22. CHAPTER XXII.
How King Ferdinand prepared to carry the war into a
different part of the territories of the Moors.
The western part of the kingdom of Granada had
now been conquered by the christian arms. The
sea-port of Malaga was captured: the fierce and
warlike inhabitants of the Serrania de Ronda, and
the other mountain holds of the frontier, were all
disarmed, and reduced to peaceful and laborious
vassalage; their haughty fortresses, which had so
long overawed the valleys of Andalusia, now displayed
the standard of Castile and Arragon; the
watch-towers, which crowned every height, and
from whence the infidels had kept a vulture eye
over the christian territories, were now either dismantled,
or garrisoned with Catholic troops. “What
signalized and sanctified this great triumph,” adds
the worthy Fray Antonio Agapida, “were the emblems
of ecclesiastical domination which every
where appeared. In every direction arose stately
convents and monasteries, those fortresses of the
faith, garrisoned by its spiritual soldiery of monks
and friars. The sacred melody of christian bells
was again heard among the mountains, calling to
early matins, or sounding the Angeles at the solemn
hour of evening.”
While this part of the kingdom was thus reduced
by the christian sword, the central part, round the
city of Granada, forming the heart of the Moorish
territory, was held in vassalage of the Castilian
monarch, by Boabdil surnamed el Chico. That unfortunate
prince lost no occasion to propitiate the
conquerors of his country by acts of homage, and by
professions that must have been foreign to his heart.
No sooner had he heard of the capture of Malaga,
than he sent congratulations to the Catholic sovereigns,
accompanied with presents of horses richly
caparisoned for the king, and precious cloth of gold
and oriental perfumes for the queen. His congratulations
and his presents were received with the utmost
graciousness; and the short-sighted prince, lulled
by the temporary and politic forbearance of Ferdinand,
flattered himself that he was securing the lasting
friendship of that monarch.
The policy of Boabdil had its transient and superficial
advantages. The portion of Moorish territory
under his immediate sway had a respite from the
calamities of war: the husbandmen cultivated their
luxuriant fields in security, and the vega of Granada
once more blossomed like the rose. The merchants
again carried on a gainful traffic: the gates of the
city were thronged with beasts of burden, bringing
the rich products of every clime. Yet, while the
people of Granada rejoiced in their teeming fields
and crowded marts, they secretly despised the policy
which had procured them these advantages, and held
Boabdil for little better than an apostate and an unbeliever.
Muley Abdalla el Zagal was now the hope
of the unconquered part of the kingdom; and every
Moor, whose spirit was not quite subdued with his
fortunes, lauded the valor of the old monarch and his
fidelity to the faith, and wished success to his standard.
El Zagal, though he no longer sat enthroned in
the Alhambra, yet reigned over more considerable
domains than his nephew. His territories extended
from the frontier of Jaen along the borders of Murcia
to the Mediterranean, and reached into the centre
of the kingdom. On the north-east, he held the
cities of Baza and Guadix, situated in the midst of
fertile regions. He had the important sea-port of
Almeria, also, which at one time rivalled Granada
itself in wealth and population. Beside these, his
territories included a great part of the Alpuxarra
mountains, which extend across the kingdom and
shoot out branches towards the sea-coast. This
mountainous region was a strong-hold of wealth and
power. Its stern and rocky heights, rising to the
clouds, seemed to set invasion at defiance; yet within
their rugged embraces were sheltered delightful valleys,
of the happiest temperature and richest fertility.
The cool springs and limpid rills which gushed
out in all parts of the mountains, and the abundant
streams, which, for a great part of the year, were
supplied by the Sierra Nevada, spread a perpetual
verdure over the skirts and slopes of the hills, and,
collecting in silver rivers in the valleys, wound along
among plantations of mulberry trees, and groves of
oranges and citrons, of almonds, figs, and pomegranates.
Here was produced the finest silk of Spain,
which gave employment to thousands of manufacturers.
The sun-burnt sides of the hills, also, were
covered with vineyards; the abundant herbage of
the mountain ravines, and the rich pasturage of the
valleys, fed vast flocks and herds; and even the arid
and rocky bosoms of the heights teemed with wealth,
from the mines of various metals with which they
were impregnated. In a word, the Alpuxarra mountains
had ever been the great source of revenue to
the monarchs of Granada. Their inhabitants, also,
were hardy and warlike, and a sudden summons
from the Moorish king could at any time call forth
fifty thousand fighting men from their rocky fastnesses.
Such was the rich but rugged fragment of an empire
which remained under the sway of the old warrior
monarch El Zagal. The mountain barriers by
which it was locked up, had protected it from most
of the ravages of the present war. El Zagal prepared
himself, by strengthening every fortress, to
battle fiercely for its maintenance.
The Catholic sovereigns saw that fresh troubles
and toils awaited them. The war had to be carried
into a new quarter, demanding immense expenditures;
and new ways and means must be devised to
replenish their exhausted coffers. “As this was a
holy war, however,” says Fray Antonio Agapida,
“and peculiarly redounded to the prosperity of the
church, the clergy were full of zeal, and contributed
vast sums of money and large bodies of troops. A
pious fund was also produced, from the first fruits of
that glorious institution, the Inquisition.”
It so happened, that about this time there were
many families of wealth and dignity in the kingdoms
of Arragon and Valentia, and the principality of
Catalonia, whose forefathers had been Jews, but had
been converted to christianity. Notwithstanding the
outward piety of these families, it was surmised, and
soon came to be strongly suspected, that many of
them had a secret hankering after Judaism; and it
was even whispered, that some of them practised
Jewish rites in private.
The Catholic monarch (continues Agapida) had a
righteous abhorrence of all kinds of heresy, and a
fervent zeal for the faith; he ordered, therefore, a
strict investigation of the conduct of these pseudo
christians. Inquisitors were sent into these provinces
for the purpose, who proceeded with their accustomed
zeal. The consequence was, that many families
were convicted of apostasy from the christian
faith, and of the private practice of Judaism. Some,
who had grace and policy sufficient to reform in
time, were again received into the christian fold,
after being severely mulcted and condemned to
heavy penance; others were burnt at auto de fés,
for the edification of the public, and their property
was confiscated for the good of the state.
As these Hebrews were of great wealth, and had
a hereditary passion for jewelry, there was found
abundant store in their possession of gold and silver,
of rings and necklaces, and strings of pearl and
coral, and precious stones;—treasures easy of transportation,
and wonderfully adapted for the emergencies
of war. “In this way,” concludes the pious
Agapida, “these backsliders, by the all-seeing contrivances
of Providence, were made to serve the
righteous cause which they had so treacherously deserted;
and their apostate wealth was sanctified by
being devoted to the service of Heaven and the
crown, in this holy crusade against the infidels.”
It must be added, however, that these pious financial
expedients received some check from the interference
of queen Isabella. Her penetrating eyes discovered
that many enormities had been committed
under color of religious zeal, and many innocent
persons accused by false witnesses of apostasy, either
through malice or a hope of obtaining their wealth:
she caused strict investigation, therefore, into the
proceedings which had been held; many of which
were reversed, and suborners punished in proportion
to their guilt.[1]
