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| Keywords: indoor Robert Blake (1599 — 17 August 1657) was one of the most important military commanders of the Commonwealth of England, and one of the most famous English admirals of the 17th century. Blake was one of thirteen siblings born to a merchant in Bridgwater, Somerset, where he attended Bridgwater Grammar School For Boys. After attending Wadham College, Oxford, he had hoped to follow an academic career, but failed to secure a fellowship to Merton College, probably because of his political and religious views (although it is said his height, 5 foot 6 inches, went against him). Having returned to Bridgwater, probably because of the death of his mother in 1638, he decided to stand for election to Parliament. In 1640 Blake was elected as the Member of Parliament for Bridgwater in the Short Parliament. When the English Civil War broke out during the period of the Long Parliament, and having failed to be re-elected, Blake began his military career on the side of the parliamentarians despite having no substantial experience of military or naval matters. He would later return to serve in the Barebone's Parliament of 1653 for some months when recovering from an injury sustained in the Battle of Portland, before returning to sea. Blake's most famous exploits on land were at the Siege of Bristol (July 1643), Siege of Lyme (April 1644), Siege of Taunton (1645) and the Siege of Dunster (November 1645). At Taunton he famously declared that he would eat three of his four pairs of boots before he would surrender. Blake was appointed General at Sea (a rank corresponding to Admiral) in 1649, and is often referred to as the "Father of the Royal Navy". As well as being largely responsible for building the largest navy the country had then ever known, from a few tens of ships to well over a hundred, he was first to keep a fleet at sea over the winter. He developed new techniques to conduct blockades and landings; his "Sailing instructions" and "Fighting Instructions", which were major overhauls of naval tactics written while recovering from injury in 1653, were the foundation of English Naval tactics in the Age of Sail. He was also the first to repeatedly successfully attack despite fire from shore forts. On 11 January 1649 Prince Rupert of the Rhine led 8 undermanned ships to Kinsale in Ireland in an attempt to prevent the Parliamentarians taking Ireland from the Royalists. Blake blockaded Rupert's fleet in Kinsale from 22 May, allowing Oliver Cromwell to land at Dublin on 15 August. Blake was driven off by a storm in October and Rupert escaped via Spain to Lisbon, where Rupert had expanded his fleet to 13 ships. Blake put to sea with 12 ships in February 1650 and dropped anchor off Lisbon in an attempt to persuade the Portuguese king to expel Rupert. After 2 months the king decided to back Rupert. Blake was joined by another 4 warships commanded by Edward Popham, who brought authority to go to war with Portugal. Rupert twice failed to break the blockade, which was finally raised after Blake sailed for Cádiz with 7 ships he captured as a result of a three-hour engagement with 23 ships of the Portuguese fleet, during which the Portuguese Vice-Admiral was also sunk. Blake re-engaged with Rupert, now with 6 ships, on 3 November near Málaga, capturing 1 ship. Two days later the other of Rupert's ships in the area were driven ashore attempting to escape from Cartagena, securing Parliamentarian supremacy at sea, and the recognition of the Parliamentary government by many European states. Parliament voted Blake 1000 pounds by way of thanks in February 1651. In June of the same year Blake captured the Isles of Scilly, the last outpost of the Royalist navy, for which he again received Parliament's thanks. Soon after he was made a member of the Council of State. Thanks to its command of the sea, the fleet was able to supply Cromwell's army with provisions as it successfully marched on Scotland. By the end of 1652 the various English colonies in the Americas had also been secured. In February 1656 commercial rivalry with Spain was soon turned to war. In the Anglo-Spanish War Blake blockaded Cádiz, during which one of his captains, Richard Stayner destroyed most of the Spanish Plate Fleet. A galleon of treasure was captured, and the overall loss to Spain was estimated at £2,000,000. Blake maintained the blockade throughout the winter, the first time the fleet had stayed at sea over winter. In 1657 Blake won against the Spanish West Indian Fleet over the English seizure of Jamaica in the West Indies. On 20 April that year, Blake totally destroyed a Spanish silver fleet of 16 ships at Santa Cruz Bay, Tenerife for the loss of one ship, and despite being under fire from shore batteries and attacking and withdrawing on the tide, an action for which Blake was given an expensive diamond ring by Cromwell, and which would earn him respect 140 years later from Lord Nelson who lost his arm there in a failed attack. Lord Nelson's respect ranked Robert Blake as one of the greatest Naval Generals ever known, even when compared with his own reputation. After again cruising off Cadiz for a while, Blake turned for home but died of old wounds within sight of Portsmouth and, after lying in state in the Queen's House, Greenwich, he was buried in Westminster Abbey in the presence of Oliver Cromwell and the members of the Council of State (although his internal organs had earlier been buried at St Andrew's Church, Plymouth). After the restoration of the Monarchy his body was exhumed and dumped in a common grave on the