CHAPTER XLVI

Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada

by Washington Irving

CHAPTER XLVI, CHRONICLE OF THE CONQUEST OF GRANADA by Washington Irving

HOW BOABDIL RETURNED SECRETLY TO GRANADA, AND HOW HE
WAS RECEIVED.--SECOND EMBASSY OF DON JUAN DE VERA,
AND HIS PERILS IN THE ALHAMBRA.


"In the hand of God," exclaimed an old Arabian chronicler, "is the
destiny of princes; he alone giveth empire. A Moorish horseman,
mounted on a fleet Arabian steed, was one day traversing the
mountains which extended between Granada and the frontier of Murcia.
He galloped swiftly through the valleys, but paused and looked out
cautiously from the summit of every height. A squadron of cavaliers
followed warily at a distance. There were fifty lances. The richness
of their armor and attire showed them to be warriors of noble rank,
and their leader had a lofty and prince-like demeanor.'' The
squadron thus described by the Arabian chronicler was the Moorish
king Boabdil and his devoted followers.

For two nights and a day they pursued their adventurous journey,
avoiding all populous parts of the country and choosing the most
solitary passes of the mountains. They suffered severe hardships and
fatigues, but suffered without a murmur: they were accustomed to
rugged campaigning, and their steeds were of generous and unyielding
spirit. It was midnight, and all was dark and silent as they descended
from the mountains and approached the city of Granada. They passed
along quietly under the shadow of its walls, until they arrived near the
gate of the Albaycin. Here Boabdil ordered his followers to halt and
remain concealed. Taking but four or five with him, he advanced
resolutely to the gate and knocked with the hilt of his scimetar. The
guards demanded who sought to enter at that unseasonable hour.
"Your king!" exclaimed Boabdil; "open the gate and admit him!"

The guards held forth a light and recognized the person of the
youthful monarch. They were struck with sudden awe and threw
open the gates, and Boabdil and his followers entered unmolested.
They galloped to the dwellings of the principal inhabitants of the
Albaycin, thundering at their portals and summoning them to arise
and take arms for their rightful sovereign. The summons was
instantly obeyed: trumpets resounded throughout the streets--the
gleam of torches and the flash of arms showed the Moors hurrying to
their gathering-places; by daybreak the whole force of the Albaycin
was rallied under the standard of Boabdil, and Aben Comixa was
made alcayde of the fortress. Such was the success of this sudden
and desperate act of the young monarch, for we are assured by
contemporary historians that there had been no previous concert or
arrangement. "As the guards opened the gates of the city to admit
him," observes a pious chronicler, "so God opened the hearts of the
Moors to receive him as their king."*

*Pulgar.


In the morning early the tidings of this event roused El Zagal from
his slumbers in the Alhambra. The fiery old warrior assembled his
guard in haste and made his way, sword in hand, to the Albaycin,
hoping to come upon his nephew by surprise. He was vigorously
met by Boabdil and his adherents, and driven back into the quarter
of the Alhambra. An encounter took place between the two kings
in the square before the principal mosque; here they fought hand
to hand with implacable fury, as though it had been agreed to decide
their competition for the crown by single combat. In the tumult of
this chance-medley affray, however, they were separated, and the
party of El Zagal was ultimately driven from the square.

The battle raged for some time in the streets and places of the
city, but, finding their powers of mischief cramped within such
narrow limits, both parties sallied forth into the fields and fought
beneath the walls until evening. Many fell on both sides, and at
night each party withdrew into its quarter until the morning gave
them light to renew the unnatural conflict. For several days the
two grand divisions of the city remained like hostile powers arrayed
against each other. The party of the Alhambra was more numerous
than that of the Albaycin, and contained most of the nobility and
chivalry; but the adherents of Boabdil were men hardened and
strengthened by labor and habitually skilled in the exercise of arms.

The Albaycin underwent a kind of siege by the forces of El Zagal;
they effected breaches in the walls, and made repeated attempts
to carry it sword in hand, but were as often repulsed. The troops
of Boabdil, on the other hand, made frequent sallies, and in the
conflicts which took place the hatred of the combatants arose to
such a pitch of fury that no quarter was given on either side.

Boabdil perceived the inferiority of his force; he dreaded also that
his adherents, being for the most part tradesmen and artisans, would
become impatient of this interruption of their gainful occupations
and disheartened by these continual scenes of carnage. He sent
missives, therefore, in all haste to Don Fadrique de Toledo, who
commanded the Christian forces on the frontier, entreating his
assistance.

Don Fadrique had received instructions from the politic Ferdinand
to aid the youthful monarch in all his contests with his uncle. He
advanced with a body of troops near to Granada. The moment Boabdil
discerned, from the towers of the Albaycin, the Christian banners
and lances winding round the base of the mountain of Elvira, he
sallied forth to meet them, escorted by a squadron of Abencerrages
under Aben Comixa. El Zagal, who was equally on the alert, and
apprised that the Christian troops came in aid of his nephew,
likewise sallied forth and drew up his troops in battle array. Don
Fadrique, wary lest some treachery should be intended, halted
among some plantations of olives, retained Boabdil by his side, and
signified his wish that Aben Comixa would advance with his squadron
and offer battle to the old king. The provocation was given, but El
Zagal maintained his position. He threw out some light parties,
however, which skirmished with the Abencerrages of Aben Comixa,
after which he caused his trumpets to sound a recall, and retired
into the city, mortified, it is said, that the Christian cavaliers
should witness these fratricidal discords between true believers.

