Victorias por mar de los españoles

Did you know that during the 16th to 19th centuries Spain dominated the seas in an unbeatable way? Has anyone ever told you that the Spanish fleet of galleons and galleys were the true force that contained the expansionist attacks of the Ottomans, French and English? Do you know the names of Baskerville, Drake, Oliver van Noort or Hawkins...? Do you know our heroes captains Pantoja and Palomino, Carlos Retamosa or Luis de Córdova... among many? Did you know that "Invincible" was really invincible or did you believe the English lie? Had I told you that the English Queen Elizabeth I sponsored English piracy against Spanish ships? "Victorias por mar de los españoles" tells you everything with the incomparable narrative of Agustín R. Rodríguez, the greatest expert in our naval history. A stale cultural tradition nurtured by some historians, pseudo-historical novels and numerous films, has usually described Spanish naval history as a continuous series of defeats, if not apocalyptic disasters. That is the very interested and partial vision of the Anglo-Saxon world, precisely our proverbial opponent in the seas, who for obvious reasons has tended to publicize their own achievements and obscure those of others. So deep has that persistent rain permeated that many Spaniards have come to believe that it was the reality. But this heralded version contrasts sharply with the resounding fact that it was the Spanish who created the first oceanic empire in history, the largest known to date, and who were able to keep it in their power for four long centuries. The truth is that, with few exceptions, that empire was diluted not because it passed into the hands of foreign powers, as happened in other cases, but because of the legitimate desire for emancipation and autonomy of its inhabitants. For all this to be possible, the Spaniards had to win many times in the fights by sea, displaying in these contests of courage, courage and expertise. The author of this splendid and revealing book collects in its pages, with abundant documentation and profusion of details, some of these victories: the most meritorious or noted and, likewise, the least known.