The Spanish Royal TapestriesCalvert, Albert Frederick
History
The Spanish Royal Tapestries
Calvert, Albert Frederick
Tapestry -- Spain -- History; Tapestry -- Spain -- Madrid
The inscription in the right-hand border instructs us to look from the
promontory to the camp and stop at the Water Tower, leaving the lagoon
on the right-hand and taking the north, on the same side.
_Tapestry No. 5._ The upper inscription describes “a sortie of Turks
from Goletta, and the killing of several Italian soldiers; a new sortie
of the Turks killing the Marquis de Final, an Italian colonel: the
arrival of Muley Hassan, King of Tunis, with 400 cavalry: the serious
skirmish in which the Marquis de Mondejas receives a blow from a lance:
the help brought by the Emperor: the flight of the enemy, losing part of
their artillery.”
The lower inscription reads: “The Turks make a sortie and repulse the
Italian advance-guard, whose leader is made prisoner; they take the
_tranchées_, but repulsed by the Spanish, they retire. Finally, counting
on the darkness of the night, they attack the Spaniards and force them
to abandon their _tranchées_; attacked in their turn, they are forced to
retire again. The king Hassan arrives, followed by a small body-guard.
The Marquis Louis, wounded, retires from the combat. Charles V arrives
with help when the soldiers are already in distress; he repulses the
enemy and takes their artillery.”
We are instructed to look at this tapestry “as though we were at the
towers of Water and of Salt opposite Goletta, having the sea and the
north on the left-hand, and the lagoon on the right.”
_Tapestry No. 7._ Represents the taking of Goletta: “Twenty thousand
Turks charge to take the tower of the promontory of Carthage, defended
by 26,000 Spaniards, protected by the Emperor with the Germans and new
Spanish troops. On land Goletta fights with 11 cannons; by sea 9
galleys, commanded by the Prince Doria, are supported by the galleon and
the carabels of the Portuguese, commanded by the Infante Louis. Goletta
is defended by 6000 Turks and 2000 Moors, with more than 400 guns. At
the attack, directed from the sea, there are 4000 soldiers of the
battalions of Spanish veterans, and in that, directed from the coast of
the lagoon, as many Italians and 2000 Germans. At the assault of
Goletta, 2000 Turks and Moors are killed, and about 100 of our men, dead
or wounded, are put out of action. The fleet commanded by Barbarossa is
taken also.”
The Latin text relates that “the garrison defending the Cape finds
itself threatened by an attack of the Africans. The Conqueror comes to
the rescue and repulses the assailants. Goletta is attacked by land and
sea; the enemy fights with arrows. Part of the wall, already undermined,
falls where the fight is fiercest. The Spanish troops enter first into
the breach; this being taken, they slay or put to flight the defenders,
while Charles deals with another section of the enemy.”
This piece is to be regarded “from the lagoon, with Tunis on the left
hand, the promontory of Carthage on the right, and the north behind to
the right.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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