Joaquín Blake y Joyes
Encyclopedia
Joaquín Blake y Joyes was a Spanish
military officer who served with distinction in the French Revolutionary
and Peninsular
wars.
descent -his mother was from Galicia and his father an Irishman-, Blake was born at Málaga
to an aristocratic family. In his youth, he saw action as a lieutenant
of the grenadiers in the American Revolutionary War
, taking part in the abortive siege of Gibraltar
and the 1783 reconquest of Minorca
from the British.
At the outbreak of war with France
in 1793, Blake, a captain, took part in the invasion of Roussillon
under General Ricardos
. He was wounded at San-Lorenzo-de-la-Muga in 1794.
. He was appointed head of the Supreme Junta's
Army of Galicia (a paper force of 43,001 holding the Spanish left wing along the Cantabrian mountains
) during the French invasions and fought well against Napoleon's Grande Armée despite the heavy odds against him.
Blake and Cuesta
were defeated on 14 July at Medina del Rio Seco
. Following the general French retreat prompted by the disaster at Bailén
, Blake took up positions opposite the enemy on the banks of the Ebro
. On 31 October Marshal Lefebvre
's IV Corps fell upon Blake's 19,000 men at Pancorbo
, turning back the hesitant Spanish advance. To his credit, Blake retreated swiftly and in good order, preventing Napoleon's planned envelopment and annihilation of the Spanish flank.
Furious, the Emperor
dispatched Lefebvre and Victor
in pursuit, the latter ordered to outmaneuver Blake and sweep across his line of retreat. The French were careless and allowed their forces to disperse during the pursuit. On 5 November Blake surprised his enemies again when, at Valmaseda, he suddenly turned about and attacked the French vanguard with seasoned troops
, inflicting a stinging defeat on General Vilatte's leading division. However, another French corps
then joined the chase, and Blake raced west once more to evade encirclement.
Blake chose to make another stand at Espinosa
on 10 November. Victor, intent on avenging himself for his earlier humiliations at the hands of Blake, spent the day recklessly flinging his divisions against the Spaniards without success. The next day, however, a well-coordinated French attack shattered Blake's center and drove his army from the field in rout.
Although Blake lost only 3,001 men on the battlefield, many thousands more were dispersed in the hopeless confusion of retreat as the Spanish front disintegrated. Knowing the Army of Galicia to be irreparably shattered, Blake embarked on a grueling march west into the hills, outdistancing his pursuers under Soult
. He reached Léon on 23 November with only 10,000 men. Command of what remained of the Army of Galicia then passed to General Pedro Caro y Sureda, 3rd marqués de La Romana
.
, which in the final years of the war began to restore coherence to the country's military enterprises. Poor battlefield performance had in large part been caused by the lethargy, mismanagement, and incoordination of Spain's fragmented military administration.
On 16 May 1811 Blake fought the French at Battle of Albuera
alongside William Beresford
's Anglo
–Portuguese
army. The Spaniards under Blake's command successfully held the allied flank against a strong French infantry, earning him a promotion to Captain General
.
Blake was then transferred to eastern Spain to combat Marshal
Suchet
's advance on Valencia
. Blake, after several defeats, ended up trapped in the city with his army, eventually surrendering on 8 January 1812 with his 16,000 troops, which marked the high point of French successes in eastern Spain.
of the Spanish Royal Army
. Blake died in 1827.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
military officer who served with distinction in the French Revolutionary
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and Peninsular
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
wars.
Early military career
Partially of IrishIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
descent -his mother was from Galicia and his father an Irishman-, Blake was born at Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
to an aristocratic family. In his youth, he saw action as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
of the grenadiers in the American Revolutionary War
Spain in the American Revolutionary War
Spain actively supported the Thirteen Colonies throughout the American Revolutionary War, beginning in 1776 by jointly funding Roderigue Hortalez and Company, a trading company that provided critical military supplies, through financing the final Siege of Yorktown in 1781 with a collection of gold...
