Pirates, Fortresses & Raids (16th–18th centuries)
After the conquest, the Canaries became the springboard to America — and thus a target for every pirate, privateer, and enemy admiral of the Atlantic. Christopher Columbus stopped on his first voyage in 1492 on La Gomera (allegedly also due to an affair with the island's mistress Beatriz de Bobadilla), and thereafter practically every ship heading to the New World called at the Canaries.
The list of attackers reads like a Who's Who of European seafaring:
- 1553: The French pirate François Le Clerc (“Wooden Leg") plunders Santa Cruz de La Palma and burns the city down
- 1595: Sir Francis Drake attacks Las Palmas de Gran Canaria — and fails against the defense
- 1599: The Dutch admiral Pieter van der Does assaults Las Palmas with 73 ships and 8,000 men, devastates the city, but cannot capture the island fortress
- 1797: The most famous attack — Admiral Horatio Nelson attempts to conquer Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The defenders under General Antonio Gutiérrez repel the attack; Nelson loses his right arm to a cannonball. The cannons “El Tigre" (The Tiger), which wounded Nelson, still stand in the Museo Militar in Santa Cruz
The consequence of this constant threat: The Canaries became a fortress island. The Castillo de la Luz in Las Palmas, the Castillo de San Gabriel in Arrecife, the fortifications of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and countless watchtowers along the coasts testify to centuries of perpetual readiness for defense.
💡 Tipp
In Santa Cruz de Tenerife, you can marvel at the original cannons that wounded Nelson in the Museo Militar. Admission is free, and the exhibition details the dramatic battle of 1797.
