Francisco de Carvajal
Encyclopedia
Francisco de Carvajal was a Spanish
military officer, conquistador
, and explorer remembered as "the demon
of the Andes
" due to his brutality and uncanny military skill in the Peru
vian civil wars of the 16th century.
Carvajal's career as a soldier in Europe spanned forty years and a half-dozen wars. Fighting in Spain's Imperial armies
—the famous tercios—he served under Charles V's
principal commanders in the Italian Wars
: Pedro Navarro
, Fabrizio Colonna
, and the illustrious Gran Capitán, Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba
. He took part in the memorable Spanish victory at the Battle of Pavia
in 1525 and acquired a small fortune when the Imperial armies sacked Rome
two years later.
In the 1540s, the octogenarian Carvajal travelled to the Spanish West Indies
and from there accepted a military commission with the Pizarro brothers
in Peru, eventually backing Gonzalo Pizarro
's unsuccessful rebellion against the officials of the Spanish Crown. Carvajal proved a tireless soldier and successful strategist. He was ultimately captured in battle by royalist forces on April 9, 1548 and executed at the age of 84.
, Salamanca, Carvajal was admitted to the University of Salamanca
only to return home in disgrace after a series of public scandals. Disinherited, Carvajal enlisted in the Castilian
infantry bound for Italy
to fight in Charles V's
wars. He was present as an alférez when the mutinous Imperial army stormed Rome in 1527. However, instead competing in the violent plunder for gold and valuables, Carvajal seized legal documents belonging to a ranking Roman notary
and ransomed them for a small fortune.
Carvajal later used these funds to journey to Mexico
as an aide to its first Spanish viceroy, Antonio de Mendoza
. In 1535, he was dispatched to Peru
to the relief of newly-founded Lima
, then under siege by an Inca army. Carvajal led reinforcements to Governor Francisco Pizarro
and thereafter played a key role in reestablishing Pizarro's rule against the rival faction of conquistadors led by Almagro the Younger. He continued to lead his cavalry
from the front ranks despite his age
and obesity
and became something of a local legend for his composure in battle. At Chupas
, seeing the Spanish Imperial infantry
giving way before a hail of fire from Almagro's massed cannons and harquebusiers, Carvajal is said to have ridden to the front of the line and, casting his helmet and cuirass
to the ground, exclaimed,
Inspired by their corpulent commander, Carvajal's men advanced on the enemy guns and carried Almagro's troops before them.
on shipping, took command again in the field as Pizarro's lieutenant
, or Maestro de Campo
of Nueva Castilla's armies. In the campaign of 1546 Carvajal violently put down the royalist forces in the south of the colony, marching and countermarching from Quito
to San Miguel
, from Lima to Guamanga and back to Lima, from Lucanas
to Cuzco, from Collao
to Arequipa
and from Arequipa to Charcas
.
. American historian William H. Prescott
collected a number of details about the execution, claiming that Carvajal was not gravely troubled by the sentence, remarking simply, basta matar": "They can only kill me." He refused confession
offered by the priests and did not accept his last rites
, asking:
According to Prescott, Carvajal did admit guests throughout his last day but treated his interlocutors to his usual cutting sarcasm. When a former enemy, once vanquished in battle by Carvajal, came to offer his services to the condemned rebel, Carvajal rebuked him caustically:
Carvajal's only complaint emerged when his executioners arrived to carry him to the place of execution. Upon being bound and forced into a narrow basket, Carvajal ecxlaimed, "¡Niño en cuna y viejo en cuna!"—"Cradles for infants and now cradles for old men as well!" Carvajal's decapitated head was exhibited on a pike next to Pizarro's at the gates of Lima.
Carvajal remains a folkloric character in Peru: One legend made him the illegitimate son of the Spanish-Italian tyrant Cesare Borgia
; Ricardo Palma
pointed out in the Tradiciones peruanas
that Carvajal was in fact Borgia's senior by 10 years, their only parentage, he added, being "that of cruelty."
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
military officer, conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
, and explorer remembered as "the demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
" due to his brutality and uncanny military skill in the Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian civil wars of the 16th century.
Carvajal's career as a soldier in Europe spanned forty years and a half-dozen wars. Fighting in Spain's Imperial armies
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...
—the famous tercios—he served under Charles V's
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
principal commanders in the Italian Wars
Italian Wars
The Italian Wars, often referred to as the Great Italian Wars or the Great Wars of Italy and sometimes as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts from 1494 to 1559 that involved, at various times, most of the city-states of Italy, the Papal States, most of the major states of Western...
: Pedro Navarro
Pedro Navarro, Count of Oliveto
Don Pedro Navarro, Count of Oliveto was a Spanish military engineer and general who participated in the War of the League of Cambrai. At the Battle of Ravenna in 1512 he commanded the Spanish and Papal infantry, but was captured by the French...