, taking part in the abortive siege of Gibraltar
Siege of Gibraltar
The Siege of Gibraltar can refer to several historical events:* Siege of Gibraltar – first siege of Gibraltar, by Juan Alfonso de Guzman el Bueno in the Reconquista...
and the 1783 reconquest of Minorca
Invasion of Minorca, 1781
The Franco-Spanish conquest of Minorca from its British defenders in February 1782, after the Siege of Fort St. Philip lasting over five months, was an important step in the achievement of Spain's aims in its alliance with France against Britain during the American War of Independence...
from the British.
At the outbreak of war with France
War of the Pyrenees
War of the Pyrenees refers to the Pyrenees front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic. Also known as Great War, War of Roussillon, or War of the Convention, it pitted Revolutionary France against the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal from March 1793 to July 1795 during the...
in 1793, Blake, a captain, took part in the invasion of Roussillon
Roussillon
Roussillon is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales...
under General Ricardos
Antonio Ricardos
Antonio Ricardos Carrillo de Albornoz was a Spanish general. He joined the army of the Kingdom of Spain and fought against Habsburg Austria, the Portugal, and the First French Republic during a long military career. By embracing the Spanish Enlightenment, he earned the displeasure of conservative...
. He was wounded at San-Lorenzo-de-la-Muga in 1794.
Peninsular War
Exploits in the field led to further promotions, and by the start of the Peninsular War in 1808, Blake held the rank of Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
. He was appointed head of the Supreme Junta's
Junta (Peninsular War)
In the Napoleonic era, junta was the name chosen by several local administrations formed in Spain during the Peninsular War as a patriotic alternative to the official administration toppled by the French invaders...
Army of Galicia (a paper force of 43,001 holding the Spanish left wing along the Cantabrian mountains
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
) during the French invasions and fought well against Napoleon's Grande Armée despite the heavy odds against him.
Blake and Cuesta
Gregorio García de la Cuesta
Gregorio García de la Cuesta y Fernández de Celis was a prominent Spanish general of the Peninsular War.-Early career:Born in La Lastra, Cantabria, to a family of petty nobles, Cuesta entered military service in 1758 as a member of the Spanish Royal Guards Regiment. He saw several successes as a...
were defeated on 14 July at Medina del Rio Seco
Battle of Medina del Rio Seco
The Battle of Medina de Rioseco was fought during the Peninsular War on 14 July 1808 when a combined body of Spanish militia and regulars moved to rupture the French line of communications to Madrid...
. Following the general French retreat prompted by the disaster at Bailén
Battle of Bailén
The Battle of Bailén was contested in 1808 between the Spanish Army of Andalusia, led by Generals Francisco Castaños and Theodor von Reding, and the Imperial French Army's II corps d'observation de la Gironde under General Pierre Dupont de l'Étang...
, Blake took up positions opposite the enemy on the banks of the Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
. On 31 October Marshal Lefebvre
Charles, comte Lefebvre-Desnouettes
Charles, comte Lefebvre-Desnouettes or Lefèbvre-Desnoëttes became a French officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and a general during the Napoleonic Wars...
's IV Corps fell upon Blake's 19,000 men at Pancorbo
Battle of Pancorbo
The Battle of Pancorbo was one of the opening engagements in Napoleon's invasion of Spain.- Background :On October 31, 1808, Marshal François Lefebvre bloodied the Army of Galicia under Lieutenant General Joaquín Blake but failed to encircle or destroy it, upsetting both the Emperor and the French...
, turning back the hesitant Spanish advance. To his credit, Blake retreated swiftly and in good order, preventing Napoleon's planned envelopment and annihilation of the Spanish flank.
Furious, the Emperor
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
dispatched Lefebvre and Victor
Claude Victor-Perrin, duc de Belluno
Claude Victor-Perrin, First Duc de Belluno was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
in pursuit, the latter ordered to outmaneuver Blake and sweep across his line of retreat. The French were careless and allowed their forces to disperse during the pursuit. On 5 November Blake surprised his enemies again when, at Valmaseda, he suddenly turned about and attacked the French vanguard with seasoned troops
Division of the North
The Division of the North was a 19th century Spanish division.The division was composed of 15,000 men, and commanded by Pedro Caro y Sureda. Spain being an ally of France, the unit spent 1807 and 1808 performing garrison duties in Hamburg under Marshal Bernadotte...
