William Lamport
Encyclopedia
William Lamport was an Irish Mexican
Catholic
adventurer who according to at least one historian gained a nickname of El Zorro, the Fox, due to his exploits in Mexico
. The attribution of the nickname, however, is disputed.
, Ireland
to a family of Catholic seafarers. He received Catholic education from Jesuits in Dublin and London.
By the time he was twenty-one he spoke no fewer than fourteen languages.
In 1627 Lamport was arrested in London for sedition
for distributing Catholic pamphlets. He escaped, left Britain for Spain and became a pirate for the next two years. He also fought for the French at the Siege of La Rochelle
against the Huguenots.
In 1633 he joined one the three Spanish-sponsored Irish regiments and took part of the combat against Swedish forces in the Spanish Netherlands
. His accord in the Battle of Nordlingen
in 1634 attracted interest of Duke of Olivares, chief minister to the Philip IV of Spain
, who eventually helped him to enter the service of the King. By that time he had hispanised his name to Guillén Lombardo.
and sentenced him to be burned at the stake. Legend holds that he struggled out of his ropes before he would burn to death and strangled himself by his iron collar.
". The treatment of this claim in the popular press led to Lamport being labelled in the popular imagination as "The Irish Zorro". Such claims, along with many others such as the idea that he was either a latin lover, a famous swordsman, the secret lover of the viceroy's wife, or the subject of a painting by Rubens are disputed by Irish historians. Apart from his amazingly adventurous life, his only undisputed claim to fame probably lies in the fact that he was the author of the first declaration of independence in the Indies, a document that promised land reform, equality of opportunity, racial equality and a democratically elected monarch over a century before the French Revolution.
Irish Mexican
Irish Mexicans are inhabitants of Mexico that are immigrants from or descendants of immigrants from Ireland...
Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
adventurer who according to at least one historian gained a nickname of El Zorro, the Fox, due to his exploits in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The attribution of the nickname, however, is disputed.
Birth and education
William Lamport was born in 1615 in WexfordWexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to a family of Catholic seafarers. He received Catholic education from Jesuits in Dublin and London.
By the time he was twenty-one he spoke no fewer than fourteen languages.
In 1627 Lamport was arrested in London for sedition
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
for distributing Catholic pamphlets. He escaped, left Britain for Spain and became a pirate for the next two years. He also fought for the French at the Siege of La Rochelle
Siege of La Rochelle
The Siege of La Rochelle was a result of a war between the French royal forces of Louis XIII of France and the Huguenots of La Rochelle in 1627-1628...
against the Huguenots.
In 1633 he joined one the three Spanish-sponsored Irish regiments and took part of the combat against Swedish forces in the Spanish Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
. His accord in the Battle of Nordlingen
Battle of Nördlingen (1634)
The Battle of Nördlingen was fought on 27 August or 6 September , 1634 during the Thirty Years' War. The Roman Catholic Imperial army, bolstered by 18,000 Spanish and Italian soldiers, won a crushing victory over the combined Protestant armies of Sweden and their German-Protestant allies .After...
in 1634 attracted interest of Duke of Olivares, chief minister to the Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
, who eventually helped him to enter the service of the King. By that time he had hispanised his name to Guillén Lombardo.
Exile
Exiled from the royal court, allegedly because of a scandalous love affair with a noblewoman, Lamport was sent to Mexico, to spy for the Count-Duke of Olivares. Here he began to sympathize with local Indians slaves and studied native medicine. Inquisition documents merit him with bravery, a love affair with one Spanish noblewoman and the support, if not the initiation of, a burgeoning independence movement.Arrest and execution
In 1642, when he was about to be engaged to the noblewoman Antonia Turcious, the Mexican Inquisition arrested him and accused him of plotting a war of independence against Spain. He was sentenced to ten years in jail. He escaped in 1650 and survived just two days as a fugitive. He sneaked out at night and plastered anti-Inquisition pamphlets on the walls of Mexico City. In 1659 the Mexican Inquisition condemned him to death as a hereticHeresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
and sentenced him to be burned at the stake. Legend holds that he struggled out of his ropes before he would burn to death and strangled himself by his iron collar.
The Real-life Zorro
In the late twentieth century it was suggested by an Italian historian that Lamport was the inspiration for Johnston McCulley's fictional hero "ZorroZorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
". The treatment of this claim in the popular press led to Lamport being labelled in the popular imagination as "The Irish Zorro". Such claims, along with many others such as the idea that he was either a latin lover, a famous swordsman, the secret lover of the viceroy's wife, or the subject of a painting by Rubens are disputed by Irish historians. Apart from his amazingly adventurous life, his only undisputed claim to fame probably lies in the fact that he was the author of the first declaration of independence in the Indies, a document that promised land reform, equality of opportunity, racial equality and a democratically elected monarch over a century before the French Revolution.
Books
- Gerard Ronan - The Irish Zorro: The Extraordinary Adventures of William Lamport (1615–1659) http://www.brandonbooks.com/book_info.php/cPath/1/products_id/132/authors_id/114?PHPSESSID=5e5f849f46adfe65021aed2aa3c65079
- Fabio Troncarelli - El Mito del "Zorro" y la Inquisición en México: La aventura de Guillén Lombardo (1615–1659)"