Background
He was born in 1598 in Bridgwater, England. Blake was one of thirteen siblings.
He was born in 1598 in Bridgwater, England. Blake was one of thirteen siblings.
He attended Bridgwater Grammar School for Boys.
In 1649 he was appointed to a command in the fleet as one of the "generals at sea. "
When the Dutch War broke out, he was appointed to the sole command of the fleet, and in May 1652 forced the Dutch admiral, Maarten H. Tromp, to withdraw after a four-hour battle in the Downs.
In September 1652 he gained a victory, though not a decisive one, over Admiral Michel A. De Ruyter, off the mouth of the Thames; but in November, with rash folly, he attacked a superior Dutch fleet under Tromp, off Dover, and was badly defeated.
The English fleet, reorganized during the winter, met Tromp again in February 1653, off Portsmouth; the result was very nearly another defeat for the English, largely owing to Blake's bad judgment, and he was seriously wounded.
In 1654 he was sent to the Mediterranean to destroy a fleet of Barbary pirates at Tunis (1655); he succeeded in this mission and forced a friendly treaty from the Dey of Algiers.
His remains, however, were removed by Charles II following the Restoration, and lie buried in Saint Margaret's churchyard, London.
Though he did not go to sea until he was 50 years old, his exploits thereafter have caused him often to be ranked with Sir Francis Drake and Viscount Nelson among English naval heroes. Nelson even ranked Robert Blake as one of the greatest naval generals ever known, even when compared with his own reputation.