, Fabrizio Colonna
Fabrizio Colonna
Fabrizio Colonna was an Italian condottiero, a member of the powerful Colonna family. He was the son of Edoardo Colonna and Filippa Conti....
, and the illustrious Gran Capitán, Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba
Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba
Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba known as The Great Captain, Duke of Terranova and Santangelo, Andria, Montalto and Sessa, also known as Gonzalo de Córdoba, Italian: Gonsalvo or Consalvo Ernandes di Cordova was a Spanish general fighting in the times of the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars...
. He took part in the memorable Spanish victory at the Battle of Pavia
Battle of Pavia
The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–26.A Spanish-Imperial army under the nominal command of Charles de Lannoy attacked the French army under the personal command of Francis I of France in the great hunting preserve...
in 1525 and acquired a small fortune when the Imperial armies sacked Rome
Sack of Rome (1527)
The Sack of Rome on 6 May 1527 was a military event carried out by the mutinous troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in Rome, then part of the Papal States...
two years later.
In the 1540s, the octogenarian Carvajal travelled to the Spanish West Indies
Spanish West Indies
The Spanish West Indies was the contemporary name for the Spanish colonies in the Caribbean...
and from there accepted a military commission with the Pizarro brothers
Pizarro brothers
The Pizarro brothers were Spanish conquistadors who came to Peru in 1532. They all were born in Trujillo, Extremadura, Spain.The four brothers were:* Francisco Pizarro * Gonzalo Pizarro * Juan Pizarro * Hernándo Pizarro The Pizarro brothers were Spanish conquistadors who came to Peru in 1532. They...
in Peru, eventually backing Gonzalo Pizarro
Gonzalo Pizarro
Gonzalo Pizarro y Alonso was a Spanish conquistador and younger paternal half-brother of Francisco Pizarro, the conqueror of the Inca Empire...
's unsuccessful rebellion against the officials of the Spanish Crown. Carvajal proved a tireless soldier and successful strategist. He was ultimately captured in battle by royalist forces on April 9, 1548 and executed at the age of 84.
Life and military career
Born Francisco López Gascón in Rágama de ArévaloRágama
Rágama is a municipality located in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 275 inhabitants....
, Salamanca, Carvajal was admitted to the University of Salamanca
University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid. It was founded in 1134 and given the Royal charter of foundation by King Alfonso IX in 1218. It is the oldest founded university in Spain and the third oldest European...
only to return home in disgrace after a series of public scandals. Disinherited, Carvajal enlisted in the Castilian
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
infantry bound for Italy
Italian Wars
The Italian Wars, often referred to as the Great Italian Wars or the Great Wars of Italy and sometimes as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts from 1494 to 1559 that involved, at various times, most of the city-states of Italy, the Papal States, most of the major states of Western...
to fight in Charles V's
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
wars. He was present as an alférez when the mutinous Imperial army stormed Rome in 1527. However, instead competing in the violent plunder for gold and valuables, Carvajal seized legal documents belonging to a ranking Roman notary
Notary
A notary is a lawyer or person with legal training who is licensed by the state to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents...
and ransomed them for a small fortune.
Carvajal later used these funds to journey to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
as an aide to its first Spanish viceroy, Antonio de Mendoza
Antonio de Mendoza
Antonio de Mendoza y Pacheco, Marquis of Mondéjar, Count of Tendilla , was the first viceroy of New Spain, serving from April 17, 1535 to November 25, 1550, and the second viceroy of Peru, from September 23, 1551 to July 21, 1552...
. In 1535, he was dispatched to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
to the relief of newly-founded Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, then under siege by an Inca army. Carvajal led reinforcements to Governor Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro González, Marquess was a Spanish conquistador, conqueror of the Incan Empire, and founder of Lima, the modern-day capital of the Republic of Peru.-Early life:...
and thereafter played a key role in reestablishing Pizarro's rule against the rival faction of conquistadors led by Almagro the Younger. He continued to lead his cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
from the front ranks despite his age
Ageing
Ageing or aging is the accumulation of changes in a person over time. Ageing in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Some dimensions of ageing grow and expand over time, while others decline...
and obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
and became something of a local legend for his composure in battle. At Chupas
Battle of Chupas
After the assassination of Francisco Pizarro, in retaliation for his father's execution in 1538, Diego de Almagro II, El Mozo, continued to press claims as the rightful ruler of Peru and as leader of his father's supporters...
