Juan Martínez de Recalde
Juan Martínez de Recalde | |
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| Birth name | Juan Martinez de Recalde |
| Nickname(s) | Recalde |
| Born | c. 1540 Bilbao, Biscay, Crown of Castile, Spain |
| Died | 22 October 1588 (aged 47-48) A Coruña, Spain |
| Allegiance | Spain |
| Service/ | Spanish Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Order of Santiago [knight] |
Admiral Juan Martínez de Recalde, KOS (c. 1540 – 23 October 1588) was a Spanish Navy officer who was named admiral of the fleet and second-in-command of the Spanish Armada, and commanded the San Juan de Portugal. He was a knight of the Order of Santiago
.
Life and career
Juan Martínez de Recalde was born in
expeditions to the Azores in the early 1580s.[2]
Later that decade, he was granted command of an operation to oppose the English in
Duke of Medina-Sidonia.[2] He commanded the Biscayan squadron in the battle,[1] but rather than command that squadron's flagship, the Santa Ana a 30-gun vessel,[3] he commanded the vice-flagship of the principal squadron, the San Juan de Portugal a larger, 50-gun ship.[4][5] He was also second-in-command of the entire fleet.[1] Despite his role, de Recalde had little operational power, and lacking support from the Duke, he underwent a number of battles below fighting strength.[2] In addition, although he was second-in-command, he would have not gained operational command of the fleet had the Duke died; this would have instead passed to the nobly born Don Alonso Martínez de Leiva.[6]
He was separated from the fleet in one skirmish in July 1588, and had to battle with several of the most powerful English ships. Although he survived the battle, he lost a significant number of men, and his ships suffered heavy damage. Towards the end of the operation, he was forced to put into port in Ireland, and then returned to A Coruña, suffering from fever and battle wounds. He died a few days after his squadron docked at the port.[2]
References
Bibliography
- Martin, Colin; Parker, Geoffrey (1999) [1988]. The Spanish Armada. Manchester University Press. ISBN 1-901341-14-3.
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