Antonio de Oquendo
Encyclopedia
Antonio de Oquendo was a Spanish admiral; in 1639 he was in command of the Spanish forces at the Battle of the Downs
.
. In 1594 he entered naval service. He first commanded the Delfín de Escocia and later the Dobladilla, both light ships. On 7 August 1604 he captured an English privateer
. In 1607 he was appointed commander of the Biscay
squadron, which was that year enlarged and renamed the squadron of the Bay of Biscay
. From the same year he also functioned as the General of the Fleet of the Viceroyalty of New Spain.
In 1619 he temporarily replaced Juan Fajardo de Entenza y de Guevara, arrested for insubordination, as commander of the Squadron of the Ocean, the Atlantic high seas navy. Ordered to be Fajardo's successor he refused, at the same time trying to make the government aware of the many shortcomings in the naval organisation; as a result he was himself incarcerated. Soon his imprisonment was changed for a forced stay in a convent. After a while Prince Philbert arranged his release; De Oquendo was then given command for a few years of the yearly Spanish treasure fleet
, transporting the silver from the Andes to Spain.
In 1624 he was brought to trial on accusations of fraud and nepotism
but managed to show that the charges were fabricated by his enemies within the fleet. Nevertheless he was barred from command of the treasure fleet for four years and condemned to pay an indemnity of 12,000 ducat
s for having caused the loss of the galleons Espíritu Santo and Santísima Trinidad near Cuba through neglect of duty.
, at the time besieged by the Moors
.
In 1631 he commanded a troop convoy destined for Brazil, to retake the city of Pernambuco
, the previous year conquered by the Dutch West India Company
. On 12 September he engaged and defeated a Dutch WIC fleet under Admiral Adriaan Pater, allowing him to successfully land the troop contingent. The Spanish lost one vessel, the Dutch three. De Oquendo was now promoted to the highest rank, that of Captain-General.
In 1636 he was arrested for duelling an Italian nobleman in Madrid
. In 1637 he refused to reinforce the fleet of the Kingdom of Naples
because his squadron was undermanned and poorly supplied. He was punished by being appointed governor of Mahon
, the capital of the island of Minorca
.
had blocked the usual land route to the Army of Flanders and in August De Oquendo was made a viscount
and given command of a large transport fleet to ship reinforcements from Cadiz
to Dunkirk. On 15 September he was intercepted near the Strait of Dover
by the squadron of Dutch Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp
, who was reinforced two days later by a flotilla of Vice-Admiral Witte de With.
Though the Dutch force was rather small, consisting of only seventeen vessels, it managed by a clever use of the line-of-battle to severely damage the larger and crowded Spanish ships. De Oquendo feared that if he entered the narrow channel to Dunkirk, he would be trapped in that port, so he opted to take refuge in The Downs
, in neutral English waters at the coast of Kent
. As Charles I of England
had concluded a secret treaty with Spain against the Dutch, De Oquendo hoped to move his troops to Flanders by means of English shipping. On 31 October the Dutch fleet, grown to over a hundred ships, violated English neutrality and attacked the Spanish fleet
, succeeding in destroying or capturing many enemy vessels. De Oquendo himself escaped but was heavily wounded and morally broken. He never fully recovered. After his return to Spain he soon died in La Coruña.
Battle of the Downs
The naval Battle of the Downs took place on 31 October 1639 , during the Eighty Years' War, and was a decisive defeat of the Spanish, commanded by Admiral Antonio de Oquendo, by the United Provinces, commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp.- Background :The entry of France in the Thirty...
.
Naval career
Antonio was the son of Captain-General Miguel de OquendoMiguel de Oquendo
Miguel de Oquendo y Segura, Spanish Admiral. Born in Guipuzcoa, died at sea in 1588.He was the father of Antonio de Oquendo.-Principal events of his life:*1575 Took part with his owm ship in the voyage of Orán....
. In 1594 he entered naval service. He first commanded the Delfín de Escocia and later the Dobladilla, both light ships. On 7 August 1604 he captured an English privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
. In 1607 he was appointed commander of the Biscay
Biscay
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
squadron, which was that year enlarged and renamed the squadron of the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
. From the same year he also functioned as the General of the Fleet of the Viceroyalty of New Spain.
