This formidable general, regarded as an eccentric within the Royal Navy much like Thomas Cochrane and Sidney Smith, has achieved great feats since being dispatched to Portugal by the Foreign Office.
When Napier arrived in Portugal, the Portuguese Liberals supporting the young Queen Maria II were left with only one stronghold, the Azores.
And just as Napier reached the Azores, Count Villaflor, the Liberal leader, immediately handed over command of the remaining naval vessels to him without hesitation.
At this time, the troops led by the Queen's father, Emperor Pedro of Brazil, were besieged by the autocratic forces led by her uncle, Prince Miguel.
Fearless and skilled, Napier, aiming to relieve them, disregarded the naval blockade of the autocratic faction, leading a small remaining fleet to safely transport the Liberal forces to the Algarve region in southern Portugal, successfully opening a second front.
