Battle of Villalar
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Villalar was a battle in the Revolt of the Comuneros fought on April 23, 1521 near the town of Villalar
in Valladolid
province, Spain
. The royalist supporters of King Charles I
won a crushing victory over the comuneros rebels. Three of the most important rebel leaders were captured, Juan de Padilla
, Juan Bravo, and Francisco Maldonado
. They were executed the next day, effectively ending armed resistance to Charles I.
, a rebel stronghold. The Constable of Castile
began to move his troops (including soldiers recently transferred from the defense of Navarre) southwest from Burgos to meet with the Admiral
's forces near Tordesillas
. This was possible due to the comunero-aligned Count of Salvatierra's force being caught up in the siege of Medina de Pomar
; the Count's forces had previously been enough of a threat to force the Constable to maintain a large army to defend Burgos. The Constable's army was approximately 3,000 infantry, 600 cavalry, 2 cannon
s, 2 culverin
, and 5 light artillery pieces. His army took up positions in Becerril de Campos
, near Palencia
. Meanwhile, the comuneros reinforced their troops at Torrelobatón, which was far less secure than the comuneros preferred. Their forces were suffering from desertions, and the presence of royalist artillery would make Torrelobatón's castle vulnerable. They had two strategic possibilities: prevent the Constable and Admiral from united their forces by striking at the Constable while he was still on the field, or else low-level harrying operations to try to slow the Constable down. The comuneros did neither, and thus allowed the Constable to approach nearly unchecked. The commander of the comunero armies, Juan de Padilla
, considered withdrawing to Toro to seek reinforcements in early April, but wavered. He delayed his decision until the early hours of April 23, losing considerable time and allowing the royalists to unite their forces in Peñaflor
.
, but his infantry was too slow. He gave battle with the harrying royalist cavalry at the town of Villalar. The comuneros set up their artillery to try to blunt the cavalry charge, but this failed. According to some reports, the artillery did more damage to the comuneros than the royalist cavalry. Sources differ on the reasons behind this. According to the account of Pedro de Alcocer (a friend of the Padilla family), the comuneros were betrayed; the artillery and some 300 soldiers had been bought off by the royalists prior to the battle, and switched sides. The artillery intentionally fired high and destroyed their powder. A slightly more subdued theory blames the rain for the ineffectiveness of the comunero artillery. Finally, it is possible that in the heat of the battle, the artillerists simply panicked and made mistakes.
The cavalry charges scattered the rebel ranks, and the battle became a slaughter. There were an estimated 500–1,000 rebel casualties and many desertions. The three most important leaders of the rebellion were captured: Juan de Padilla
, Juan Bravo, and Francisco Maldonado
. They were beheaded the next morning in the Plaza of Villalar, with a large portion of the royalist nobility present. The remains of the rebel army at Villalar fragmented, with some attempting to join Acuña's army near Toledo and others fleeing to Portugal. The rebellion was struck a crippling blow.
Demoralized, and without leaders or an army, the rebel cities of Old Castile
soon surrendered to the Constable's armies. It took slightly longer for the Constable's armies to march south to New Castile and retake Madrid. They likely would have taken Toledo
as well, but a French invasion of Spanish-controlled Navarre meant that the army needed to immediately be recalled north to fight the French and Navarrese. As a result, the Revolt stretched out several months more, with Toledo resisting until October.
, a nationalistic liberal military leader led an expedition to find and exhume the remains of the three leaders executed in 1521. Later, some city councils called for celebrations at Villalar in the 1920s. After the end of Franco's dictatorship, this view became more mainstream. The autonomous community
of Castile and León
made April 23 the official holiday of Castile and León Day
in 1986. It is celebrated yearly at Villalar, which has since renamed itself Villalar de los Comuneros
.
Villalar de los Comuneros
Villalar de los Comuneros is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 449 inhabitants....
in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
province, Spain
Habsburg Spain
Habsburg Spain refers to the history of Spain over the 16th and 17th centuries , when Spain was ruled by the major branch of the Habsburg dynasty...
