Castle of San Luis de Bocachica

Last updated

Castle of San Fernando de Bocachica, built over the ruins of the old castle Fuerte de San Fernando de Bocachica 2014-08-20 2.jpg
Castle of San Fernando de Bocachica, built over the ruins of the old castle
Blueprint of the first Castle, the San Luis de Bocachica in Cartagena de Indias Castle of San Luis de Bocachica.jpg
Blueprint of the first Castle, the San Luis de Bocachica in Cartagena de Indias
Aereal view of the castle San Fernando.jpg
Aereal view of the castle

The Castle of San Luis de Bocachica, also called Fort St. Louis, [1] was a military fortress that defended Cartagena, Colombia. The Spanish built it in the 17th century. After it suffered war damage in the 18th century, they erected a new coastal fortification, the Castle of San Fernando on the same site.

Contents

The site on the Island of Tierra Bomba controlled deep-water access to Cartagena's harbour by the channel of Bocachica (or "small entrance" as opposed to Bocagrande, the "big entrance").

History

Work on the fort started in 1646 by the engineer Juan de Somovilla and its name was related with the governor Luis Fernandez de Cordoba. [2]

The Castle was attacked several times with the most famous being the French Raid on Cartagena in 1697 and the British Attack on Cartagena in 1741.

1697 attack

During the War of the League of Augsburg, French troops and pirates, attacked the castle on 13 April 1697 and took it on 15 April 1697, but the castle was not destroyed because of the heroic defense of Don Sancho Jimeno and because of the strategic position.

1741 attack

During the War of Jenkins' Ear, Cartagena was sieged by English troops. On 13 March 1741 the British navy captured and severely damaged the castle, and then put it on fire, destroying it completely, during the retreat. [3]

In 1753, the building of a new fortress started, the Castle of San Fernando de Bocachica, by the engineer Antonio de Arévalo, over the ruins of the old castle. [4] The fortress was completed in 1759. [5] It continues today as an important tourist attraction.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War of Jenkins' Ear</span> 1739–1748 conflict between Britain and Spain

The War of Jenkins' Ear was a conflict lasting from 1739 to 1748 between Britain and Spain. The majority of the fighting took place in New Granada and the Caribbean Sea, with major operations largely ended by 1742. It was related to the 1740 to 1748 War of the Austrian Succession. The name was coined in 1858 by British historian Thomas Carlyle, and refers to Robert Jenkins, captain of the British brig Rebecca, whose ear was allegedly severed by Spanish coast guards while searching his ship for contraband in April 1731.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartagena, Colombia</span> City in coastal northern Colombia

Cartagena, known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias, is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean sea. Cartagena's past role as a link in the route to the West Indies provides it with important historical value for world exploration and preservation of heritage from the great commercial maritime routes. As a former Spanish colony, it was a key port for the export of Bolivian silver to Spain and for the import of enslaved Africans under the asiento system. It was defensible against pirate attacks in the Caribbean. The city's strategic location between the Magdalena and Sinú Rivers also gave it easy access to the interior of New Granada and made it a main port for trade between Spain and its overseas empire, establishing its importance by the early 1540s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castillo San Felipe del Morro</span> 16th-century fortress and citadel in Puerto Rico

Castillo San Felipe del Morro, most commonly known as El Morro(The Promontory), is a large fortress and citadel in the historic district of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Commissioned by King Charles I of Spain in 1539, it was first built as a fortified tower in honor of King Philip II, who oversaw its expansion into a hornwork fort by 1595. Over the next 200 years, especially in the reign of King Charles III, El Morro continued to be developed to reach its current form in 1787. Rising 140 ft from the Atlantic shoreline with 18 to 25 ft thick walls, the six-leveled edifice stands on a steep, rocky headland promontory on San Juan Islet guarding the entry to San Juan Bay, the harbor of Old San Juan. El Morro, alongside La Fortaleza, San Cristóbal, El Cañuelo, and other forts part of the Walls of Old San Juan, protected strategically and militarily important Puerto Rico, or La Llave de las Indias , from invasion by competing world powers during the Age of Sail. It was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castillo de los Tres Reyes Del Morro</span> Fortress in Havana, Cuba

The Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro(English: Castle of the Three Kings of Morro), also known as Castillo del Morro(Morro Castle), is a fortress guarding the entrance to the Havana harbor. The design is by the Italian engineer Battista Antonelli (1547–1616). Originally under the control of Spain, the fortress was captured by the British in 1762, returned to Spain under the Treaty of Paris (1763) a year later. The Morro Castle was the main defense in the Havana harbor until La Cabaña was completed in 1774.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blas de Lezo</span> Spanish admiral

Admiral Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta was a Spanish navy officer best remembered for the Battle of Cartagena de Indias (1741), where Spanish imperial forces under his command decisively defeated a large British invasion fleet under Admiral Edward Vernon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastián de Eslava</span>

Sebastián de Eslava y Lazaga was a Spanish general and colonial official. From April 24, 1740 to November 6, 1749 he was viceroy of the newly reestablished Viceroyalty of New Granada. He was governing the viceregal at the time of the defeat of British Admiral Edward Vernon at the Battle of Cartagena de Indias. After his death he was named marqués de la Real Defensa de Cartagena de Indias.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George of Hesse-Darmstadt</span>

Prince George Louis of Hessen-Darmstadt was a Field Marshal in the Austrian army. He is known for his career in Habsburg Spain, as Viceroy of Catalonia (1698–1701), head of the Austrian army in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1705) and governor of Gibraltar in 1704. He was killed during the Siege of Barcelona the following year. He was known in Spanish as Jorge de Darmstadt and in Catalan as Jordi Darmstadt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio José Amar y Borbón</span> Spanish military officer and colonial official

