We have already written some entries about what to do in Cordoba, what to see and even what to eat and drink in the city of Caliphate, but a city is much more than what our senses perceive. The greatness of a place is its people, and today we want to dedicate a space to one of the most important Cordobans of the times of the Catholic Kings: The Great Captain.
Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, later known as the Great Captain, was born in the heart of the house of Aguilar in 1453 in the Cordovan town of Montilla, being the second son of this noble family. Our Cordovan will be born in a Castile divided between the supporters of King Enrique IV and his stepbrother Alfonso, at the same time brother of Isabel de Trastámara, future Catholic Queen.
The father of Gonzalo de Córdoba would be in favor of the ascent to the power of the infant Don Alfonso, reason why Gonzalo will begin to serve to him like page from very young age in Ávila, later serving to the Catholic Kings.
Gonzalo de Córdoba will be a fundamental figure in the military field of his time, since he introduces new combat tactics for which he is considered the father of the Spanish professional army. The Great Captain was key to the conquest of Granada, personally negotiating the terms of the surrender with the Nasrid king Boabdil.
The taking of Granada was not but the beginning of its greatness, always at the service of the Catholic Monarchs, it will go to Italy in command of an army to recover Naples from French hands. After arduous battles, the Great Captain manages to get Fernando El Católico recognized as king of Naples, ruling this territory in his name.
Nevertheless, in the year 1507, already Isabel I of Castile died, Fernando II of Aragon will travel to Naples and depose the Great Captain of his position. Many theories are considered to clarify the reason for separating Gonzalo de Córdoba from power: suspicion on the part of Fernando for the autonomy enjoyed by the Cordovan, accusations of embezzlement of Italian and Iberian funds by Gonzalo, opposition from the family of the wife of the Great Captain to the reign of Fernando II ... And on the other hand, now that Fernando was no longer king of Castile, he feared that the Great Captain as Castilian would annex the territories conquered by him to the Crown of Castile.
Obliged to return to Spain, Gonzalo will settle in Loja, far from the court, dying in Granada in the year 1515.
Thus, as was common in this time of intrigues and changes of favors, we see a figure who will gain an important position thanks to his mastery in battle, which will gradually fall into disgrace after the death of the Catholic Queen. Despite the title and the legend that were forged around the Great Captain, they will always remain in the history of Spain and, of course, in the history of Córdoba.
If you want to meet the Cordovan characters that have left their mark on history, do not hesitate to join our guided tours through the Historic Center (Puerta de Almodóvar at 11:00) and the Legends of the Jewish Quarter (At 7:00 p.m. from June to September in Puerta de Almodóvar). Our free tours need a previous reservation that can be done from https://cordobafreetour.es/
Find the yellow umbrella of Córdoba Tips Tours and discover what lies behind the streets and monuments of Cordoba.
