Antonio Barceló

Antoni Barceló (Spanish also Antonio Barceló, born October 1, 1717 Galilea, † January 30, 1797 in Palma de Mallorca ) was a Majorcan sailor and corsair in the service of the Spanish crown.

Life

Dom Barcelo came on October 1, 1717 the Mallorcan village of Galilee to the world. First cabin boy, he took over 18 years from his late father, the Schebeke with which he carried mail between Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona. With 19 years Barceló was the victim of an attack by pirates, but he could put to flight for the first time. Because he always successfully defended itself against pirates, he was appointed by King Philip V to 21 Sub-Lieutenant honorary. This track had never received a commoner.

With 24 years of post Schiffer received from the Balearic fleet commander José Vallejo an unusual command: Barceló should adopt a French Cutter on which the dragoons Manuel Bustillo had fled together with the nun Margarita de Valseda. Barceló applied to the cutter and Bustillo was beheaded on the Paseo del Borne in Palma. Valseda brought the remaining 40 years in the monastery. For his services, the king granted the Barceló Korsarenpatent ( patente de corso ) to hijack the charter, enemy ships on behalf of the Crown.

1750 had come on behalf of the King of Spain Schebeke Santo Cristo del Crucifijo to help, which was threatened in Cala Figuera by a Moorish Galeote Barceló. Barceló followed the Galeote from Cap Formentor to Cabrera, where he could sink them. 1761 promoted to Commander of the King Barceló and admitted him to pay state. Barcelona sunk in the next eight years 19 enemy ships, made 1,600 prisoners, and liberated more than a thousand Christian slaves from captivity Moorish pirates. In 1770 he laid the fearsome pirate Selim in chains.

The blockade of the occupied by the British Gibraltar 1779 Barceló came up with the idea to equip small rowing boats with cannons. He is regarded in Spain as the inventor of the early gunboats. As Barceló was charged with 66 years in the rank of lieutenant-general, he was already numb from the cannon.

As a fleet commander Barceló led punitive expeditions against the Korsarenrepublik Algiers. In 1793, he managed to destroy ten percent of the city while keeping yourself to remain largely without losses. In another attack on Algiers Barceló fell from his boat into the sea, but could be saved. The North Africans suffered such great losses that Algeria and Tunisia entered into peace negotiations with Spain. The end of piracy in the Mediterranean was begun.

Antoni Barceló died in 1797 and is now buried in Palma in the seafarers' church of Santa Creu. A still image Barceló in the city's harbor, near the pier for ferries, remembered today at the sailors.

Others

In Spain Barceló to a nursery rhyme known: " Si el Rey de España tuviera, cuatro como Barceló, Gibraltar seria de España, que de los Ingleses no " - translation: " Had the King of Spain, four from the blow of a Barceló, Sun Gibraltar belonged to Spain, and not the English. "