|
|
Garcia Alvarez de Toledo, 2.Conde
& 1.Duque de Alba de Tormes, (-1488)
|
He seems to have been an extraordinary character whose greed and cunning
was as celebrated as his military talents. Few men have ever used the follies
of a king to better advantage. Garcia's basic tactic was to remain loyal
to the king while letting it be known that he was open to offers from the
other side. He would collect his rewards in advance and then be unaccountably
absent on the day of reckoning. The wonder is that it worked so well for
so long. Though the king granted him extensive lands and a half-share of
the rents from the fair at Medina del Campo, he left the relief of that
city to the Constable of Castile, arriving only after the fight was over.
When the count failed to appear at the epic battle of Olmedo, it was discovered
that he had accepted two towns from the king's enemies in return for his
1,500 lances. A royalist to the end, he solved his consequent moral dilemma
by staying home. The street urchins cried, "Who gives more for the Count
of Alba who is sold on every street corner?" but he had gained a valuable
foothold in the valley of the Tagus.
In 1472, as part of the general settlement after Toros de Guisando
he was persuaded to surrender all his gains south of the Sierra. It was
a statesmanlike decision which, if the chronicler is right, prevented a
civil war, but it was not without compensations. The king gratefully elevated
him to ducal rank and confirmed his dubious title to Coria.
In 1488 he died, but not before he had redeemed himself in the eys
of posterity by his steadfast support of Ferdinand and Isabella. One of
the architects of their succession, he fought valiantly in the war against
Portugal and played a mayor role in the great victory won
in the lands between Toro and Zamora on March 1, 1476.
Source : William S. Maltby, Leo
van de Pas. |
|
|
