Гонсало Фернандес де Кордова: Ұлы Капитан

Spanish general and statesman (1453–1515)

Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1 September 1453 – 2 December 1515) was a Spanish general and statesman who led successful military campaigns during the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars. His military victories and widespread popularity earned him the nickname “El Gran Capitán” ("The Great Captain"). He also negotiated the final surrender of Granada and later served as Viceroy of Naples. A masterful military strategist and tactician, he was among the first Europeans to introduce the successful use of firearms on the battlefield and the first to reorganize the infantry to include pikes and firearms in effective defensive and offensive formations. The changes implemented by Fernández de Córdoba, leading to the formation of the tercios, were instrumental in making the Spanish army the dominant force in Europe for more than a century and a half. For his extensive political and military success, he was made Duke of Santángelo (1497), Terranova (1502), Andría, Montalto and Sessa (1507). Córdoba rose to international prestige during his career, maintaining active relationships not only with the crowns of Castile and Aragon, but also with France, the Papal States, the Italian city states and the Holy Roman Empire, all of which sought out his services. Chronicler Jerónimo Zurita went to consider him " the most esteemed person that lived in these times, for such princes, either desired to have him for a friend, or were wary that he might become their enemy."

Once the Catholic Monarchs had consolidated their rule, they embarked in 1481 on a ten year campaign to conquer Granada, the last remaining Muslim stronghold on the Iberian peninsula. Fernández de Córdoba was an active participant in the fighting and distinguished himself as a brave and competent military leader. He gained renown for participation in the sieges of several walled towns including Loja, Tajara, Illora, and Montefrío. At Montefrío he was reported to be the first attacker over the walls. In 1492, Fernández de Córdoba captured the city of Granada, bringing an end to the war. The skills of a military engineer and a guerilla fighter were equally useful. Because of his knowledge of Arabic and his familiarity with Boabdil, Gonzalo was chosen as one of the officers to arrange the surrender. For his service he was rewarded with an Order of Santiago, an encomienda, the manor of Órgiva in Granada as well as silk production rights in the region.

Gonzalo was an important military commander during the Italian Wars, holding command twice and earning the name "The Great Captain".

The Italian Wars began in 1494 when Charles VIII of France marched into Italy with 25,000 men to make good his claim to the Kingdom of Naples ruled by Ferdinand II, a cousin to Ferdinand of Aragon. The French easily overwhelmed the Neapolitan defenses and on 12 May 1495 Charles had himself crowned Emperor of Naples. The Catholic Monarchs were anxious to reverse French success in Naples and selected Fernández de Córdoba to lead an expeditionary force against Charles. Fernández de Córdoba landed in Naples shortly after Charles' coronation with a force of about 5,000 infantry and 600 light cavalry. Fearful of being trapped in Italy, Charles installed Gilbert de Bourbon as Viceroy of Naples and returned to France with about half of the French forces. Initially, the light infantry and cavalry under Fernández de Córdoba command were no match against the heavily armed French. A lack of training and poor coordination between Spanish and Italian forces compounded the problem. In their first major engagement on 28 June 1495, Fernández de Córdoba was defeated at the Battle of Seminara against French forces led by Bernard Stewart d'Aubigny. After the defeat, Fernández de Córdoba withdrew to implement a rigorous training program and reorganize his army. The Spanish employed effective guerrilla tactics, striking quickly to disrupt French supply lines and avoiding large scale battles. Gradually Fernández de Córdoba regained a foothold in the country and then assaulted the French occupied Italian cities. Within a year, Fernández de Córdoba achieved a decisive victory at Atella, capturing the French viceroy and expelling the remaining
French forces from Naples. He also recovered the Roman port of Ostia and returned the captured territories to the Italians by 1498. Although Fernández de Córdoba was awarded the additional title, Duke of Sessa, he never received the promised appointment to lead the Santiago military order. Ferdinand continued to praise him but gave him nothing else to do; he eventually retired to one of his country estates. Fernández de Córdoba died of malaria on 2 December 1515 at his villa near Granada at age 62.

Fernández de Córdoba first married in 1474 to his cousin María de Sotomayor; about a year later she died giving birth to a stillborn son. On 14 February 1489 he married María Manrique de Lara y Figueroa (also known as María Manrique de Lara y Espinosa, d. 1527) from a powerful and wealthy noble family. His only surviving daughter, Elvira Fernández de Córdoba y Manrique, would inherit all his titles upon his death in 1515.

The "Gran Capitán" was a pioneer of modern warfare. He revolutionized 16th century military strategy by integrating firearms into the Spanish infantry and directed the first battle in history won by gunpowder small arms (in this case, arquebuses), the Battle of Cerignola of 1503. He helped found the first modern standing army (the nearly invincible Spanish infantry which dominated European battlefields for most of the 16th and 17th centuries), and he pioneered combined arms warfare by combining the use of infantry, cavalry and artillery with naval support. He left no sons, and was succeeded in his dukedoms by daughter Elvira Fernández de Córdoba y Manrique. His burial place in the Monastery of San Jerónimo in Granada, was built in Renaissance style. His remains were transferred there in 1552, together with some 700 war trophies (captured banners). His daughter, Elvira, and his wife, Maria, are also buried there, along with a number of other family members. Elvira died in 1524, and Maria died in 1527. The tomb was desecrated by Napoleonic troops under the command of the Corsican General Sebastiani during the Peninsular War, in 1810/11. The remains of Fernández de Córdoba were illegally exhumed and mutilated, and the 700 banners were burned. Stone from the tower was used to build the Puente Verde bridge over the Genil. The monastery was fully restored at the end of the 19th century.