Blas de Lezo was a Spanish sailor who defended Cartagena de Indias, in present-day Colombia, against the attack of a British army ten times larger. Many consider him a hero, but he is one of the great unknowns of Spanish history, and enjoys less popularity than admirals from other countries, such as Nelson. Who was Blas de Lezo? In this documentary video in Spanish we tell you the true story of Blas de Lezo, his biography and exploits, as well as the mystery surrounding the reason for his death. #history #biography #spain Vice Admiral Edward Vernon arrived in Jamaica in October 1739, with nine ships and the mission of attacking Spanish possessions in the region. The following month, with six of his ships, he took Portobelo, on the isthmus of Panama, which was only defended by 700 men, and began to prepare the attack on his main objective, Cartagena de Indias. In England, excited by this victory, they decided to send him reinforcements so that he could continue his conquests and they composed the famous patriotic song 'Rule, Britannia!'. You must have heard of it... While Vernon waited for the promised reinforcements to arrive, he began to test the defences of Cartagena, carrying out reconnaissance and bombarding the defensive positions. Finally, when the reinforcements from England arrived, Vernon found himself in command of an impressive fleet, made up of 8 large three-decker ships, 28 ships of the line, 12 frigates, 130 transport ships... In total, more than 170 ships, manned by 15,000 men plus 9,000 infantry soldiers, 4,000 American militiamen commanded by Lawrence Washington - half-brother of the first president of the United States - and 2,000 machete-wielding slaves from the Jamaican sugar cane plantations. That is, an army of some 31,000 troops that also had siege artillery. In mid-March 1741, that great fleet anchored off the coast of Cartagena, ready to attack the city. Blas de Lezo arrived in Cartagena de Indias four years earlier, in 1737. At that time, the state of the city's defenses was lamentable, so he devoted all his energies to rebuilding the forts and walls, participating in the work like any ordinary soldier. At the end of 1739, after conquering Portobelo, Vernon wrote a letter to Lezo in which he boasted about how well he treated the prisoners, despite the fact that they did not deserve it. Lezo sent him a letter in response in which, among other things, he said: “I can assure Your Excellency that if I had been in Portobelo, I would have prevented him from doing so, and if things had gone to my satisfaction, I would have also gone to look for him elsewhere, persuading myself that the courage that was lacking in those in Portobelo, I would have had enough to contain their cowardice.” Thank you for visiting our channel. We are Raquel de la Morena and Pedro Estrada, journalists and writers. In our videos we will tell you stories aimed especially at curious minds. Biographies, legends, mysteries, historical and literary curiosities... If you want to hear and see them, you are welcome! As writers, we are the authors of historical romance novels ('The Heart of the Banshee' and 'Who the Hell Are You?', winner of the 5th Titania Prize), books for young people (such as the mirror novel 'The Curse of Trefoil House') and also children's and young adult books (such as the collection 'Vinlandia', also published in France by the publishing house Hachette). Get our latest books: 'Who the hell are you?': https://amz.run/5Bh9 'The Heart of the Banshee': https://amz.run/5Bh6 'The Curse of Trefoil House': https://amz.run/5Bh4 'Zen': https://amzn.to/3fBzSYk 'Vinlandia' Collection: https://amz.run/5CTK https://amz.run/5CTL https://amz.run/5CTN Follow me on social media: Instagram ????: / raqueldlmorena Twitter: / raqueldlmorena Facebook: / raquel-de-la-morena-423244607874154 Goodreads: / 5398610.raquel_de_la_morena Web: http://www.raqueldelamorena.com ----------- Script: Pedro Estrada and Raquel de la Morena Editing, audio and video: Pedro Estrada Music: 'Shadoma', by The Mini Vandals. 'Rule, Britannia!', by United States Army Strings