orders of the new king, Charles II. Robert Blake (1599 — 17 August 1657) was one of the most important military commanders of the Commonwealth of England, and one of the most famous English admirals of the 17th century. Blake was one of thirteen siblings born to a merchant in Bridgwater, Somerset, where he attended Bridgwater Grammar School For Boys. After attending Wadham College, Oxford, he had hoped to follow an academic career, but failed to secure a fellowship to Merton College, probably because of his political and religious views (although it is said his height, 5 foot 6 inches, went against him). Having returned to Bridgwater, probably because of the death of his mother in 1638, he decided to stand for election to Parliament. In 1640 Blake was elected as the Member of Parliament for Bridgwater in the Short Parliament. When the English Civil War broke out during the period of the Long Parliament, and having failed to be re-elected, Blake began his military career on the side of the parliamentarians despite having no substantial experience of military or naval matters. He would later return to serve in the Barebone's Parliament of 1653 for some months when recovering from an injury sustained in the Battle of Portland, before returning to sea. Blake's most famous exploits on land were at the Siege of Bristol (July 1643), Siege of Lyme (April 1644), Siege of Taunton (1645) and the Siege of Dunster (November 1645). At Taunton he famously declared that he would eat three of his four pairs of boots before he would surrender. Blake was appointed General at Sea (a rank corresponding to Admiral) in 1649, and is often referred to as the "Father of the Royal Navy". As well as being largely responsible for building the largest navy the country had then ever known, from a few tens of ships to well over a hundred, he was first to keep a fleet at sea over the winter. He developed new techniques to conduct blockades and landings; his "Sailing instructions" and "Fighting Instructions", which were major overhauls of naval tactics written while recovering from injury in 1653, were the foundation of English Naval tactics in the Age of Sail. He was also the first to repeatedly successfully attack despite fire from shore forts. On 11 January 1649 Prince Rupert of the Rhine led 8 undermanned ships to Kinsale in Ireland in an attempt to prevent the Parliamentarians taking Ireland from the Royalists. Blake blockaded Rupert's fleet in Kinsale from 22 May, allowing Oliver Cromwell to land at Dublin on 15 August. Blake was driven off by a storm in October and Rupert escaped via Spain to Lisbon, where Rupert had expanded his fleet to 13 ships. Blake put to sea with 12 ships in February 1650 and dropped anchor off Lisbon in an attempt to persuade the Portuguese king to expel Rupert. After 2 months the king decided to back Rupert. Blake was joined by another 4 warships commanded by Edward Popham, who brought authority to go to war with Portugal. Rupert twice failed to break the blockade, which was finally raised after Blake sailed for Cádiz with 7 ships he captured as a result of a three-hour engagement with 23 ships of the Portuguese fleet, during which the Portuguese Vice-Admiral was also sunk. Blake re-engaged with Rupert, now with 6 ships, on 3 November near Málaga, capturing 1 ship. Two days later the other of Rupert's ships in the area were driven ashore attempting to escape from Cartagena, securing Parliamentarian supremacy at sea, and the recognition of the Parliamentary government by many European states. Parliament voted Blake 1000 pounds by way of thanks in February 1651. In June of the same year Blake captured the Isles of Scilly, the last outpost of the Royalist navy, for which he again received Parliament's thanks. Soon after he was made a member of the Council of State. Thanks to its command of the sea, the fleet was able to supply Cromwell's army with provisions as it successfully marched on Scotland. By the end of 1652 the various English colonies in the Americas had also been secured. In February 1656 commercial rivalry with Spain was soon turned to war. In the Anglo-Spanish War Blake blockaded Cádiz, during which one of his captains, Richard Stayner destroyed most of the Spanish Plate Fleet. A galleon of treasure was captured, and the overall loss to Spain was estimated at £2,000,000. Blake maintained the blockade throughout the winter, the first time the fleet had stayed at sea over winter. In 1657 Blake won against the Spanish West Indian Fleet over the English seizure of Jamaica in the West Indies. On 20 April that year, Blake totally destroyed a Spanish silver fleet of 16 ships at Santa Cruz Bay, Tenerife for the loss of one ship, and despite being under fire from shore batteries and attacking and withdrawing on the tide, an action for which Blake was given an expensive diamond ring by Cromwell, and which would earn him respect 140 years later from Lord Nelson who lost his arm there in a failed attack. Lord Nelson's respect ranked Robert Blake as one of the greatest Naval Generals ever known, even when compared with his own reputation. After again cruising off Cadiz for a while, Blake turned for home but died of old wounds within sight of Portsmouth and, after lying in state in the Queen's House, Greenwich, he was buried in Westminster Abbey in the presence of Oliver Cromwell and the members of the Council of State (although his internal organs had earlier been buried at St Andrew's Church, Plymouth). After the restoration of the Monarchy his body was exhumed and dumped in a common grave on the orders of the new king, Charles II. | ||||