. The royalist supporters of King Charles I
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...
won a crushing victory over the comuneros rebels. Three of the most important rebel leaders were captured, Juan de Padilla
Juan Lopez de Padilla
Juan López de Padilla was an insurrectionary leader in the Castilian War of the Communities, where the people of Castile made a stand against policies of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his Flemish ministers.Padilla was the eldest son of the commendator of Castile...
, Juan Bravo, and Francisco Maldonado
Francisco Maldonado
Francisco Maldonado was a leader of the rebel Comuneros from Salamanca in the Revolt of the Comuneros.He was captured at the Battle of Villalar, and beheaded the following day....
. They were executed the next day, effectively ending armed resistance to Charles I.
Maneuvers in March and April 1521
In late March 1521, the royalist side moved to combine their armies and threaten TorrelobatónTorrelobatón
Torrelobatón is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 577 inhabitants....
, a rebel stronghold. The Constable of Castile
Constable of Castile
Constable of Castile was a title created by John I, King of Castile in 1382, to substitute the title Alférez Mayor del Reino. The constable was the second person in power in the kingdom, after the King, and his responsibility was to command the military in the absence of the ruler.In 1473 Henry IV...
began to move his troops (including soldiers recently transferred from the defense of Navarre) southwest from Burgos to meet with the Admiral
Fadrique Enríquez
Fadrique Enríquez was the 4th Admiral of Castile and played an important role in defeating the Revolt of the Comuneros.Fadrique Enríquez was the son of Alonso Enríquez and María de Velasco. He inherited his father's possessions in Palencia and the castle of Medina de Rioseco. On february 14...
's forces near Tordesillas
Tordesillas
Tordesillas is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain.It is located 25 km southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of 704 meters. The population was c. 9,000 in 2009....
. This was possible due to the comunero-aligned Count of Salvatierra's force being caught up in the siege of Medina de Pomar
Medina de Pomar
Medina de Pomar is a municipality located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. It is situated 77 km from Bilbao, and 88 km from Burgos, the capital of the province, 8 kilometres from Villarcayo and about 20 km from Espinosa de los Monteros, which are the most important towns in the...
; the Count's forces had previously been enough of a threat to force the Constable to maintain a large army to defend Burgos. The Constable's army was approximately 3,000 infantry, 600 cavalry, 2 cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
s, 2 culverin
Culverin
A culverin was a relatively simple ancestor of the musket, and later a medieval cannon, adapted for use by the French in the 15th century, and later adapted for naval use by the English in the late 16th century. The culverin was used to bombard targets from a distance. The weapon had a...
, and 5 light artillery pieces. His army took up positions in Becerril de Campos
Becerril de Campos
Becerril de Campos is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,028 inhabitants.-External links:*...
, near Palencia
Palencia
Palencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon...
. Meanwhile, the comuneros reinforced their troops at Torrelobatón, which was far less secure than the comuneros preferred. Their forces were suffering from desertions, and the presence of royalist artillery would make Torrelobatón's castle vulnerable. They had two strategic possibilities: prevent the Constable and Admiral from united their forces by striking at the Constable while he was still on the field, or else low-level harrying operations to try to slow the Constable down. The comuneros did neither, and thus allowed the Constable to approach nearly unchecked. The commander of the comunero armies, Juan de Padilla
Juan Lopez de Padilla
Juan López de Padilla was an insurrectionary leader in the Castilian War of the Communities, where the people of Castile made a stand against policies of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his Flemish ministers.Padilla was the eldest son of the commendator of Castile...
, considered withdrawing to Toro to seek reinforcements in early April, but wavered. He delayed his decision until the early hours of April 23, losing considerable time and allowing the royalists to unite their forces in Peñaflor
Peñaflor de Hornija
Peñaflor de Hornija is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 415 inhabitants....
