en la Bahía de Mounts (Cornualles) al sur de Inglaterra. Todo esto ocurría ante la mirada atónita y aterrada de las Milicias inglesas, las cuales mayores en número, al ver fondear a los soldados españoles presas del pánico huyeron abandonando sus armas. Y es que no les faltaba razón, en esos tiempos la infantería española era la más temida, siendo muy recurrida ésta frase entre sus enemigos..."A los españoles por mar los quiero ver, porque si los vemos por tierra, San Jorge nos proteja".





De esta manera todo quedaba propicio para los hombres de Amésquita, los cuales en tan solo dos días que anduvieron por esas inhóspitas tierras, habían tomado y quemado las localidades de Mousehole, Paul, Newlyn y Penzance. Continuando su exitosa marcha, desmontando los cañones de varios Fuertes Ingleses, los cuales fueron convenientemente transportaron hasta sus Galeras. Mientras, se producían escaramuzas con grupos de ingleses que no fructificaban, gracias a la fuerte combatibilidad de los soldados españoles, veteranos en tantas y tantas batallas.
Ya ven mis asombrados lectores lo que sucedió en esas dos jornadas en tierra "hereje", la tierra que años anteriores no pudo abordar la mayor armada jamás vista, ahora con solo un puñado de hombres y cuatro Galeras quedaba ultrajada. Al final de la jornada, en todo un alarde de simbolismo, se celebró una misa católica, no sin antes jurar regresar a ese mismo lugar cuando Inglaterra fuera tomada, y construir una Iglesia.





Alcanzados los objetivos encomendados, embarcaron de nuevo rumbo a España, y una vez en alta mar se deshicieron de los prisioneros lanzándolos por la borda. Una embarcación Inglesa les esperaba, con la intención de truncar su huida, y tras un combate breve, ésta fue deshecha por la artillería española. También el grupo de galeras, en su regreso tuvo que esquivar una flota de guerra comandada por Francis Drake y John Hawkins y enfrentarse a una flota Anglo-holandesa compuesta nada menos que por 46 barcos.
Como ven toda una proeza que únicamente se saldó con 20 bajas, todas ellas ocasionadas en el enfrentamiento con la flota anglo-holandesa, que unida a otras victorias dio la hegemonía a España tras el Tratado de Londres de 1604.


Acabada mi segunda encamisada, me retiro aún portando mis armas y la vida, que no es poco ¡pardiez!.

LA ENCAMISADA..."PASANDO REVISTA A LA HISTORIA".

LA ENCAMISADA: mayo 2013