History of the Reign of Philip the Second King of Spain, Vol. 3: And Biographical & Critical MiscellaniesPrescott, William Hickling
History
History of the Reign of Philip the Second King of Spain, Vol. 3: And Biographical & Critical Miscellanies
Prescott, William Hickling
Philip II, King of Spain, 1527-1598; Spain -- History -- Philip II, 1556-1598
While the question was pending, Jubíles fell into the hands of the
victors; and Mondejar, not feeling himself at liberty to release his
female captives, of whom more than a thousand, by this event, had come
into his possession, delivered them in charge to three of the principal
Moriscoes, to whom, it may be remembered, he had given letters of
safe-conduct. They were allowed to restore the women to their families,
on condition that they should all be surrendered on the demand of the
government. Such an act, it must be admitted, implies great confidence
in the good faith of the Moslems,--a confidence fully justified by the
result. When, in obedience to the pragmatic, they were claimed by the
government, they were delivered up by their families,--with the
exception of some who had died in the meantime,--and the greater part of
them were sold by public auction in Granada.[92]
The only place of any importance which now held out against Mondejar was
Las Guájaras, situated in the plains of Salobreña, in the direction of
Velez Malaga. This was a rocky, precipitous hill, on the summit of
which, nature, with little assistance from art, had constructed a sort
of rude fortress. It was held by a fierce band of Moriscoes, who,
descending from the heights, swept over the plains, carrying on
devastating forays, that made them the terror of the surrounding
country. Mondejar, moved by the complaints of the inhabitants, left
Ugijar on the fifth of February, at the head of his whole array, now
much augmented by the arrival of recent levies, and marched rapidly on
Guájaras. He met with a more formidable resistance than he had expected.
His first attempt to carry the place was repulsed with a heavy loss on
the part of the assailants. The Moorish garrison, from its elevated
position, poured a storm of missiles on their heads, and, what was
worse, rolled down huge masses of rock, which, ploughing through the
Castilian ranks, overthrew men and horses, and did as great execution as
would have been done by artillery. Eight hundred Spaniards were left
dead on the field: and many a noble house in Andalusia had to go into
mourning for that day's disaster.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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