Julián Romero
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Julián Romero de Ibarrola ( Huélamo, 1518 – Felizzano, 1577) was a Spanish military commander in the 16th century. He participated in various conflicts in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
, the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
and the
Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...
. His long and active career, in which he lost an eye, an arm, a leg and an ear, earned him international notoriety as an heroic, unbreakable soldier. Of undistinguished birth, he also stood out for being an unusual example of a common man rising from footsoldier to '' maestre de campo'' for merit alone. He was celebrated in Spain as ''El de las Hazañas'' ("He of the Feats").


Biography

Romero was born in Huélamo,
Province of Cuenca (Spain) Cuenca () is one of the five provinces of the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha. It is located in the eastern part of this autonomous community and covers 17,141 square km. It has a population of 203,841 inhabitants – the least popul ...
. Nothing more is known about his youth. He entered the Spanish army at the age of 16, and was stationed in Flanders. By 1547 he was part of
Pedro de Gamboa Pedro de Gamboa (died 1550) was a Spanish soldier who fought for Henry VIII of England in France and Scotland. He was from Madrid. In 1545 he commanded a company of Spanish soldiers for the Earl of Hertford. Eustace Chapuys describes him as a '' ...
's Spanish mercenary force commanding a unit as sergeant or captain at the
Battle of Pinkie The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh (), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Crowns, ...
, as ally of the English in their war with Scotland known as the
Rough Wooing The Rough Wooing (; December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following the English Reformation, the break with the Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland ...
. King
Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
was so impressed by his performance, that he made him a
banneret A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a Middle Ages, medieval knight who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner (which was square-shaped, in contrast to the tapering Heraldic flag#Standard, standar ...
, with a yearly pension of £150. Romero's unit was captured during the siege of Haddington at
Coldingham Coldingham is a village and parish in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders. It lies a short distance inland from Coldingham Bay, three miles northeast of the fishing village of Eyemouth. Parish The parish lies in the east of the Lammermuir ...
in the spring of 1549. He was released and stationed at Cheswick in Northumberland in May 1549.''HMC Rutland'', vol. 1 (London, 1911), p. 37. On July 15, during the signing of peace between Henry VIII and
Francis I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...
in the
Palace of Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau ( , ; ), located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. It served as a hunting lodge and summer residence for many of the List of French monarchs ...
, Romero represented Henry VIII in a duel against Cristóbal de Mora, a soldier from his unit who had defected to Francis I. During the three-hour duel, Romero lost his sword and lance and had his horse killed under him, but he managed to force Moura to dismount and wrestled him to the ground, where he subdued him with his dagger. He received gifts from both kings for his victory. Romero fought in the
Italian War of 1551–1559 The Italian War of 1551–1559 began when Henry II of France declared war against Holy Roman Emperor Charles V with the intent of recapturing parts of Italy and ensuring French, rather than Habsburg, domination of European affairs. The war e ...
, where he distinguished himself in the Battle of St. Quentin (1557), for which he was made a Knight in the
Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; ) is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the patron saint of Spain, ''Santiago'' ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of S ...
. In 1565 he was stationed in Sicily, but the following year, the Duke of Alba made him Maestre de campo, and he accompanied the Duke to the
Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...
to crush the
Dutch Revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, exc ...
. In 1568 he commanded the guard at the execution of Counts Egmont and
Horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...
. Romero fought in the
Siege of Mons (1572) The siege of Mons of 1572 took place at Mons, Belgium, Mons, capital of the County of Hainaut, Spanish Netherlands (present-day Belgium), between 23 June and 19 September 1572, as part of the Eighty Years' War, the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–160 ...
, where he nearly succeeded in killing
William the Silent William the Silent or William the Taciturn (; 24 April 153310 July 1584), more commonly known in the Netherlands as William of Orange (), was the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburg Netherlands, Habsburgs that set off the ...
in a daring raid against the Dutch camp. He was also present at the Massacre of Naarden and the Siege of Haarlem, where he lost an eye. In 1574, he failed to relieve Middelburg after losing the Battle of Reimerswaal, and in 1576 he was present at the Sack of Antwerp. By the Edict of 1577, most Spanish troops were withdrawn from the Low Countries and Romero was stationed in Cremona. He died of a stroke in Felizzano near
Alessandria Alessandria (; ) is a city and commune in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. It is also the largest municipality of the region. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, ...
while he was in charge of transferring Spanish troops back to the territories of the Spanish crown. He was buried in Alessandria in the church of San Giacomo della Vittoria.


After his death

After his death, Julian Romero became in Spain a military hero who gave his life for his country. He was painted by
El Greco Doménikos Theotokópoulos (, ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco (; "The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance, regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time. ...
around 1612 and José de Cañizares dedicated a play to him (''El guapo Julián Romero'') in the 18th century.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romero, Julian Spanish people of the Eighty Years' War Spanish people of the Rough Wooing 16th-century Spanish people 1518 births 1577 deaths Knights banneret of England