Carlos de Amésquita

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Carlos de Amésquita ( Carlos de Amézqueta also Carlos de Amézola ) was a Spanish naval officer of the 16th century.

On August 2, 1595, during the Spanish-English War (1585-1604) , four Spanish galleons - the "Capitana", "Patrona", "Peregrina", and "Bazana" - landed in Cornwall. They were actually part of the Breton Coast Guard, but they made it to Mount's Bay in Cornwall . Commander De Amésquita and a few hundred marines pillaged the Mousehole settlement and went back on board to burn a fort two miles further at Penzance . The local militias had fled at the sight of the Spaniards. After a mass they sailed back to France, although the now alarmed English fleet under Francis Drake and John Hawkins tried to intercept them.

The attack by the De Amésquita flotilla was one of the few successful Spanish attacks on English soil. But not the first, a unit under Fernando Sánchez de Tovar was successful around 100 years earlier.

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personal data
SURNAME Amésquita, Carlos de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Amézola, Carlos de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish naval officer
DATE OF BIRTH 16th Century
DATE OF DEATH after 1595