Battle of Blaye

The Battle of Blaye was a 1593 Spanish victory of the Anglo–Spanish War (1585) and the French Wars of Religion.

The previous year Pedro de Zubiaur had dispersed an English convoy of 40 ships, burning the flagship and capturing three others, but a further English fleet of 6 ships then arrived and prevented further losses. In 1593 Zubiaur set out to relieve Blaye (a French city captured by the Catholics but under heavy siege) and, on arriving in its port and sighting 6 English ships, set their flagship on fire and then sank it with all hands. He was later met by another enemy fleet in a fierce battle, in which Zubiaur's own ship was burned but managed to sink this fleet's flagship and save all the Spanish vessels.

After this second battle Zubiaur had to fight two more, firstly sinking an entire 11-ship squadron sent from La Rochelle and Boagre whilst Zubiaur was successfully landing reinforcements (with no loss of Spanish ships, despite his own ship being set on fire). When 40 ships and 2 galleys arrived from Bordeaux, a winter storm ran both them and the Spanish ships aground. Zubiaur was then able to get all his ships off at high tide and sail back to Pasajes. Philip II of Spain made Zubiaur general como a lo demás de escuadra para que antes que muera deje esto a los mios, even though he had not succeeded in relieving the city. The expedition was seen as a success, however, and a painting produced of the victory.