Page 136 - sfogliabile 49

402 Miguel Ángel de Bunes Ibarra

and açauras. There were also many brigantines, frigates, foists and some
galliots. There were 12 papal galleys, 4 from [the Order of the Knights of St.
John of] Malta under Aurelio Botigela, the prior of Pisa, 15 of ours [i.e.
Spanish] under Álvaro de Bazán, 19 under Andrea Doria, 10 Sicilian galleys
captained by don Belenguer de Requesens, 9 Genoese galleys, 6 Neapolitan
galleys under don García de Toledo, another 5 under Antonio Doria and 2
belonging to the lord of Monaco. In total 82 very well-armed and richly
decorated galleys, because each captain wanted his galley to be the best
whether in terms of speed, armaments or beauty 18 .

García Cereceda, who took part in the Tunis campaign gives
completely different figures, however. He refers to 113 high-sided
vessels, 15 royal galleys – four of them carrying horses – 1 galleon, 1
nave, 22 caravels and an indeterminate number of galleons and hulks,
in which were embarked 12,000 Italians and 7,000 German troops, as
well as the soldiers from Spain and the papal states. As for the galleys
he gives these figures: 15 Spanish; 3 papal; 13 Neapolitan; 15
belonging to the Doria family; 4 from Rhodes [meaning perhaps those
of the Knights of St. John once based in Rhodes, but by then in Malta],
6 from Sicily and 2 from Palermo (sic.), 2 from Monaco, 12 from Genoa
and 2 under Berenguel, as well as others belonging to unnamed
individuals .
19
Until very recently we did not even know how important the
Portuguese military contingents that arrived in Barcelona on 29 April
1535 under the command of the infante don Luis were. The fleet was
made up of 11 galleons, 2 carracks and 2 caravels, and was carrying
some 1500 men, counting both soldiers and mariners . The Portu-
20

18 Ivi, p. 163: «sin muchos caballeros que traía Maximiliano Ebersteyn, y embarcólos
en 38 naos, que para esto estaban aderezados en Portuvenere… De manera, pues, que
tuvo el Emperador por lista en Callar 25.000 soldados, los demás españoles. Había
también 2.000 de caballo, los 800 llevaban todos armas, los de malla, que por eso se
llaman ligeros. Eran los navíos 700, entre chicos y grandes. Había sobre de 70 urcas de
Flandes, 40 galeones, 100 naves, 25 carabelas portuguesas y otras andaluzas, y demás
era tafurcas, escorpachines, açauras y tales bajeles, había también muchos
bergantines, fragatas, fustas y algunas galeotas. Galeras había 12 del Papa, 4 de Malta
con Aurelio Botigela, prior de Pisa, 15 nuestras con Álvaro de Bazán, 19 de Andrea de
Oria, 10 de Sicilia cuyo capitán era don Belenguer de Requesens, 9 de Génova, 6 de
Nápoles con don García de Toledo, 5 de Antonio de Oria, 2 del señor de Mónaco. Así que
todas eran 82, muy bien armadas y ricamente guarnecidas, porque cada capitán quería
que sus galeras fuesen las mejores de remo, armas y gala».
19 M. García Cereceda, Tratado de las campañas y otros acontecimientos de los
ejércitos del emperador Carlos V, Sociedad de Bibliófilos Españoles, Madrid, 1873, vol.
II, pp. 13-21.
20 J.V. Pissarra, O galeào S. Joâo (c1530-1551). Dados para una monografía, in I.
Guerreiro, F. Contente Domingues (eds.), Fernando Oliveira e o seu tempo: humanismo

Mediterranea - ricerche storiche - Anno XVII - Agosto 2020
ISSN 1824-3010 (stampa) ISSN 1828-230X (online)