Diego de Salinas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Don
Diego de Salinas
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The Last of Gibraltar, by Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau. It depicts Diego de Salinas in 1704, with the Rock of Gibraltar in the background.
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| Birth name | Diego Esteban Gómez de Salinas y Rodríguez de Villarroel |
| Born | 3 August 1649 Madrid, Spain |
| Died | 27 November 1720 (aged 71) Madrid, Spain |
| Allegiance |  Spain |
| Commands held | Last Spanish Governor of Gibraltar |
| Battles/wars | Capture of Gibraltar |
Don Diego Esteban Gómez de Salinas y Rodríguez de Villarroel (born August 3, 1649, in Madrid, Spain – died November 27, 1720, in Madrid, Spain) was an important Spanish military leader. He is best known as the last Spanish Governor of Gibraltar. He was in charge when Gibraltar was captured by English and Dutch forces in August 1704.
A Life in the Army
Diego de Salinas was born into a noble family in Spain. His father was Pedro Gómez Salinas, and his mother was Agustina Rodríguez de Villarroel. He started his military career very young, working as a page for a powerful Spanish noble.
Diego quickly rose through the ranks. Before he was 20, he became an ensign (a junior officer) in the cavalry and then a captain in the infantry. He fought in battles in the Netherlands. In 1670, he was promoted to captain of cavalry.
He continued to fight in the Franco-Dutch War. In 1673, he returned to Spain and joined the army in Catalonia. In 1675, he was hurt while defending Puigcerdà from French attacks.
In 1685, Diego de Salinas became a field marshal in the Spanish infantry in Pamplona. He asked to join the Order of Santiago, which was a very old and respected military and religious order. After a careful check of his family history, he was accepted. In Pamplona, he fought against the French during the Nine Years' War, successfully pushing them back.
By June 1697, he was a general. He went to Barcelona to try and stop the French army. However, Barcelona surrendered on July 7. After the fighting ended, Diego was made "Sergeant Battle General" and given command of Girona. He served as acting governor there until 1700, when he was appointed military governor of Gibraltar.
The Capture of Gibraltar
Diego de Salinas became the Governor of Gibraltar in December 1701, appointed by King Philip V. He arrived in Gibraltar in early 1702.
Soon after, the War of the Spanish Succession began. This war involved many European countries. Diego de Salinas knew that Gibraltar was in danger from the English and Dutch fleets. He asked for more soldiers and supplies, but they never arrived.
On August 1, 1704, English marines, led by Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt, landed north of Gibraltar. They planned a three-part attack and demanded that Diego surrender. He refused. On August 3, the English and Dutch ships began attacking the city.
Seeing how serious the situation was and knowing that further fighting would be useless, Diego de Salinas surrendered Gibraltar on the morning of August 4. The city was captured because it didn't have enough soldiers to defend against the strong Anglo-Dutch forces, even though it had enough ammunition and cannons.
After Gibraltar
Some people at the time criticized Diego de Salinas, remembering how Barcelona had also surrendered when he was there in 1697. However, King Philip V did not seem to blame him.
In 1706, Diego de Salinas was appointed Governor of Villaescusa de Haro, a town in Cuenca. He stayed there until shortly before his death, when he returned to Madrid. He passed away in his hometown on November 27, 1720. He left all his belongings to his sister, Francisca.
Images for kids
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Diego de Salinas leaving Gibraltar
See also
In Spanish: Diego de Salinas para niños
