Battle of Muros Bay
| Battle of Muros | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Italian War of 1542–1546 | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 France
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 Spain
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jean de Clamorgan | Álvaro de Bazán the Elder | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 25 warships | 16 warships | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| More than 3,000 casualties 3,000 prisoners 23 ships captured 1 ship sunk (Flagship) |
300 dead and 500 wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Muros Bay (Spanish: Batalla de Muros) took place on 25 July 1543, during the Italian War of 1542–1546, between the French fleet under Jean de Clamorgan, Lord of Soane and the Spanish fleet commanded by Don Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Viso, father of Don Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, who was also present at the battle being no more than 18 years old. This battle is considered to be the first big Atlantic naval battle.
In 1541, Francis I of France violated the Truce of Nice and again declared war on Spain, allied with the Ottoman Empire, Denmark and Sweden. Because of this he prepared to enlist an army to fight the Spanish and English navies. The King himself went to the port of Le Havre to oversee the preparations for repelling any English attack.
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral De Bury instructed the assembly of a second fleet to attack Spain, he enlisted in the ports of Bayonne and Bordeaux, as at this time the Spanish presence in the Bay of Biscay was very small. The Emperor Charles, fearing action in these waters, designated Don Álvaro de Bazán, to proceed to the Bay of Biscay and assemble a fleet to try to prevent the French attack. Don Álvaro formed a fleet of vessels from Guipuzcoa and Vizcaya, stationing his operations base outside the port of Laredo, within reach of attacking both the French and Cantabrian coast.
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