Battle of Cartagena (1643) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Cartagena
Part of Franco-Spanish War (1635)
Paint illustration of embarkation of Spanish Troops
Date 3 September 1643 Location Cartagena (Spain) Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Jean Armand de Maillé-Brézé	Martín Carlos de Mencos Joos Petersen
Strength
20 galleons 2 frigates 12 fire ships	29 galleons 14 galleys
Casualties and losses
Low	10 ships sunk 2 ships captured 3,000 men killed

The Battle of Cartagena was an important naval battle. It happened on September 3, 1643, near Cartagena, Spain, off a place called Cabo de Gata. This battle was part of a bigger conflict known as the Thirty Years' War.

French Power at Sea

Before this battle, the French Navy was very strong in the western part of the Mediterranean Sea. They had won many battles in 1641 and 1642. France also controlled most of Catalonia, a region in Spain, after a conflict called the Catalan Revolt. Because of this, the Spanish Navy was afraid to sail near the Catalan coast.

The Search for the Spanish Fleet

In 1643, the French admiral Jean Armand de Maillé-Brézé decided to sail south. His goal was to find and destroy the Spanish fleet. He wanted to make sure the French Navy stayed in charge of the Mediterranean Sea.

He found a group of ships called Dunkirkers, led by Joos Petersen. There were also ships from Naples and a special group of ships from the Mar Oceano fleet, led by Martín Carlos de Mencos.

The Battle Begins

On September 3, at 7:00 AM, Admiral Maillé-Brézé attacked. The winds were in his favor, which helped his ships move quickly. The Spanish fleet was spread out and couldn't fight back easily.

The French sank two large Spanish ships called galleons. They also captured two other Spanish ships. The rest of the Spanish fleet had to quickly retreat into the port of Cartagena to escape.

Aftermath of the Battle

Once the Spanish ships were in the port, eight more of them were so badly damaged that they sank. The port was then closed off by the Duke of Fernandina. This meant no Spanish ship could leave the harbor for over a year.

Because of this, Spain could not trade by sea with Italy. This caused big problems for Spain. However, the French victory did not last very long. The French fleet became weaker after Cardinal Richelieu, a powerful French leader, died. Soon, Spain became strong in the region again.

See also

In Spanish: Batalla de Cartagena (1643) para niños