1576 DRUMS AND MILITIA IN A TOWN OF
THE KINGDOM OF MURCIA: HELLÍN
On January 14, 1576, 450 years ago today, the document "Las Relaciones Topográficas" (Topographical Reports) was written in the town of Hellín at the request of Philip II.
Excerpt from the Topographical Reports of Hellín, mentioning flags and drums. Below is the text contextualized within that document. Topographical Reports of the Towns of Spain. El Escorial Library. Vol. V, pp. 415vº (the image is from a 19th-century transcription held at the Royal Academy of History)
Among
the town's notable achievements was raising a company of over 400 men at the
town's expense, who, with flags and drums, went to the aid of Huéscar during
the War of the Alpujarras in November 1569.
“And
besides what has been said, what must be made known about notable things in the
said town is that in the year one thousand five hundred and sixty-nine, the
city of Huéscar, which is on the border of the Kingdom of Granada, sent to this
town of Hellín to ask for help because the Moors of the town of Galera in the
Kingdom of Granada, who numbered eight or nine thousand Moors, had besieged it
and had entered and fortified themselves within, causing much damage. The same
help was requested from other neighboring towns, and seeing the need that
existed, many important people, many noblemen, came out of this town of Hellín
to help the said city of Huéscar, which is twenty leagues from this town. They
assembled a company of more than four hundred men. This company was formed at
the expense of the said town and its residents, with a banner and drums, and
its captain was Gómez de Balboa, the ordinary mayor, who was a nobleman, and
its ensign was Francisco Rodríguez Soto de Vera, councilman of the said town of
Hellín. This said men arrived at the said city from Huescar…”
This
is the first mention of the drum in this town, within the context of the King's
inland soldiers, especially those of Castile. Professional soldiers were all
stationed outside the Iberian Peninsula, and it was the soldiers of his
militias (essentially similar to the modern-day US National Guard) who had to
defend the King's interests, as in the case of the town of Hellín: the War of
the Alpujarras, the War of Portugal, and protection against pirates like
Barbarossa, berbers pirates, and Turks. The drum, which always appears
alongside the flag, is shown as a necessary and fundamental instrument of war
for transmitting orders.
In
subsequent royal summonses, issued through official channels either by the
governor of the Marquisate of Villena or the adelantado of the Kingdom of
Murcia, there were numerous displays of strength and mobilizations of men to
participate in armed conflicts. Hellín is a prototypical town of this
southeastern region of the Kingdom of Murcia, with the Mediterranean coast to
protect from Águilas, Mazarrón, and Cartagena—areas frequently plagued by raids
from the sea.
The Tower of Santa Elena, in La Azohía, Mazarrón, was built in the second half of the 16th century by the engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli and renovated several times. It served as a defensive and lookout post against incursions from the sea. SOURCE: Wikipedia
These towns and cities did not remain static; the soldiers in the watchtowers that were being built at that time or behind the walls, even embarked on galleys to attack at sea.
A drum playing on the deck of an orderly ship. Although the image belongs to the painting by Juan de Toledo and Mateo Gilarte about the Battle of Lepanto in the Church of Santo Domingo in Murcia, this was a common practice among soldiers acting as marines.
Towns and cities were obligated to defend these coasts, as well
as participate in general conflicts against France (Roussillon), Portugal, or
internal revolts.
The
drum, or caxa, played a prominent role as a town crier and military instrument.
It is important to note that the documents of the Council of War on the service records of captains of towns and cities or soldiers of these do not discriminate against this type of men of the famous Tercios: they were considered as soldiers without any special annotation for their internal military function.
December 1588, contribution from the town of Hellín of 100 men, captain, flag, drum, and four squadron corporals to the defense of Cartagena and Mazarrón. AGS/GYM Leg, 242 pp. 395r. Council of War
(C) Antonio del Carmen López Martí.