.
April 23, 1521
The combined royalist army pursued the comuneros. As had been the case through most of the war, the royalists had a strong advantage in cavalry, with their army consisting of 6,000 infantry and 2,400 cavalry against Padilla's 7,000 infantry and 400 cavalry. Heavy rain slowed Padilla's infantry more than the royalist cavalry and rendered the primitive firearms of the rebels' 1,000 arquebusiers nearly useless. Padilla hoped to reach the relative safety of Toro and the heights of Vega de ValdetroncoVega de Valdetronco
Vega de Valdetronco is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 162 inhabitants....
, but his infantry was too slow. He gave battle with the harrying royalist cavalry at the town of Villalar. The comuneros set up their artillery to try to blunt the cavalry charge, but this failed. According to some reports, the artillery did more damage to the comuneros than the royalist cavalry. Sources differ on the reasons behind this. According to the account of Pedro de Alcocer (a friend of the Padilla family), the comuneros were betrayed; the artillery and some 300 soldiers had been bought off by the royalists prior to the battle, and switched sides. The artillery intentionally fired high and destroyed their powder. A slightly more subdued theory blames the rain for the ineffectiveness of the comunero artillery. Finally, it is possible that in the heat of the battle, the artillerists simply panicked and made mistakes.
Juan Lopez de Padilla
Juan López de Padilla was an insurrectionary leader in the Castilian War of the Communities, where the people of Castile made a stand against policies of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his Flemish ministers.Padilla was the eldest son of the commendator of Castile...
, Juan Bravo, and Francisco Maldonado
Francisco Maldonado
Francisco Maldonado was a leader of the rebel Comuneros from Salamanca in the Revolt of the Comuneros.He was captured at the Battle of Villalar, and beheaded the following day....
. They were beheaded the next morning in the Plaza of Villalar, with a large portion of the royalist nobility present. The remains of the rebel army at Villalar fragmented, with some attempting to join Acuña's army near Toledo and others fleeing to Portugal. The rebellion was struck a crippling blow.
Aftermath
Old Castile
Old Castile is a historic region of Spain, which included territory that later corresponded to the provinces of Santander , Burgos, Logroño , Soria, Segovia, Ávila, Valladolid, Palencia....
soon surrendered to the Constable's armies. It took slightly longer for the Constable's armies to march south to New Castile and retake Madrid. They likely would have taken Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
as well, but a French invasion of Spanish-controlled Navarre meant that the army needed to immediately be recalled north to fight the French and Navarrese. As a result, the Revolt stretched out several months more, with Toledo resisting until October.
Legacy
The Battle of Villalar would later be mythologized by Spanish liberals as the blow that extinguished Castilian liberties in favor of autocratic monarchy. This started in the 1820s, as Juan Martín DíezJuan Martín Díez
Juan Martín Díez, nicknamed El Empecinado , was a historic Spaniard famous for his contributions to the Peninsular War.-Early life:Díez was born in Castrillo de Duero on September 5, 1775. He was a farmer and his house still exists in its original location...
, a nationalistic liberal military leader led an expedition to find and exhume the remains of the three leaders executed in 1521. Later, some city councils called for celebrations at Villalar in the 1920s. After the end of Franco's dictatorship, this view became more mainstream. The autonomous community
Autonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
of Castile and León
Castile and León
Castile and León is an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León and Old Castile...
made April 23 the official holiday of Castile and León Day
Castile and León Day
Castile and León Day is a holiday celebrated on April 23 in the autonomous community of Castile and León, a subdivision of Spain. The date is the anniversary of the Battle of Villalar, in which Castilian rebels were dealt a crushing defeat by the forces of King Charles I in the Revolt of the...
in 1986. It is celebrated yearly at Villalar, which has since renamed itself Villalar de los Comuneros
Villalar de los Comuneros
Villalar de los Comuneros is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 449 inhabitants....
.