Fernández de Córdoba, Gonzalo
Fernández de Córdoba, Gonzalo
(gōnthä`lō fārnän`dāth dā kōr`dōbä), 1453–1515, Spanish general, called the Great Captain. He fought in the civil wars preceding and following the accession of Isabella IIsabella Ior Isabella the Catholic,
1451–1504, Spanish queen of Castile and León (1474–1504), daughter of John II of Castile. In 1469 she married Ferdinand of Aragón (later King Ferdinand II of Aragón and Ferdinand V of Castile).
..... Click the link for more information. and in the conquest of Granada. He commanded (1495–98) the army aiding Naples against Charles VIII of France. After expeditions against the rebellious MoriscosMoriscos
[Span.,=Moorish], Moors converted to Christianity after the Christian reconquest (11th–15th cent.) of Spain. The Moors who had become subjects of Christian kings as the reconquest progressed to the 15th cent. were called Mudéjares.
..... Click the link for more information. of Granada and the Turks, he returned to Italy as an ally of Louis XII of France, who had joined with Ferdinand II of Aragón to partition Naples (see Italian WarsItalian Wars,
1494–1559, series of regional wars brought on by the efforts of the great European powers to control the small independent states of Italy. Renaissance Italy was split into numerous rival states, most of which sought foreign alliances to increase their
..... Click the link for more information. ). When Naples had been conquered, he expelled (1502–4) the French and served as governor until 1507. He greatly improved the Spanish infantry by specializing the use of weapons.
Bibliography
See biography by M. Purcell (1962).