John Leake: podcast appearances and interviews

Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Leake (4 July 1656 – 21 August 1720) was a Royal Navy officer and politician in Great Britain. He represented Rochester in the House of Commons from 1708 to 1715. Leake served as a junior officer during the Third Anglo-Dutch War and participated in the Battle of Texel. During the Williamite War in Ireland, he distinguished himself by leading a convoy that broke a barricading boom at Culmore Fort and lifted the siege of Derry. As a captain, he fought in the Battles of Barfleur and La Hougue during the Nine Years' War. In 1702, Leake was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Newfoundland and was promoted to flag officer in 1704. He served as second-in-command to Admiral George Rooke at the capture of Gibraltar and commanded the Anglo-Dutch vanguard at the Battle of Málaga during the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1705, he led a combined fleet of English, Dutch, and Portuguese forces to victory over a French fleet at the Battle of Cabrita Point. Leake also participated in the siege of Barcelona under Sir Cloudesley Shovell and the Earl of Peterborough and was present at the city's capitulation in 1706. He later arrived to lift a second Franco-Spanish siege of Barcelona. Leake captured Sardinia and led forces that seized the well-fortified harbor of Port Mahon on Minorca. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1710 to 1712. His contributions span both military command and political service during significant conflicts of his time.