Antonio José Amar y Borbón Arguedas was a Spanish military officer and colonial official. From September 16, 1803 to July 20, 1810 he was viceroy of New Granada. During his mandate he faced the beginning of the independence movement. He is also remembered for introducing costumes and masked balls in the society of Bogotá.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Cartagena de Indias</span> 1741 naval battle of the War of Jenkins Ear

The Battle of Cartagena de Indias took place during the 1739 to 1748 War of Jenkins' Ear between Spain and Great Britain. The result of long-standing commercial tensions, the war was primarily fought in the Caribbean; the British tried to capture key Spanish ports in the region, including Porto Bello and Chagres in Panama, Havana, and Cartagena de Indias in present-day Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Havana</span> 1762 capture of Spanish-held Havana by the British during the Seven Years War

The siege of Havana was a successful British siege against Spanish-ruled Havana that lasted from March to August 1762, as part of the Seven Years' War. After Spain abandoned its former policy of neutrality by signing the family compact with France, resulting in a British declaration of war on Spain in January 1762, the British government decided to mount an attack on the important Spanish fortress and naval base of Havana, with the intention of weakening the Spanish presence in the Caribbean and improving the security of its own North American colonies. A strong British naval force consisting of squadrons from Britain and the West Indies, and the military force of British and American troops it convoyed, were able to approach Havana from a direction that neither the Spanish governor nor the Admiral expected and were able to trap the Spanish fleet in the Havana harbour and land its troops with relatively little resistance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battista Antonelli</span> Italian engineer

Battista Antonelli (1547–1616) was a military engineer from a prestigious Italian family of military engineers in the service of the Habsburg monarchs of Austria and Spain. He is credited with designing fortresses in Spanish colonial cities in the Caribbean, including Cartagena de Indias in Colombia, Havana in Cuba, and San Juan Bautista in Puerto Rico.

This article is the History of Cartagena, Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Badajoz (1658)</span> 1658 battle during the Portuguese Restoration War

The fourth siege of Badajoz took place from July to October 1658 during the Portuguese Restoration War. It was an attempt by a huge Portuguese army under the command of Joanne Mendes de Vasconcelos, governor of Alentejo, to capture the Spanish city of Badajoz, which was the headquarters of the Spanish Army of Extremadura. The fortifications of Badajoz were essentially medieval and considered vulnerable by the Portuguese, and had already been attacked by them three times during this war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castillo San Felipe de Barajas</span> Fortress in Cartagena, Colombia

The Castillo San Felipe de Barajas is a fortress in the city of Cartagena, Colombia. The castle was built in 1536 and is located on the Hill of San Lázaro in a strategic location, dominating approaches to the city by land or sea. It was originally known as the Castillo de San Lázaro. It was built by African slave labor under Spanish supervision during the colonial era. The fortress was involved in several battles between the late 17th to early 19th centuries between European powers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa María de la Cabeza castle</span> Colonial castle in Cumaná, Venezuela

Santa María de la Cabeza castle is a colonial castle built in the seventeenth century by the Spanish monarchy in the center of the city of Cumaná, Venezuela. It was built as a replacement for the San Antonio de la Eminencia castle. Its construction was ordered by Sancho Fernando de Angulo y Sandoval, governor of the Province of Cumaná. The building was designed using the trace italienne style popular during the seventeenth century, with a proportional geometric floor design. Bastions were used as the main defensive elements. The castle housed a garrison of 250 soldiers, and was the seat of government for the Province of Cumaná.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Felipe Castle</span> Fort in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela

San Felipe Castle is an eighteenth-century star fort protecting Puerto Cabello in Venezuela. It was named in honour of Philip V, King of Spain at the time of its construction in the 1730s. It has an alternative name Castillo Libertador, explained by its connection with Simón Bolívar, known as El Libertador because of his role in Latin American independence.

Don Sancho Jimeno de Orozco y Urnieta (1640–1707) was a Spanish military officer, nobleman, landowner and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Cartagena from 1693 to 1695. He was lord of the Castle of San Luis on the island of Tierra Bomba, a fort that he defended against French attackers during the raid on Cartagena de Indias in 1697. After the incumbent governor of Cartegena, Don Diego de los Rios, handed over the city to the French during the raid, Urnieta was called to govern Cartagena between 1698 and 1699.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Cartagena (1815)</span> Part of the Colombian War of Independence

The Siege of Cartagena (1815) was a successful 105-day Spanish siege by combined naval and ground forces under command of General Pablo Morillo, of the Colombian city and fortress of Cartagena de Indias, defended by Republican forces under the leadership of Manuel del Castillo y Rada and José Francisco Bermúdez, between August and December 1815.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish fortifications in America</span>

The coastal 'fortifications' of Spain in America are the works of military engineering that bear witness to the four hundred years of Spanish presence in America. They were built from northern California to Tierra del Fuego. Their purpose was the defense of port towns against the attack of the fleets of the English, French and Dutch armies, as well as corsairs and pirates.

References

  1. Nevgloski, Edward T. (5 September 2022). "Revisiting America’s First Marines". Marine Corps Association. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  2. "San Luis de Bocachica | Patrimonio de Cartagena". patrimoniodecartagena.com. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  3. Ford, Douglas. Admiral Vernon and the Navy: A Memoir and Vindication, London, MCMVII, p.153.
  4. "Don Antonio de Arévalo | banrepcultural.org". banrepcultural.org. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  5. Segovia, Rodolfo (2009). The Fortifications of Cartagena de Indias. Bogota: el Ancora Editores. pp. 86–90. ISBN   9789583601347.

Bibliography

10°19′10″N75°34′52″W / 10.319313°N 75.581205°W / 10.319313; -75.581205