, seeing the Spanish Imperial infantry
Tercio
The tercio was a Renaissance era military formation made up of a mixed infantry formation of about 3,000 pikemen, swordsmen and arquebusiers or musketeers in a mutually supportive formation. It was also sometimes referred to as the Spanish Square...
giving way before a hail of fire from Almagro's massed cannons and harquebusiers, Carvajal is said to have ridden to the front of the line and, casting his helmet and cuirass
Cuirass
A cuirass is a piece of armour, formed of a single or multiple pieces of metal or other rigid material, which covers the front of the torso...
to the ground, exclaimed,
Inspired by their corpulent commander, Carvajal's men advanced on the enemy guns and carried Almagro's troops before them.
Campaign of 1546
When the royal authority moved against Pizarro in 1546, Carvajal, unable to quit the country due to the embargoEmbargo
An embargo is the partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it. Embargoes are considered strong diplomatic measures imposed in an effort, by the imposing country, to elicit a given national-interest result from the country on which it is...
on shipping, took command again in the field as Pizarro's lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, or Maestro de Campo
Maestro de Campo
Maestro de Campo was a rank created in 1534 by the Emperor Carlos V, inferior in rank only to the Capitán General and acted as a chief of staff. He was chosen by the monarch in the Council of State, and commanded a tercio. Their powers were similar to those of the old Marshals of the Kingdom of...
of Nueva Castilla's armies. In the campaign of 1546 Carvajal violently put down the royalist forces in the south of the colony, marching and countermarching from Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
to San Miguel
San Miguel Province
The San Miguel Province is one of the thirteen provinces in the Cajamarca Region of Peru. It was created by Law No. 15152 on September 29, 1964 by president Fernando Belaunde Terry. It has a mountainous territory which varies in height from 500 to more than 4,000 meters above sea level...
, from Lima to Guamanga and back to Lima, from Lucanas
Lucanas Province
Lucanas is the largest province in the Ayacucho region, Peru.-Political division:The province is divided into twenty-one districts.* Aucara * Cabana * Carmen Salcedo * Chaviña * Chipao...
to Cuzco, from Collao
El Collao Province
El Collao Province is a province of the Puno Region in Peru, created in 1992. The capital of the province is the city of Ilave.- Political division :The province measures and is divided into five districts:...
to Arequipa
Arequipa
Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 836,859 it is the second most populous city of the country...
and from Arequipa to Charcas
Charcas Province
Charcas is a province in the northern parts of the Bolivian Potosí Department. Its capital is San Pedro de Buena Vista .-Location:...
.
Execution
Carvajal was sentenced to death by the royalists after being wounded and captured at the Battle of JaquijahuanaBattle of Jaquijahuana
After the successful Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the assassination of Francisco Pizarro in 1541, and the execution of his main antagonist, Diego de Almagro and his son, El Mozo , most of the competent commanders of the recently founded New Castile Governorate had been lost in the ensuing...
. American historian William H. Prescott
William H. Prescott
William Hickling Prescott was an American historian and Hispanist, who is widely recognized by historiographers to have been the first American scientific historian...
collected a number of details about the execution, claiming that Carvajal was not gravely troubled by the sentence, remarking simply, basta matar": "They can only kill me." He refused confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
offered by the priests and did not accept his last rites
Last Rites
The Last Rites are the very last prayers and ministrations given to many Christians before death. The last rites go by various names and include different practices in different Christian traditions...
, asking:
According to Prescott, Carvajal did admit guests throughout his last day but treated his interlocutors to his usual cutting sarcasm. When a former enemy, once vanquished in battle by Carvajal, came to offer his services to the condemned rebel, Carvajal rebuked him caustically:
Carvajal's only complaint emerged when his executioners arrived to carry him to the place of execution. Upon being bound and forced into a narrow basket, Carvajal ecxlaimed, "¡Niño en cuna y viejo en cuna!"—"Cradles for infants and now cradles for old men as well!" Carvajal's decapitated head was exhibited on a pike next to Pizarro's at the gates of Lima.
Carvajal remains a folkloric character in Peru: One legend made him the illegitimate son of the Spanish-Italian tyrant Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia , Duke of Valentinois, was an Italian condottiero, nobleman, politician, and cardinal. He was the son of Pope Alexander VI and his long-term mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei. He was the brother of Lucrezia Borgia; Giovanni Borgia , Duke of Gandia; and Gioffre Borgia , Prince of Squillace...
; Ricardo Palma
Ricardo Palma
Manuel Ricardo Palma Soriano was a Peruvian author, scholar, librarian and politician. His magnum opus is the Tradiciones peruanas.- Biography :...
pointed out in the Tradiciones peruanas
Tradiciones Peruanas
The Tradiciones Peruanas is a compendium of some of the writings of the Peruvian writer Ricardo Palma.-Introduction:The writings, which are collectively known as the Tradiciones, started appearing in 1863 in newspapers and magazines...
that Carvajal was in fact Borgia's senior by 10 years, their only parentage, he added, being "that of cruelty."