In 1619 he temporarily replaced Juan Fajardo de Entenza y de Guevara, arrested for insubordination, as commander of the Squadron of the Ocean, the Atlantic high seas navy. Ordered to be Fajardo's successor he refused, at the same time trying to make the government aware of the many shortcomings in the naval organisation; as a result he was himself incarcerated. Soon his imprisonment was changed for a forced stay in a convent. After a while Prince Philbert arranged his release; De Oquendo was then given command for a few years of the yearly Spanish treasure fleet
Spanish treasure fleet
The Spanish treasure fleets was a convoy system adopted by the Spanish Empire from 1566 to 1790...
, transporting the silver from the Andes to Spain.
In 1624 he was brought to trial on accusations of fraud and nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
but managed to show that the charges were fabricated by his enemies within the fleet. Nevertheless he was barred from command of the treasure fleet for four years and condemned to pay an indemnity of 12,000 ducat
Ducat
The ducat is a gold coin that was used as a trade coin throughout Europe before World War I. Its weight is 3.4909 grams of .986 gold, which is 0.1107 troy ounce, actual gold weight...
s for having caused the loss of the galleons Espíritu Santo and Santísima Trinidad near Cuba through neglect of duty.
Later promotions
In 1626 De Oquendo became Admiral-General of the Ocean Fleet, under Captain-General Fadrique de Toledo. In 1628 by his own initiative he relieved La MámoraLa Mamora
La Mamora, La Mámora, Mehedía or San Miguel de Ultramar, was the Spanish name given to the current Moroccan city of Mehdia during the 17th century. It is located in northern Morocco, at the mouth of the Sebou River, in its West bank...
, at the time besieged by the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
.
In 1631 he commanded a troop convoy destined for Brazil, to retake the city of Pernambuco
Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
, the previous year conquered by the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
. On 12 September he engaged and defeated a Dutch WIC fleet under Admiral Adriaan Pater, allowing him to successfully land the troop contingent. The Spanish lost one vessel, the Dutch three. De Oquendo was now promoted to the highest rank, that of Captain-General.
In 1636 he was arrested for duelling an Italian nobleman in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. In 1637 he refused to reinforce the fleet of the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
because his squadron was undermanned and poorly supplied. He was punished by being appointed governor of Mahon
Mahon
Mahón is a municipality and the capital city of the Balearic Island of Minorca , located in the eastern part of the island. Mahon has the second deepest natural harbor in the world: 5 km long and up to 900m. wide...
, the capital of the island of Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
.
Role in the Battle of the Downs
However in 1639 the situation of Spain in the Thirty Years War strongly deteriorated. FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
had blocked the usual land route to the Army of Flanders and in August De Oquendo was made a viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
and given command of a large transport fleet to ship reinforcements from Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
to Dunkirk. On 15 September he was intercepted near the Strait of Dover
Strait of Dover
The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel. The shortest distance across the strait is from the South Foreland, 6 kilometres northeast of Dover in the county of Kent, England, to Cap Gris Nez, a cape near to Calais in the French of...
by the squadron of Dutch Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp
Maarten Tromp
Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp was an officer and later admiral in the Dutch navy. His first name is also spelled as Maerten.-Early life:...
, who was reinforced two days later by a flotilla of Vice-Admiral Witte de With.
Though the Dutch force was rather small, consisting of only seventeen vessels, it managed by a clever use of the line-of-battle to severely damage the larger and crowded Spanish ships. De Oquendo feared that if he entered the narrow channel to Dunkirk, he would be trapped in that port, so he opted to take refuge in The Downs
The Downs
The Downs are a roadstead or area of sea in the southern North Sea near the English Channel off the east Kent coast, between the North and the South Foreland in southern England. In 1639 the Battle of the Downs took place here, when the Dutch navy destroyed a Spanish fleet which had sought refuge...
, in neutral English waters at the coast of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. As Charles I of England
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
had concluded a secret treaty with Spain against the Dutch, De Oquendo hoped to move his troops to Flanders by means of English shipping. On 31 October the Dutch fleet, grown to over a hundred ships, violated English neutrality and attacked the Spanish fleet
Battle of the Downs
The naval Battle of the Downs took place on 31 October 1639 , during the Eighty Years' War, and was a decisive defeat of the Spanish, commanded by Admiral Antonio de Oquendo, by the United Provinces, commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp.- Background :The entry of France in the Thirty...
, succeeding in destroying or capturing many enemy vessels. De Oquendo himself escaped but was heavily wounded and morally broken. He never fully recovered. After his return to Spain he soon died in La Coruña.