Battle of Villalar

The battle of Villalar was an armed confrontation waged during the War of the Communities of Castile that confronted on April 23, 1521 in Villalar the royalist forces in favor of King Carlos I of Spain, led by by Íñigo Fernández de Velasco y Mendoza, a Castilian constable who served as governor of the kingdom due to the absence of the monarch, and the community members of the Santa Junta formed in Ávila in July of the previous year.

The consequences of the confrontation were profound, since the defeat of the community and the execution of their leaders a day later put an almost complete end to the conflict —except in Toledo, where the resistance lasted until February 1522.

Precedents

The community army was quartered in the Valladolid town of Torrelobatón, after having taken it in February 1521. Juan de Padilla kept his men inside the castle waiting to be able to leave for Valladolid or Toro. Meanwhile, the Constable's army advanced to the south, and on April 21 it settled in Peñaflor de Hornija, where the troops of the Admiral and the lords joined it, awaiting movements of the communal army. At his command were also the forces enlisted in the division carried out by the City of Burgos.

On the other hand, the Santa Junta, established in Valladolid, decided to send Padilla the reinforcements he requested: an artillery contingent. Councilor Luis Godinez flatly refused to take charge of him, so the position ended up being held on April 18 by schoolboy Diego López de Zúñiga. The situation of the community members in Torrelobatón was becoming more critical every moment, so the university student decided on the 20th to set out with the contingent without receiving express orders from the Community.

Development

Lithography of the battle in The martyrs of Spanish freedom (1853)

On April 22, the community members did nothing more than sight the enemy positions by sending patrols, without even deciding to abandon Torrelobatón.. It was a rainy day, the least propitious to carry out a military deployment. The soldiers of the community army had pressured Padilla hours before to make him carry out some movement in the area. He decided to leave for Toro in search of reinforcements and supplies. The army was traveling the road to Toro following the course of the Hornija stream, and passed through the towns of Villasexmir, San Salvador and Gallegos. When they reached Vega de Valdetronco, the battle was already inevitable. The rain continued to fall heavily, and Padilla was forced to find a favorable place to present the battle.

The first town chosen was Vega de Valdetronco, but the army did not heed the orders he gave. The next town on the road to Toro, past Vega de Valdetronco, was Villalar, and that was the place where the battle would take place, specifically, on the Puente de Fierro.

The community army, in clear inferiority compared to the troops of Carlos V, tried to have the battle take place inside the town. To do this, they installed cannons and other artillery pieces in its streets.

Many of the combatants took advantage of the initial uncertainty to flee to their home towns or to others close to Villalar. But the comuneros did not even have the opportunity to deploy their forces, as the royalist cavalry launched a sudden attack without waiting for the arrival of the Constable's infantry. This was presented when the contest had already concluded.

Consequences

Execution of the community of Castillaof the romantic Antonio Gisbert (1860, Palacio de las Cortes). Applauded by the liberals of xixIt was acquired by Congress.

The prominent community leaders Padilla, Bravo, and Maldonado fought until they were captured. The following day, April 24, judges Cornejo, Salmerón and Alcalá found them guilty "of having been traitors to the royal crown of these kingdoms" and sentenced them "to the penalty of natural death and confiscation of their goods and offices." After confessing to a Franciscan friar, they were taken to the town square, where the pillory where criminals were executed was located, and there they were beheaded by an executioner, who used a large sword.

The soldiers of the community army who managed to flee, mostly did so to Toro, pursued by the Count of Haro, and a part of the battered army crossed into Portugal through the Fermoselle border. The rest met with Acuña and María Pacheco in Toledo, reinforcing the resistance of the city of the Tagus for several more months. The battle ultimately resulted in the death of between 500 and 1,000 community soldiers and the capture of another 6,000 prisoners.