Ignacio María de Álava facts for kids
Ignacio María de Álava y Sáenz de Navarrete was an important Spanish naval officer. He was born on October 24, 1750, and passed away on May 26, 1817. He is well-known for being part of the famous Battle of Trafalgar.
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Ignacio Álava joined the Spanish navy in 1766 when he was just 16 years old. Early in his career, he helped fight pirates along the North African coast. The Spanish navy had been battling these pirates for a long time.
Fighting in the American Revolutionary War
In 1781, Álava commanded a small warship called the San Luis. This ship helped the Spanish navy block off Gibraltar during the American Revolutionary War. He took part in an attack on special floating forts near Gibraltar. He was also involved in the Battle of Cape Spartel on October 20, 1782. Soon after, he was promoted to capitán de navío, which is like a naval captain. He then took command of a frigate named Sabina.
Leading Fleets and Sailing the World
From 1787 to 1790, Álava served as a main captain in Admiral Juan de Lángara's fleet. In 1790, while commanding the San Francisco de Paula, he brought help to the city of Oran. This city was under attack by Algerian pirates. In 1792, he became a brigadier, similar to a commodore. He was given charge of a group of ships, called a squadron, in Lángara's fleet.
In 1793 and 1794, Álava fought in battles in the Golfe du Lion. These battles were part of the French Revolutionary Wars. In 1795, Álava was promoted again to jefe de esquadra, which means rear admiral. He was given command of a naval squadron that sailed all the way around the world. His mission was to help reorganize naval forces in Spanish colonies, like the Philippines. While in the East Indies, he saw the British attack on Manila in 1798. He also led a combined fleet during the Macau Incident of 1799, which had no clear winner. He finally returned to Cadiz in 1803. By then, he was a teniente general, or vice admiral.
The Battle of Trafalgar
On February 15, 1805, Álava became the second-in-command of the Spanish fleet in Cadiz. He served under Admiral Gravina. When Gravina joined the French fleet for a trip to the Caribbean, Álava stayed behind to command the ships in Cadiz.
On August 20, 1805, Gravina and the French fleet returned. Soon after, a British fleet led by Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson began to block off Cadiz. On October 19, the combined French and Spanish fleet left Cadiz. Álava was on his flagship, the huge 112-gun ship named Santa Ana. On October 21, they met the British fleet, and the famous Battle of Trafalgar began.
After Trafalgar and Later Life
During the battle, Álava was badly wounded. His ship, the Santa Ana, was captured by the British. However, two days later, a group of ships led by Commodore Cosmao-Kerjulien and Spanish Commodore Enrique MacDonell managed to get the Santa Ana back to Cadiz.
After Admiral Gravina died from his battle wounds, Álava took over as commander of the remaining ships in Cadiz. In May 1808, Álava moved to Sevilla. There, a special council called a junta had formed to fight against the French. After the Spanish took back Cadiz, Álava once again became the commander of the navy ships based there.
In 1810, Álava became the Commander-in-Chief in the Caribbean, based in Havana. He returned to Cadiz in 1813, serving as its governor. In 1814, he joined the Supreme Council of the Spanish Admiralty. On February 24, 1817, he became the Admiral of the entire Spanish Fleet. He sadly passed away just three months later.
Images for kids
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Portrait of Ignacio María de Álava by Vicente López, around 1816.
See also
In Spanish: Ignacio María de Álava para niños