, inflicting a stinging defeat on General Vilatte's leading division. However, another French corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
then joined the chase, and Blake raced west once more to evade encirclement.
Blake chose to make another stand at Espinosa
Battle of Espinosa
The Battle of Espinosa was a battle of the Napoleonic Wars, fought on November 10 and November 11, 1808 at the township of Espinosa de los Monteros in the Cantabrian Mountains...
on 10 November. Victor, intent on avenging himself for his earlier humiliations at the hands of Blake, spent the day recklessly flinging his divisions against the Spaniards without success. The next day, however, a well-coordinated French attack shattered Blake's center and drove his army from the field in rout.
Although Blake lost only 3,001 men on the battlefield, many thousands more were dispersed in the hopeless confusion of retreat as the Spanish front disintegrated. Knowing the Army of Galicia to be irreparably shattered, Blake embarked on a grueling march west into the hills, outdistancing his pursuers under Soult
Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult
Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia , the Hand of Iron, was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804. He was one of only six officers in French history to receive the distinction of Marshal General of France...
. He reached Léon on 23 November with only 10,000 men. Command of what remained of the Army of Galicia then passed to General Pedro Caro y Sureda, 3rd marqués de La Romana
Pedro Caro y Sureda, 3rd marqués de La Romana
Don Pedro Caro y Sureda, 3rd Marquis of la Romana was a Spanish general of the Peninsular War.-Biography:...
.
Battle of Albuera
In 1810, Blake participated in the creation of a Spanish General StaffGeneral Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
, which in the final years of the war began to restore coherence to the country's military enterprises. Poor battlefield performance had in large part been caused by the lethargy, mismanagement, and incoordination of Spain's fragmented military administration.
On 16 May 1811 Blake fought the French at Battle of Albuera
Battle of Albuera
The Battle of Albuera was an indecisive battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about 20 kilometres south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz, Spain.From...
alongside William Beresford
William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford
General William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, 1st Marquis of Campo Maior, GCB, GCH, GCTE, PC , was a British soldier and politician...
's Anglo
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
–Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
army. The Spaniards under Blake's command successfully held the allied flank against a strong French infantry, earning him a promotion to Captain General
Captain General
Captain general is a high military rank and a gubernatorial title.-History:This term Captain General started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of commander in chief of an army in the field, probably the first usage of the term General in military settings...
.
Blake was then transferred to eastern Spain to combat Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
Suchet
Suchet
Suchet may refer to:* David Suchet , British actor* Jack Suchet , British physician; father of David and John* John Suchet , British newsreader* Louis Gabriel Suchet , French marshal...
's advance on Valencia
Valencia (city in Spain)
Valencia or València is the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 809,267 in 2010. It is the 15th-most populous municipality in the European Union...
. Blake, after several defeats, ended up trapped in the city with his army, eventually surrendering on 8 January 1812 with his 16,000 troops, which marked the high point of French successes in eastern Spain.
Later life
In 1815 Blake was made Chief EngineerCombat engineering
A combat engineer, also called pioneer or sapper in many armies, is a soldier who performs a variety of construction and demolition tasks under combat conditions...
of the Spanish Royal Army
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...
. Blake died in 1827.
External links
Further reading
- Alexander, Don W. Rod of Iron: French Counterinsurgency Policy in Aragon During the Peninsular War (SR Books 1985) ISBN 084202218X.
- Esdaile, Charles J. The Spanish Army in the Peninsular War (Manchester University Press 1988) ISBN 0719025389.
- Fletcher, Ian Bloody Albuera: The 1811 Campaign in the Peninsular War (Crowood 2001) ISBN 1861263724.
- Gates, David The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War (W W Norton 1986) ISBN 0393022811.
- Oliver, Michael The Battle of Albuera 1811: Glorious Field of Grief (Pen and Sword 2007) ISBN 1844154610.