Don Fadrique, still distrustful, drew off to a distance, and encamped
for the night near the bridge of Cabillas.

Early in the morning a Moorish cavalier with an escort approached
the advance guard, and his trumpets sounded a parley. He craved an
audience as an envoy from El Zagal, and was admitted to the tent of
Don Fadrique. El Zagal had learnt that the Christian troops had come
to aid his nephew, and now offered to enter into an alliance with
them on terms still more advantageous than those of Boabdil. The
wary Don Fadrique listened to the Moor with apparent complacency,
but determined to send one of his most intrepid and discreet
cavaliers, under the protection of a flag, to hold a conference with
the old king within the very walls of the Alhambra. The officer
chosen for this important mission was Don Juan de Vera, the same
stanch and devout cavalier who in times preceding the war had
borne the message from the Castilian sovereigns to old Muley Abul
Hassan demanding arrears of tribute. Don Juan was received with
great ceremony by the king. No records remain of his diplomatic
negotiations, but they extended into the night, and, it being too
late to return to camp, he was sumptuously lodged in an apartment of
the Alhambra. In the morning one of the courtiers about the palace,
somewhat given to jest and raillery, invited Don Juan to a ceremony
which some of the alfaquis were about to celebrate in the mosque
of the palace. The religious punctilio of this most discreet cavalier
immediately took umbrage at what he conceived a banter. "The
servants of Queen Isabella of Castile," replied he, stiffly and sternly,
"who bear on their armor the cross of St. Jago, never enter the
temples of Mahomet but to level them to the earth and trample
on them.''

The Moslem courtier retired somewhat disconcerted by this Catholic
but not very courteous reply, and reported it to a renegado of
Antiquera. The latter, eager, like all renegados, to show devotion
to his newly-adopted creed, volunteered to return with the courtier
and have a tilt of words with the testy diplomatist. They found Don
Juan playing a game of chess with the alcayde of the Alhambra, and
took occasion to indulge in sportive comments on some of the
mysteries of the Christian religion. The ire of this devout knight and
discreet ambassador began to kindle, but he restrained it within
the limits of lofty gravity. "You would do well," said he, "to cease
talking about what you do not understand." This only provoked light
attacks of the witlings, until one of them dared to make some
degrading and obscene comparison between the Blessed Virgin
and Amina, the mother of Mahomet. In an instant Don Juan sprang
to his feet, dashed chess-board and chess-men aside, and, drawing
his sword, dealt, says the curate of los Palacios, such a "fermosa
cuchillada" (such a handsome slash) across the head of the
blaspheming Moor as felled him to the earth. The renegado, seeing
his comrade fall, fled for his life, making the halls and galleries ring
with his outcries. Guards, pages, and attendants rushed in, but
Don Juan kept them at bay until the appearance of the king restored
order. On inquiring into the cause of the affray he acted with proper
discrimination. Don Juan was held sacred as an ambassador, and
the renegado was severely punished for having compromised the
hospitality of the royal palace.

The tumult in the Alhambra, however, soon caused a more
dangerous tumult in the city. It was rumored that Christians had
been introduced into the palace with some treasonable design. The
populace caught up arms and ascended in throngs to the Gate of
Justice, demanding the death of all Christian spies and those who
had introduced them. This was no time to reason with an infuriate
mob, when the noise of their clamors might bring the garrison of the
Albaycin to back them. Nothing was left for El Zagal but to furnish
Don Juan with a disguise, a swift horse, and an escort, and to let
him out of the Alhambra by a private gate. It was a sore grievance
to the stately cavalier to have to submit to these expedients, but
there was no alternative. In Moorish disguise he passed through
crowds that were clamoring for his head, and, once out of the gate
of the city, gave reins to his horse, nor ceased spurring until he
found himself safe under the banners of Don Fadrique.

Thus ended the second embassy of Don Juan de Vera, less stately
but more perilous than the first. Don Fadrique extolled his prowess,
whatever he may have thought of his discretion, and rewarded him
with a superb horse, while at the same time he wrote a letter to El
Zagal thanking him for the courtesy and protection he had observed
to his ambassador. Queen Isabella also was particularly delighted
with the piety of Don Juan and his promptness in vindicating the
immaculate character of the Blessed Virgin, and, besides conferring
on him various honorable distinctions, made him a royal present of
three hundred thousand maravedis.*

*Alcantara, Hist. Granad., vol. 3, c. 17, apud De Harro, Nobiliario
Genealogico, lib. 5, cap. 15.


The report brought by this cavalier of affairs in Granada, together
with the preceding skirmishings between the Moorish factions before
the walls, convinced Don Fadrique that there was no collusion
between the monarchs: on returning to his frontier post, therefore,
he sent Boabdil a reinforcement of Christian foot-soldiers and
arquebusiers, under Fernan Alvarez de Sotomayor, alcayde of
Colomera. This was as a firebrand thrown in to light up anew
the flames of war in the city, which remained raging between
the Moorish inhabitants for the space of fifty days.