John Blossett
Encyclopedia
Colonel John Blossett was a British soldier who led the second British Legion
to aid Simon Bolivar
in the wars of independence
against Spain
.
Born in Ireland
, the great-grandson of Huguenot
Brigadier-General Salomon Blosset de Loche
who had assisted William of Orange
in the taking of the British Crown in 1688, Blossett entered the British Army in 1798, serving in the 10th Foot and rising to the level of Captain in 1814 and Major at the time of his discharge from the army in 1817. In 1819 Blossett was awarded the rank of Colonel by Simon Bolivar
as leader of the British expedition to assist him in the war of independence, taking over from General James Towers English
. Having fought a number of duels throughout his career Blossett was fatally shot by Colonel Power whilst on the expedition in South America.
His granddaughter was the actress Ethel Lavenu
, whose son Tyrone Power, Sr.
and grandson Tyrone Power
were both famous actors.
British Legions
The British Legion or British Legions were foreign volunteer units that fought under Simón Bolívar against Spain for the independence of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru. The Venezuelans called them the Albion Legion...
to aid Simon Bolivar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
in the wars of independence
South American Wars of Independence
The Latin American Wars of Independence were the various revolutions that took place during the late 18th and early 19th centuries and resulted in the creation of a number of independent countries in Latin America. These revolutions followed the American and French Revolutions, which had profound...
against Spain
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...
.
Born in Ireland
Ireland
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...
, the great-grandson of Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
Brigadier-General Salomon Blosset de Loche
Salomon Blosset de Loche
Brigadier-General Salomon de Blosset, Seigneur de Loche was a Huguenot army officer.Born in the Dauphiné to Paul de Blosset, Seigneur des Eissarts, from a family of Huguenots who had left their original home of the Nivernais during the French Wars of Religion Brigadier-General Salomon de Blosset,...
who had assisted William of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
in the taking of the British Crown in 1688, Blossett entered the British Army in 1798, serving in the 10th Foot and rising to the level of Captain in 1814 and Major at the time of his discharge from the army in 1817. In 1819 Blossett was awarded the rank of Colonel by Simon Bolivar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
as leader of the British expedition to assist him in the war of independence, taking over from General James Towers English
James Towers English
James Towers English was an Irish commander of British Legions forces in the South American wars of independence....
. Having fought a number of duels throughout his career Blossett was fatally shot by Colonel Power whilst on the expedition in South America.
His granddaughter was the actress Ethel Lavenu
Ethel Lavenu
Ethel Lavenu was a British stage actress. She was the mother of stage and silent screen actor Tyrone Power, Sr., and grandmother of the Hollywood film star Tyrone Power....
, whose son Tyrone Power, Sr.
Tyrone Power, Sr.
Frederick Tyrone Edmond Power was an English-born American stage and screen actor, who acted under the name Tyrone Power.-Early life:Power was born in London in 1869, the son of Harold Littledale Power and Ethel Lavenu...
and grandson Tyrone Power
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as Ty Power, was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan,...
were both famous actors.
External links
- El motín de la Legión Británica (The Mutiny of the British Legion]