Robert Blake (admiral): Difference between revisions

'''Robert Blake''' (27 September 1598&nbsp;– 7 August 1657) was an English naval officer who served as [[general at sea]] and the [[Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports]] from 1656 to 1657. Blake served under [[Oliver Cromwell]] during the [[English Civil War]] and [[Anglo-Spanish War (1654–1660)|Anglo-Spanish War]], and as the commanding Admiral of the Dutch navy during the [[First Anglo-Dutch War]]. Blake is recognized as the "chief founder of England's [[naval supremacy]]", a dominance subsequently inherited by the British [[Royal Navy]] well into the early 20th century.<ref name=WestminsterAbbey>[[#westminster|Westminster Abbey]]</ref><ref>[[#bcw2016|BCW: Robert Blake]], Essay</ref> Despite this, due to deliberate attempts to expunge the Parliamentarians from historical records following the [[Stuart Restoration]], Blake's achievements tend to remain relatively unrecognized.<ref name="death"/><ref>[[#bridgewater|Bridgwater Blake Museum, 2016]], Essay</ref> Blake's successes, however, are considered to have "never been excelled, not even by [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Nelson]]" according to one biographer,<ref name=yexley>[[#yexley1911|Yexley, 1911]], p. 22</ref> while Blake is often compared with Nelson by others.<ref>[[#dixon1852|Dixon, 1852]], pp. ix,-xi</ref><ref>[[#hannay1886|Hannay, 1886]], pp. 1, 73, 188</ref><ref>[[#powell1972|Powell, 1972]], p. 309</ref>