The Spanish Royal TapestriesCalvert, Albert Frederick
History
The Spanish Royal Tapestries
Calvert, Albert Frederick
Tapestry -- Spain -- History; Tapestry -- Spain -- Madrid
The lower scroll bears the following inscription: “The Conqueror leaves
the outskirts of Madrid and the dwelling of his ancestors, and halts in
the smiling county of Barcelona. He reviews the army and singles out the
noblemen and knights. He vows at the moment of embarkation that in
crossing the ocean (leaving behind him the waves of the Balearic and
Sardinian Seas) that the fleet can come together in the place commanded.
He embarks with him the Germans, the Italian army, and the battalions of
Spanish veterans, and lands them on the African coast.”
_Tapestry No. 3._ According to the upper scroll this tapestry treats of
“the arrival of the Emperor and his galleys at old Carthage, and the
reconnaissance of Goletta (where several cannon shots were fired). On
June 16 the Conqueror disembarks with his body-guard and 12,000
infantry, and takes three positions. He attacks the towers of Water and
of Salt; the Spanish arquebusiers, under the order of the Marquis del
Vasto, draw on the enemy, who lose several men.”
The lower inscription reads: “Here they enter the port of Utica; ancient
Carthage receives them in her ruins. The fleet sails along the coast.
Thence the Conqueror goes with a small body-guard to explore Goletta and
to spy out its fortifications and situation. After having given the
order to the troops to disembark they light-heartedly attack the enemy,
who retreat. They pitch the camp beside the walls of what was once
Carthage the illustrious, and is to-day a village of poor cottages.” A
further inscription in the border reads: “This third piece must be
looked at from the place where the fleet is cruising along the coasts
from Porto Farina to the head of the promontory of Carthage; the north
is to the left side above the right shoulder.”
_Tapestry No. 4._ The upper inscription explains that “during the
landing of the rest of the army several skirmishes take place until the
Emperor orders the body of the army to descend into the plain to besiege
Goletta.” The Marquis del Vasto sends reinforcements with which they try
(without success) to surprise the enemy. The whole army being reunited,
the Turks, a few days after, try to gain an advantage from a violent
wind which arose, throwing sand with shovels and other instruments to
blind their enemies. But the wind suddenly falling, the Turks surrounded
by our arquebusiers were obliged to fall back to Goletta.
The Latin inscription at the foot reads: “Charles strikes the camp, and
when the army is already on the march the enemy attack the rear-guard
and harass their movements. The army faces round, and the enemy nearly
surrounded in a dangerous place, retreat. A violent wind arises, raising
whirlwinds of sand; our men are blinded by the dust. The enemy, full of
craft, appear again, throwing sand at our soldiers, and thus fighting as
much with dust as with arms; but when the wind falls they are repulsed.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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